Familiarity with the Fathers

By Sal Ciresi
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 9/26/02)

This column has attempted periodically to show the theological necessity, historical significance and Catholic character of the Church Fathers. This focus on Patrology has yielded a favorable reception among readers; no hate mail has been received to date. Therefore, to further the cause for studying the Patristic epoch, the following titles are recommended below.

For a primer on the theological discipline of Patrology, a good work to begin reading is Pier Franco Beatrice’s Introduction to the Fathers of the Church (Vicenza: Edizioni Istituto San Gaetano, 1987). Translated by Placid Solari, O.S.B., this compact book contains brief excerpts from the most significant Patristic writings. The highlights of this text are the excellent maps and color illustrations that make the Patristic age come to life. For an illuminating grasp of history in light of the Fathers, the book provides a handy time line of both "secular" and "ecclesiastical" events.

Father Donald W. Wuerl (now bishop of Pittsburgh) emphasizes the biographical dimension from the Patristic epoch in Fathers of the Church (Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1975). This title provides a selection from the most popular writers from the age of Patrology. Some of the personalities covered are St. Justin Martyr (d. A.D. 165), St. Athanasius (d. A.D. 373) and St. Basil the Great (d. A.D. 379). The merit to this book is that each Patristic entry flows as if it were a good novel; fast reading with interesting data. This small work can lay the groundwork for further research.

The slender but useful Handbook of Patrology (Staten Island: Alba House, 1968) comes to us from the pen of Father Patrick J. Hamell. This book offers an outline of the Fathers derived from earlier studies from famed, bygone scholars such as Bardenhewer, Cayré and Tixeront. Hamell’s work, because it is in outline form, does not contain extended selections from the Patristic corpus. Nevertheless, the handbook supplies useful information by covering areas such as ecclesiastical literature, apologetics works and heretical writings.

An excellent reference set is The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vols. 1-3 (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1970; 1979; 1979). Selected and translated by Rev. William A. Jurgens, this collection is a fine addition to any library. These volumes provide historical and theological passages that span the entire Patristic era; beginning with the Didache and ending with St. John Damascene (d. A.D. 749). Brief background data is provided for each document and writer, coupled with a nice sampling from the applicable text. A valuable Scriptural and doctrinal index accompanies each volume and facilitates easy research. Each book can serve as a quick reference guide or can be read from cover to cover.

The renowned Rev. Johannes Quasten has left us his monumental Patrology (Westminster: Christian Classics, Inc., 1993; 1994; 1994). This reprint is in its seventh printing. A fourth volume (1994) that accompanies this set was compiled under the leadership of the Patristic Institute; the Augustinianum (Rome). These books are a standard in the field because of their impressive scholarship, enlightening biographical data and key excerpts from the Patristic era. An example of the great depth of these volumes is seen in some of the topics covered under St. Augustine (d. A.D. 430): life; personality; writings; doctrine; theology; and spiritual doctrine. Despite its lofty academic level, these volumes can function as a resource for the beginning student as well as the serious scholar.

The books mentioned above are accessible at major libraries or Catholic bookstores. It is hoped that these works on the Fathers will provide both theological insight and spiritual nourishment. Understood in light of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, the Patristic masters are a reflection of the greatest theological, spiritual and philosophical minds within the first eight centuries of Catholicism.

Ciresi serves on the faculty of the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College.

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