Good anthology of Fathers?

[jackpuffin]

Hi! I just started reading an anthology of early Church Fathers by Penguin press. Unfortunately, it has a distinctively Anglican bias which can at times be annoying. Does anyone know any compilation of early church writings with good, reliable (And by ‘reliable’, I mean ‘Catholic’) commentary?

-Eric

 

[Scotty_PGH]

jackpuffin:

Hi! I just started reading an anthology of early Church Fathers by Penguin press. Unfortunately, it has a distinctively Anglican bias which can at times be annoying. Does anyone know any compilation of early church writings with good, reliable (And by ‘reliable’, I mean ‘Catholic’) commentary?

-Eric

Here’s the best compilation out there:

The Faith of the Early Fathers, volume 1-3, by William Jurgens

 

[Sherlock]

Well, Scott beat me to it! The volumes by Jurgens are what I have heard recommended many, many times by people whose orthodoxy I respect. I have just one volume (the first) but haven’t yet cracked it open, so I can’t tell you how it’s organized, etc., but maybe someone else here can.

I have Stephen Ray’s book, “Upon This Rock” which makes extensive use of the early Church Fathers, but it is specifically concerned about the papacy. I would definitely recommend that if you ever need to consult the Fathers for a defense of the papacy.

 

[JLove]

I have the Jurgens set and it comes highly recommended; however, I myself have not used it readily. I rely more on a 38 volume set I have. Here’s a link if your interested (it’s a bit costly though). amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565630815/qid%3D1106886448/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-2589419-7659810

The Jurgens set is set up under category headings, i.e. Trinity, he then proceeds to quote all the fathers who have texts supporting the doctrine. However, there is no comentary. I’m not aware of a book that has what you want. Although I don’t think you need a commentary with Jurgens’s set. All the quotes are pretty straight forward.
There is also another work which is the same as Jurgens’s, but it is only one volume. The Teachings of the Church Fathers, by John R. Williams, S.J.

 

[Scotty_PGH]

JLove:

I have the Jurgens set and it comes highly recommended; however, I myself have not used it readily. I rely more on a 38 volume set I have. Here’s a link if your interested (it’s a bit costly though). amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565630815/qid%3D1106886448/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-2589419-7659810

The Jurgens set is set up under category headings, i.e. Trinity, he then proceeds to quote all the fathers who have texts supporting the doctrine. However, there is no comentary. I’m not aware of a book that has what you want. Although I don’t think you need a commentary with Jurgens’s set. All the quotes are pretty straight forward.
There is also another work which is the same as Jurgens’s, but it is only one volume. The Teachings of the Church Fathers, by John R. Williams, S.J.

Hmm, I’m only in the first volume, but so far, the book is ordered chronologically. Also - there’s actually a decent bit of commentary. Are you maybe thinking of a different book?