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Subject Guide: Early Church Fathers
Topic Overview
The Early Church Fathers wrote for the first few centuries of the church age. Some of their works have been retained and translated to English. Primary sources were written by the author. Secondary sources are those written by modern authors about the Early Church Fathers’ writings and views. The Ante-Nicene Fathers (ANF) and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (NPNF) volumes of writing are separated by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
Recommended Books
David W. Bercot
This is a reference work that gathers quotations from the early church fathers on more than 700 theological, moral, and historical topics (e.g., healing, deliverance, the image of God). It is designed to help readers see what early Christians said about doctrines and practices such as baptism, Christ’s divinity, resurrection, and church life. Bercot, David W. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More Than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998.
Books
Primary Sources
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Book: Bercot, A Dictionary of Early Church Beliefs. It has the ANF (and maybe some NPNF) that are indexed by topic. So I looked up “healing” or “deliverance” and it gave a lot of excerpts of quotes on the topic by various Fathers.
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https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/ citations at the bottom of each page. Google search: site: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/ “healed”. Go to the page and Command+F (Find) “healed”
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A Google search in the ANF and NPNF. Cut and paste this into Google: site:https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff “Communion.” The whole Schaff ANF and NPNF series is online, but not very searchable. That is why the Google search in #1 is helpful. https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff
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This website does verse searches in the Early Fathers writing by Scripture. 1 Cor 11:24, which is a communion passage, and a few things came up. https://www.catholiccrossreference.online/fathers/index.php/1%20cor%2011:24 John 6:35 https://www.catholiccrossreference.online/fathers/index.php/john%206:35
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Schaff Encyclopedia: https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc13/encyc13.iv.xii.html. Lord’s Supper, Eucharist,…
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Project Gutenberg “Christianity” https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/119
Secondary Sources
- Keener, Miracles (about Healing)
- Bercot (Deliverance, Healing)
- Clark, The Biblical Guidebook to Deliverance, Chap. 4 (Deliverance)
- Clark and Ruthven, Baptized in the Spirit (about Spirit baptism)
- Clark, The Essential Guide to the Power of the Holy Spirit, “Tracing the Holy Spirit’s Powerful Hand in History” (about Holy Spirit)
- DPCM, (about Holy Spirit)
- Healy and Clark, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, Chap. 3, Spiritual gifts
- Hyatt, 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity (Healing, Deliverance)
- Kim Maas, Prophetic Communities, (little: Montanist)
- F. David Farnell, “Is the Gift of Prophecy for Today?” Bibliotheca Sacra 149, no.3 (1992): 284
- Apostles. Hans von Campenhausen, Ecclesial Authority and Spiritual Power in the Churches of the First Three Centuries, Stanford, 1969. Hans Kung, What is the Essence of Apostolic Succession? (New York: Paulist Press, 1968)
- Roger Olson books