A HANDBOOK OF PATROLOGY BY THE REV. J. TIXERONT, D.D. AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION, BASED UPON THE FOURTH FRENCH EDITION SECOND EDITION B. HERDER BOOK CO. 17 SOUTH BROADWAY, ST. LOUIS, MO. AND 68, GREAT RUSSELL ST., LONDON, W. C. 1923 Source Text: https://archive.org/stream/ahandbookofpatro00tixeuoft/ahandbookofpatro00tixeuoft_djvu.txt For citation purposes, the original page numbers are [bracketed] intratext. NIHIL OBSTAT Sti. Ludovici, die 15. Sept. 1920 F. G. Holweck, Censor Librorum IMPRIMATUR Sti. Ludovici, die 16. Sept. 1920 Joannes J. Glennon, Archiepiscopus Sti. Ludovici Copyright, 1920 by Joseph Gummersbach All rights reserved Printed in U. S. A. VAIL-BALLOU COMPANY Contents PRINCIPAL ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................... 7 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 1. Preliminary Remarks – The Purpose of this Book ...........................................................................1 2. Main Works on Patrology and on the History of Ancient Christian Literature................................ 2 3. Principal Patrological Collections....................................................................................................3 FIRST PERIOD .............................................................................................................................. 6 BEGINNING AND GROWTH OF EARLY CHRISTIAN LITERATURE THE FATHERS OF THE FIRST THREE CENTURIES................................................................................................ 6 Section I ...................................................................................................................................... 6 THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS................................................................................................... 6 1. St. Clement.......................................................................................................................................6 2. St. Ignatius........................................................................................................................................8 3. St. Polycarp and the Acts of His Martydom...................................................................................10 4. Pseudo-Barnabas ............................................................................................................................ 11 5. The doctrine of the Twelve Apostles.............................................................................................. 11 6. The Homily Called Second Epistle of St. Clement ........................................................................12 7. The Shepherd of Hermas................................................................................................................13 8. Papias and the Presbyters ...............................................................................................................16 9. The Apostles' Creed ....................................................................................................................... 16 Section II................................................................................................................................... 18 THE APOLOGISTS OF THE SECOND CENTURY ............................................................. 18 General Survey...................................................................................................................................18 1. Lost Apologies — Aristides of Athens .......................................................................................... 19 2. St. Justin Martyr ............................................................................................................................. 20 3. Tatian..............................................................................................................................................23 4. Athenagoras....................................................................................................................................25 5. Theophilus of Antioch....................................................................................................................26 6. The Letter to Diognetus..................................................................................................................27 7. Hermias ..........................................................................................................................................27 8. Minucius Felix................................................................................................................................ 28 Section III ................................................................................................................................. 30 THE HERETICAL AND APOCRYPHAL LITERATURE OF THE SECOND CENTURY 30 1. Judeo-Christian Literature..............................................................................................................30 2. Gnostic Literature........................................................................................................................... 31 3. Montanistic Literature ....................................................................................................................35 4. Apocryphal Literature — Christian Apocrypha of the Old Testament ..........................................35 5. The Apocrypha of the New Testament — The Gospels.................................................................36 6. Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles....................................................................................................39 7. Apocryphal Epistles ....................................................................................................................... 41 8. Apocryphal Apocalypses................................................................................................................42 Section IV ................................................................................................................................. 43 THE OPPONENTS OF HERESY IN THE SECOND CENTURY......................................... 43 1. The Anti-Gnostic Writers — Hegesippus ......................................................................................43 2. St. Irenaeus.....................................................................................................................................44 3. Anti-Montanistic and Other Writers............................................................................................... 46 Section V................................................................................................................................... 48 THE ORIENTAL WRITERS OF THE THIRD CENTURY ................................................... 48 1. Alexandrians and Egyptians — Clement ....................................................................................... 48 2. Origen.............................................................................................................................................51 3. Dionysius of Alexandria and Other Less Important Authors......................................................... 55 4. Syro-Palestinians — Julius Africanus — Pamphilus and Less Important Authors........................ 57 5. Anonymous and Disciplinary Writings.......................................................................................... 58 6. Writers of Asia Minor — St. Gregory Thaumaturgus — Methodius.............................................59 Section VI ................................................................................................................................. 62 WESTERN WRITERS OF THE THIRD CENTURY............................................................. 62 1. African Writers — Tertullian.........................................................................................................62 2. St. Cyprian......................................................................................................................................67 3. Commodianus and Anonymous Contemporary Writers ................................................................ 69 4. Arnobius and Lactantius.................................................................................................................70 5. Roman Writers — St. Hippolytus ..................................................................................................72 6. Novatian and the Popes of the Third Century ................................................................................74 7. Writers of Gaul and Pannonia — Victorinus of Pettau ..................................................................75 APPENDIX TO PART I........................................................................................................... 77 The Acts of the Martyrs......................................................................................................................77 SECOND PERIOD................................................................................................................... 79 THE GOLDEN AGE OF PATRISTIC LITERATURE (313-461) .......................................... 79 Section I .................................................................................................................................... 80 GREEK HETERODOX LITERATURE.................................................................................