The Ante-Nicene Fathers, subtitled "The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325", is a selected set of books containing English translations of the major early Christian writings. The period covers the beginning of Christianity until before the promulgation of the Nicene Creed at the First Council of Nicaea.

Publication

It was translated in the late 1800s. The text was edited by Rev. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson and first published in Edinburgh, 1867. It was also published in the United States in 1885, with additional introductionary material and notes by A. Cleveland Coxe.

Contents

The volumes include the following:

Volume I. The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus

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

Volume II. Fathers of the Second Century

• Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria

Volume III. Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian

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

Volume IV. The Fathers of the Third Century

• Tertullian Part IV; Minucius Felix; Commodian ; Origen

Volume V. The Fathers of the Third Century

• Hippolytus; Cyprian; Caius; Novatian; Appendix

Volume VI. The Fathers of the Third Century

• Gregory Thaumaturgus; Dionysius the Great ; Sextus Julius Africanus; Anatolius and Minor Writers; Methodius; Arnobius

Volume VII. Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries

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

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

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

See also the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers

External links:

• The full text of the Ante-Nicene Fathers is freely available at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library