Reading the Apostolic Fathers: A Student's Introduction

"Jefford has taken a complicated, diverse, and hotly debated collection of ancient Christian texts and made them intelligible for a modern, uninitiated audience. He condenses and construes the critical issues and literature in a manner that the beginning student will find advantageous, and the expert insightful."--D. Jeffrey Bingham, Dallas Theological Seminary
The Apostolic Fathers are critically important texts for studying the first century of Christian history. Here a leading expert on the Apostolic Fathers offers an accessible, up-to-date introduction and companion to these diverse and fascinating materials. This work is easy to use and affordable yet offers a thorough overview for students and others approaching these writings for the first time. It explains the context and significance of each document and points to further reading. This new edition of a well-received text has been updated throughout and includes a new chapter on the fragments of Papias.
Contents
Preface to the Second Edition
For the Reader
Introduction: What Are the Apostolic Fathers?
1. The Letter of Barnabas
2. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (The Didache)
3. The Letters of Ignatius
4. The Fragments of Papias
5. The Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians
6. The Martyrdom of Polycarp
7. The First Letter of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians (1 Clement)
8. The Second Letter of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians (2 Clement)
9. The Shepherd of Hermas
10. The Letter to Diognetus
Glossary
Index