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| Abbreviations | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Preface | |
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| The World of the Fathers: Introduction | |
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| The Apostolic Fathers: The Gospel's First Echo | |
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| St. Clement of Rome | |
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| To the Corinthians | |
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| St. Ignatius of Antioch | |
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| The Effects of Heresy | |
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| The Desire for Martyrdom | |
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| St. Polycarp of Smyrna | |
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| The Martyrdom of Polycarp | |
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| Hermas | |
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| Hennas Tells His Story | |
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| The Ante-Nicene Fathers: The Church Finds a Voice | |
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| St. Aristides of Athens | |
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| From Creation to Creator | |
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| St. Justin Martyr | |
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| To the Emperor Antoninus Pius | |
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| To the Roman Senate | |
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| St. Melito of Sardis | |
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| The Old Passover and the New | |
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| St. Theophilus of Antioch | |
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| The Blindness of Sin | |
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| St. Athenagoras of Athens | |
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| Arguments for the Defense | |
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| Consistent Ethic of Life | |
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| St. Irenaeus of Lyons | |
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| Union with God | |
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| Against the Heretics: A Satire of Gnosticism | |
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| Mary, the New Eve | |
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| The Eucharist, Pledge of Our Resurrection | |
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| Tertuliian | |
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| The Love of Christians | |
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| Athens and Jerusalem | |
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| St. Hippolytus of Rome | |
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| Milk and Honey | |
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| Wisdom's House and Wisdom�s Banquet | |
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| St. Cyprian of Carthage | |
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| To Pope Cornelius | |
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| On the Unity of the Church | |
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| St. Clement of Alexandria | |
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| True Gnostics and False Gnostics | |
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| A Hymn to Christ the Savior | |
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| Origen | |
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| To a Young Christian Intellectual | |
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| The Senses of Scripture | |
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| A Snippet of Allegory | |
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| When It's Tough to Read the Bible | |
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| St. Gregory of Pontus: On Origen, My Teacher | |
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| St. Dionysius the Great | |
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| The Christian Difference | |
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| The Courage of the Martyrs | |
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| St. Methodius of Olympus | |
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| The Church Prefigured and Fulfilled | |
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| Lactantius | |
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| just Deserts | |
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| The Fourth Century: The Golden Age of Doctrine | |
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| Eusebius of Caesarea | |
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| In Praise of Constantine | |
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| On Church History | |
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| St. Athanasius | |
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| We Worship the Word Made Flesh | |
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| On the Death of Arius | |
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| St. Aphrahat the Sage | |
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| On Persecution | |
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| St. Ephrem of Syria | |
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| A Song for Christmas | |
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| St. Basil the Great | |
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| On His Conversion | |
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| A Plea to the Pope | |
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| On the Holy Spirit | |
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| St. Gregory of Nazianzus | |
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| Why I Fled | |
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| Soul and Body | |
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| St. Gregory of Nyssa | |
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| Why Do Infants Die? | |
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| The Mystical Death | |
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| On the Building of a Church | |
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| St. Asterius of Amasea | |
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| Against Divorce | |
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| St. Cyril of Jerusalem | |
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| On Confession | |
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| On the Eucharist | |
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| On Reverence at Liturgy | |
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| St. Pacian of Barcelona | |
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| On the Name Catholic | |
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| St. Ambrose of Milan | |
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| To the Emperor Valentinian | |
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| To the Catechumens | |
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| On True Fortitude | |
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| The Hymns of the Little Hours | |
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| The Later Fathers: The Church and the Changing World | |
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| St. Epiphanius of Salamis | |
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| Against Origen | |
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| St. John Chrysostom | |
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| On Riches | |
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| On Luxury | |
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| Husbands, Love Your Wives | |
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| To Parents | |
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| St. John Cassian | |
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| The Athlete of Christ | |
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| Begin with an End in Mind | |
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| Theodore of Mopsuestia | |
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| The Meaning of "Consubstantial" | |
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| St. Cyril of Alexandria | |
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| Reaching Out to Nestorius | |
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| Trinity, Incarnation, Eucharist: Unity | |
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| St. Jerome | |
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| On Mary's Virginity | |
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| On Lust | |
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| On Old Age | |
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| St. Chromatius of Aquileia | |
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| Baptism, the Great Mystery | |
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| St. Augustine of Hippo | |
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| On His Mother, Monica | |
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| On Morals | |
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| On the Trinity | |
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| Letter to Januarius | |
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| Prudentius | |
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| The Story of His Life | |
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| A Christmas Carol | |
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| St. Paulinus of Nola | |
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| The Company of God's Servants | |
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| Poem on the Annunciation | |
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| St. Vincent of L�rins | |
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| How to Study the Fathers | |
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| St. Leo the Great | |
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| On Jesus Christ | |
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| On Rome | |
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| St. Peter Chrysologus | |
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| Our Daily, Eucharistic Bread | |
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| Praying the "Hail Mary" | |
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| St. Jacob of Serugh | |
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| On Time for the Lord | |
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| Homily on Habib the Martyr | |
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| St. Romanus the Singer | |
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| Sung Sermon at Christmas | |
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| St. Benedict of Nursia | |
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| To Work and to Pray | |
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| St. Venantius Fortunatus | |
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| Good Friday Hymn | |
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| Hymn to the Cross | |
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| St. Gregory the Great | |
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| On Bashing the Clergy | |
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| On the Rights of Jews | |
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| Dionysius the (Pseudo-) Areopagitc | |
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| Prayer before Theology | |
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| Hierarchy: The Ladder of Light | |
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| St. Maximus the Confessor | |
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| When Someone Gossips about You | |
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| The Ultimate Authority on Earth | |
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| St. Isidore of Seville | |
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| A Census of the Angels | |
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| St. John of Damascus | |
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| On the Veneration of Saints | |
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| On Images | |
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| The Mothers | |
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| St. Perpetua | |
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| The Passion of St. Perpetua | |
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| St. Syncletica | |
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| The Sayings | |
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| Egeria the Pilgrim | |
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| Climbing Mount Sinai | |
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| Postscript | |
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| About the Author | |
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| Appendix: For Further Study | |
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| The Times of the Fathers: Timeline of Events | |
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| Notes | |
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| Index | |