Patristic Period

The Patristic Period is the period in the history of the Christian church from around 100 AD until the 8th century. The period is characterized by divisions within the Church on matters of theology and doctrine, by the definition of the great creeds which are still used in the church, and by the theological writings of the Church Fathers such as Augustine.

The church fathers are generally divided into the Ante-Nicene Fathers, those who lived and wrote before the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD; and the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, those who lived and wrote after that date. In addition, the fathers are divided into those who wrote Greek and those who wrote in Latin. Examples of the former are Justin Martyr and Cyril of Alexandria. Among the Latin Fathers are Tertullian and Augustine of Hippo.

Sources and External links[edit]

• Catholic Encyclopedia- Patrology
• Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers Collection A 38 volume set containing most of the major works of the first 800 years of Christian patristic writings.
• Early Church Texts A site with a growing number of original language patristic texts and translations, together with an extensive set of links to online resources about the Early Church.
• Corunum Large collection of patristic texts that outline the cardinal doctrines of the Catholic faith.
• Ecole Initiative Online collection of patristic texts, images, and information.
• Faulkner University Patristics Project A growing collection of English translations of patristic texts and high-resolution scans from the comprehensive Patrologia compiled by J. P. Migne.
• Patristics In English Project An online initiative whose aim is to scan and present all out of copyright patristic texts as well as providing new translations of previously untranslated patristic texts.
• St. Pachomius Library Large collection of various patristic texts and information dealing with Eastern Orthodoxy.
• The Tertullian Project A scholarly site devoted to the study of the second century Latin patristic writer Tertullian. Also includes many out of copyright patristic texts.
• International Association of Patristics Studies
• L'Istituto Patristico Augustinianum di Roma
• North American Patristics Society
• "Way of the Fathers" Blog