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In these firsthand accounts of the early church, the spirit of Pentecost burns with prophetic force through the fog enveloping the modern church. A clear and vibrant faith lives on in these writings, providing a guide for Christians today. Its stark simplicity and revolutionary fervor will stun those lulled by conventional Christianity.
The Early Christians is a topically arranged collection of primary sources. It includes extra-biblical sayings of Jesus and excerpts from Origen, Tertullian, Polycarp, Clement of Alexandria, Justin, Irenaeus, Hermas, Ignatius, and others. Equally revealing material from pagan contemporaries - critics, detractors, and persecutors - is included as well.
List of contents
Preface
The Witness of the Early Church
by Eberhard Arnold
ii The State, Society and Martyrs
Pliny
Polycarp
Justin
Letter from Vienne and Lyons
Acts of Martyrs
Early Apologies
Notes
iii Self-Portraits and Portrayals
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho, First Apology
Aristides, Apology
Origen, Against Celsus
Hippolytus, The Apostolic Tradition
Letter to Diognetus
Tertullian, Apology
Notes
iv Creed, Confession and Scripture
Apostolic Confession
Rule of Faith
Irenaeus, Against Heresies
Athenagoras, A Plea Regarding Christians
Late Athenagoras, On the Resurrection of the Dead
Justin, First Apology, Dialogue with Trypho
Muratorian Canon
Notes
v Sayings of Jesus and the Apostles
Extra-Biblical Sayings of Jesus
The Didache
First Letter of Clement to the Corinthians
Ignatius, Letters to the Ephesians, Romans,
Smyrnaeans, and Polycarp
Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians
Letter of Barnabas
Notes
vi Meetings, Worship and Church Practices
Baptism
The Lord's Supper or Love Meal
Distribution of Goods
Leadership and Gifts
Prayers and Hymns
Notes
vii Proclamation and the Prophetic Spirit
Acts of Andrew
Justin, Dialogue with Trypho
Second Letter of Clement
The Shepherd of Hermas
Sibylline Oracles
Montanus
Notes
Postscript
Selected Bibliography
Index of Names and Selected Topics
About the author
Eberhard Arnold (1883–1935) studied theology, philosophy, and education and was widely sought as a speaker at student conferences and other gatherings. In 1920, leaving a promising career as a writer and the privileges of upper-middle- class life in Berlin, he moved with his wife and children to Sannerz, a small village in central Germany, where they founded a Christian community on the basis of the Sermon on the Mount.
Summary
In these firsthand accounts of the early church, the spirit of Pentecost burns with prophetic force through the fog enveloping the modern church. A clear and vibrant faith lives on in these writings, providing a guide for Christians today. Its stark simplicity and revolutionary fervor will stun those lulled by conventional Christianity.
The Early Christians is a topically arranged collection of primary sources. It includes extra-biblical sayings of Jesus and excerpts from Origen, Tertullian, Polycarp, Clement of Alexandria, Justin, Irenaeus, Hermas, Ignatius, and others. Equally revealing material from pagan contemporaries – critics, detractors, and persecutors – is included as well.
Foreword
What did Christianity look like before it became an institution?
Additional text
This welcome anthology of writings from the first two centuries of Christendom is full and practical – and fervent.
