Josephus should get an honorable mention, even though he’s not “early church”.
Ha! I rank an acolyte.
Do you think Frankie would allow a Lutheran to light the candles in St. Peter’s?
No “The Ladder of Divine Ascent” or “The Philokalia”?
Almost an acolyte here. I am saving the list. Thanks!
It is the only infallible collection of writings we have available.
The rest are commentaries.
If you are not inclined to read fifty works you can forego all that by just reading the New Testament; it's all in there.
#1 on your list (The Douay-Rheims Bible (Various Catholic Translators)).
Please note that this translation of the Bible was from the late 16th century early 17th century and thus hardly a work of the early church fathers. Also notice too that the DR translation has been revised over the years. Most common edition in use today is that which was revised by Bishop Challoner mid-18th century.
One other thing, the DR was translated into English from Jerome’s Latin Vulgate from the 4th century, not the Hebrew OT or Greek NT. Jerome made a few mistakes which are carried over to the DR, but the main thing to comprehend is that the DR is a translation of a translation. Even the Challoner version suffers from the same problem that the Geneva or other reformation era English translations have, the “early modern English” used is a bit out of date to 21st century readers.
The ECFs, which make up the bulk of your list, while written during the Patristic era are available today as more modern English translations and thus are easier to comprehend.
Happy reading!
Should include Agustine’s three anti-Pelagian treatises.
Thanks, adding to my reading list.
Thanks for the posting
But I'd have to attain a Methuselan llfespan to read all these--- at the pokey rate I'm going.
Hail to my betters, hail!
The Epistle to Diognetus. An early apologetic discourse that starts with displaying the community of believers before positing doctrine or dogma.
I forgot to add that this is not even on the list of your bishops list of approved translations though inferior ones are, which includes the official RC Bible for America with its often liberal notes (and notes are required) and aversion to translating “porneia” as “sexual immorality” or anything sexual in places such as simply rendering the words for fornication/fornicator as "immorality" or "immoral persons" among the many occurrences of the words for sexual immorality. (Matthew 5:32 Matthew 15:19 Matthew 19:9 Mark 7:21 John 8:41 Acts 15:20 Acts 15:29 Acts 21:25 Romans 1:29 1 Corinthians 5:1 1 Corinthians 5:9 1 Corinthians 5:10 1 Corinthians 5:11 1 Corinthians 6:9 1 Corinthians 6:13 1 Corinthians 6:18 1 Corinthians 5:9 ,10,11; 7:2; 6:9; 1 Corinthians 10:8 2 Corinthians 12:21 Galatians 5:19 Ephesians 5:3 Colossians 3:5 1 Thessalonians 4:3 Hebrews 12:16 Jude 7 Revelation 2:14,20,21; 9:21; 14:8;17:2,4; 18:3,9; 19:2) even though in most cases it is in a sexual context.
However,
It follows that the Church is essentially an unequal society, that is, a society comprising two categories of per sons, the Pastors and the flock...the one duty of the multitude is to allow themselves to be led, and, like a docile flock, to follow the Pastors. - VEHEMENTER NOS, an Encyclical of Pope Pius X promulgated on February 11, 1906.
Thus either way your recommendation is not a positive recommendation for Rome.
Bookmark
Oops! Only three.
Sixty Six books that every Christian should read
I also like the book “Four Witnesses” by Bennett.