Abstract
II. Historical/theological studies
Christianity in the First and Second Centuries: Essential Readings, edited by Kevin Douglas Hill, is part of the Patristic Essentials series from Fontes Press. This detail is relevant to note at the beginning of this review because the editors of the series, Jacob C. Cerone, Michael A. G. Haykin, Kevin Douglas Hill, and Todd A. Scacewater, created it “out of the conviction” that renewed interests in Patristic writings has left out “students and non-experts who face greater difficulties” with regard to accessing resources due to the high cost of newer publications or the sometimes intimidating nature of scholarly works. This reality leaves many potential readers without guidance on where to start when reading Patristic texts, and it limits them to older translations that are “often in archaic English” and do not “benefit from the latest scholarship and critical editions.” The Patristic Essentials series “aims to partially solve these problems by providing expertly curated readings in accessible translations at an affordable cost” along with “a helpful introduction by a leading or emerging scholar” (p. xi).
The methodology behind the creation of this volume includes updating the English of existing translations (e.g., Philip Schaff) while consulting and citing newer, critical editions and translations and pointing readers to easier to understand, more accessible English secondary sources. The editors’ note their selection of texts are representative, focusing on those Patristic writings that will exemplify (1) “significant early Christian hermeneutics and exegesis”; (2) “significant early Christian ethics, spiritual practices, and other perspectives on living in the world as followers of Christ”; (3) the “historical contexts” of early Christianity; (4) those texts that have been “influential or significant in Christian thought” and later reception; and (5) “significant early Christian theological beliefs, perspectives, debates, or questions” (p. xii).
This volume begins with an introduction from one of the aforementioned “leading scholars” of early Christianity, Paul Foster of the University of Edinburgh. Foster summarizes the context of second-century Christianity and explains how each of the texts included in this reader fits into that historical setting. Likewise, he explains why this book is divided into writings categorized as part of the “Apostolic Fathers” and the “Early Christian Apologists,” what these labels mean, and how they developed into identifiable collections (pp. 1–25). These labels may seem natural, but they are selective and mostly rooted in modern scholarship. In other words, as Foster comments, we do not find “several of the texts later designated as the Apostolic Fathers” in a single codex until “the eleventh century with Codex Hierosolymitanus (H 54),” and we do not find anyone referencing the Apostolic Fathers as a collection until 1672 when “Jean-Baptiste Cotelier published what can be recognized as the first printed edition of texts that were to become known as the Apostolic Fathers” (pp. 2–3). In addition, one should not interpret the division between “Apostolic Fathers” and “apologists” as a clear cut one. Foster comments that the Epistle of Diognetus and Apology of Quadratus have been lumped in with the Apostolic Fathers but “there really is no good reason why” (p. 22). For this reason, the line between these collections has been blurred in this volume as writings from both are included, and, when the reader transitions from the “Fragment of Papias” on p. 176 to the “Apology of Aristides” on p. 177, no signpost tells readers they have left one category of writings and entered another. In this volume, these two collections become one in a sense, the unifying factor being they were written in the first and second centuries, thereby providing readers with insights into the nature of earliest Christianity.
Once the volume concludes the introduction, each text starts with brief “context” that tells the reader who the author was, what the provenance was, and when it was written. For example, “The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians” is said to be authored by “Possibly Clement of Rome” with the provenance being “Rome” and the date given being “c. AD 70–96” (p. 27). The ancient texts included in this volume are the “First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians”; “The Second Epistle of Clement”; the “Letters of Ignatius” which include letters attributed to Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Romans, Philadelphians, Smyrnaeans, and to Bishop Polycarp; “The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians”; “The Martyrdom of Polycarp”; “Didache”; “The Epistle of Barnabas”; “The Shepherd of Hermas”; “The Epistle of Diognetus”; “The Apology of Quadratus”; “The Fragments of Papias”; “The Apology of Aristides”; “The First Apology” and “The Second Apology” of Justin Martyr as well as his “Dialogue with Trypho”; Tatian’s “Address to the Greeks”; Athenagoras of Athens’ “Embassy for the Christians”; and Theophilus of Antioch’s “Apology to Autolycus.” Each writing is helpfully broken up with bold text headers (e.g., “First Clement” begins with “Opening” then “Problems Caused by Jealousy” then “On Repentance” and so forth) which makes it easier for the reader to follow the author’s line of thought or to find relevant material if one is curious about what this or that author had to say about this or that topic.
Fontes Press has provided curious lay readers with an affordable, accessible introductory reader to first- and second-century Christian writings. It is an aesthetically pleasing volume and due to Hill’s editorial work, a more readable one than what is available online. It will serve perfectly those who want to learn more about this era of church history but do not know where to start. The minimal but helpful footnotes will point the more inquisitive reader to accessible secondary literature that will create fresh understandings without being overwhelming to those who are new to this literature.