Early Christian Writings

A fresh translation of some of the earliest Christian writings after the New Testament. Includes: Clement of Rome, the letters of Ignatius and Polycarp, the Didache, and the Letter to Diognetus. Some of these authors were personal companions of the apostles. Their writings shed a wealth of information on the beliefs, lifestyle, and worship of the church right after the death of John. Most of the writings in this selection are in the form of letters, and they deal with practical problems of the life of the early Church as it struggled in the face of persecution to establish itself in the Roman world. The value of these writings to posterity is inestimable. Mawell Staniforth has translated these works into smooth English prose. This edition includes a new introduction that describes the fascinating history and discovery of these writings.