In the earliest days of the Christian Church, the new faith was very different than that found in many churches today. The earliest generations of the Church were led by men who lived with Jesus himself, and they taught the People of God personally - relating events from Christ's life based on their personal experience. The primary Scriptures used by Christians was the Old (Hebrew) Testament, as made available in the Temple and in the Greek Septuagint. They had and shared letters from the Church leaders and understood from their teachings how to be Christians, or 'People of the Way'. What did those early Church leaders teach? In the days before the Gospels or the New Testament, what was their understanding of the message of Christ? How did this compare to the Pagan religions that surrounded them? How did their New Church differ from the faith of the Jews? All of these questions can clearly answered by reading the earliest writings - many of them written before the Bible was complete. Some existed before any Gospels were written, and almost all were written before the Canon was finally established. In Volume 1, we present some writings of the Apostles, Clement of Rome, Barnabas, Ignatius, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and reference materials for the books of the Early Christian Writers. Included are the Didache (the earliest Catechism), The Shepherd of Hermas, and the discussion between Justin and Trypho the Jew and much more.
In the earliest days of the Christian Church, the new faith was very different than that found in many churches today. The earliest generations of the Church were led by men who lived with Jesus himself, and they taught the People of God personally - relating events from Christ's life based on their personal experience. The primary Scriptures used by Christians was the Old (Hebrew) Testament, as made available in the Temple and in the Greek Septuagint. They had and shared letters from the Church leaders and understood from their teachings how to be Christians, or 'People of the Way'. What did those early Church leaders teach? In the days before the Gospels or the New Testament, what was their understanding of the message of Christ? How did this compare to the Pagan religions that surrounded them? How did their New Church differ from the faith of the Jews? All of these questions can clearly answered by reading the earliest writings - many of them written before the Bible was complete. Some existed before any Gospels were written, and almost all were written before the Canon was finally established. In Volume 1, we present some writings of the Apostles, Clement of Rome, Barnabas, Ignatius, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and reference materials for the books of the Early Christian Writers. Included are the Didache (the earliest Catechism), The Shepherd of Hermas, and the discussion between Justin and Trypho the Jew and much more.
