Diocese of Saint Matthias the Apostle - C.E.E.C.

Ante-Nicene Fathers
The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325

The Writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers are a tesimony to the beliefs, practices, world outlook and Spiritual fortitude, of those first to recieve the Gospel of Christ from the Apostles. Many of the Ante-Nicene Fathers were direct students of the Apostles or the students of those who worked with and studied with the Apostles. Their writings shead envaluable insight upon what was "orthodox" (meaning right doctrine) Christianity and what was not as well as  provides the answers to many practicle questions about the New Testament Church of Christ. At a time when the "Bible" had yet to be compiled it was the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers that provided the orthodox solidarity of the faithful that would eventually prove essential in the determination of the composition of the Christian Scriptures.

The Ante-Nicene Christian Church accepts the Writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers as the "Testimony of the Fathers" and as such view them as instrumental to the further edification of the faithful. Any Study of these Writings will further enlighten the faithful student on the life changing nature of our faith and a clear understanding of the manifestations of that faith within the Chrsitian Community and the world in which the believer lives.

The following is taken from the web site http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/  where the reader may also find writings of later Church leaders from the Nicean and Post Nicean periods as well.

Volume I.   The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus

Clement of Rome, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus

Also available: text.zip, WinHelp.zip, Microsoft Reader, pdf

Volume II.   Fathers of the Second Century

Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria

Also available: pdf, text.zip WinHelp.zip, hermas.rtf

Volume III.   Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian

Three Parts: I. Apologetic; II. Anti-Marcion; III. Ethical

Also available: text.zip, WinHelp.zip

Volume IV.   The Fathers of the Third Century

Tertullian Part IV; Minucius Felix; Commodian; Origen

Also available: text.zip, WinHelp.zip

Volume V.   The Fathers of the Third Century

Hippolytus; Cyprian; Caius; Novatian; Appendix

Also available: text.zip, WinHelp.zip

Volume VI.   The Fathers of the Third Century

Gregory Thaumaturgus; Dinysius the Great; Julius Africanus; Anatolius and Minor Writers; Methodius; Arnobius

Also available: text.zip, WinHelp.zip

Volume VII.   Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries

Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, Liturgies

Also available: text.zip, WinHelp.zip

Volume VIII.   Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries

The Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts and Epistles, The Clementia, Apocrypha, Decretals, Memoirs of Edessa and Syriac Documents, Remains of the First Ages

Also available: text.zip, WinHelp.zip

Volume X.   Recently Discovered Additions to Early Christian Literature; Commentaries of Origen

The Gospel of Peter, The Diatessaron of Tatian, The Apocalypse of Peter, The Visio Pauli, The Apocalypses of the Virgin and Sedrach, The Testament of Abraham, The Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, The Narrative of Zosimus, The Apology of Aristides, The Epistles of Clement (Complete Text), Origen's Commentary on John, Books I-X, Origen's Commentary on Mathew, Books I, II, and X-XIV

Also available: text.zip, WinHelp.zip