Which ECF is your favorite?

[ShanksForte]

I personally like Saint Ignatius of Antioch. In his writings he acted like getting thrown to the lions was no biggie. I always thought that was impressive

 

[Dmitry R.]

I just started reading the ECFs.
If someone has one or more that they gleaned some helpful insight on something new or something that helped them understand something better and would like to post it, please do.

I was much impressed by "The Shepherd of Hermas". This is the early christian book which was included in the canon of New Teastament in some early churches.

The second interestind point is that unlike most of the fathers Hermas was not a clergyman. He was just a common christian with a family. So he was just like me.

 

[sensational]

I just started reading the ECFs.
If someone has one or more that they gleaned some helpful insight on something new or something that helped them understand something better and would like to post it, please do.

Athanasius is one of my favorites. He was exiled multiple times for teaching and protecting orthodoxy. Ignatius saw death as being united with Christ and died for his faith in Christ. There r so many helpful insights to be gained by reading the ECFs. Your study of the ECFs will strengthen your faith. Thanks to their sacrifices the deposit of faith was preserved and passed on to us.

For most people, the best entrance into Church Fathers is reading anthologies. It is a good way to find out who and what interests you. Here are some of the better anthologies or collections:





Carol Harrison, ed., Early Church Fathers Series, 18 volumes to date (New York: Routledge, 1996-2009) paperback, $25-35 per volume. This recent series concentrates on individual Church Fathers. Each volume has a lengthy introduction followed by new translations of major (and often previously untranslated) works:

• Pauline Allen & C.T.R. Hayward, Severus of Antioch (2004).
• Khalid Anatolios, Athanasius (2004).
• A.M. Casiday, Evagrius Ponticus (2006).
• Brian E. Daley, Gregory of Nazianzus (2006).
• Geoffrey Dunn, Tertullian (2004).
• Robert M. Grant, Irenaeus of Lyons (1997).
• István Pásztori Kupán, Theodoret of Cyrus (2006).
• Andrew Louth, Maximus the Confessor (1996).
• Frederick McLeod, Theodore of Mopsuestia (2009).
• John Moorhead, Gregory the Great (2005).
• Wendy Meyer & Pauline Allen, John Chrysostom (2000).
• Anthony Meredith, Gregory of Nyssa (1999).
• Bronwen Neil, Leo the Great (2009). NEW.
• Boniface Ramsey, Ambrose (1997).
• Stefan Rebenich, Jerome (2002).
• Norman Russell, Cyril of Alexandria (2000).
• Norman Russell, Theophilus of Alexandria (2007).
• Joseph W. Trigg, Origen (1998).
• Carolinne White, Early Christian Latin Poets (2000).
• Edward Yarnold, Cyril of Jerusalem (2000).

This is another excellent resource

Hubertus Drobner, The Fathers of the Church: A Comprehensive Introduction, trans. Siegfried Schatzmann; bibliographies updated and expanded for the English edition by William Harmless, SJ, & Hubertus Drobner (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2007). A translation of the 2nd edition of Drobner's Lehrbuch der Patrologie (Herder & Herder, 2002), this handbook offers a comprehensive introduction to the Church Fathers, together with extensive bibliographies on each figure and on all the major patristic texts. This is designed to replace an old standard, Johannes Quasten’s Patrology.

These references were taken from William Harmless Bibliography website for his students. Its an excellent resource and nicely organized into subject matter. Sorry i cant post a link yet b/c i havent posted enough on this forum, just google william harmless bibliographies if u r interested.

 

[Standing_Ultraviolet]

I personally like Saint Ignatius of Antioch. In his writings he acted like getting thrown to the lions was no biggie. I always thought that was impressive

Ignatius of Antioch was EPIC.

 

[Super Kal]

Clement of Rome
Irenaeus
Polycarp
Ignatius of Antioch
Justin Martyr