{"product_id":"the-apostolic-fathers-early-witness","title":"The Apostolic Fathers - Early Witness","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe first generation after the apostles, in their own words, with integrated introductions and discussion questions.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eWhen the last of the apostles died, the church did not fall silent. The men who led it next - some of whom had known the apostles personally - wrote letters, taught new believers, and shepherded congregations through persecution. This volume gathers three of the earliest surviving witnesses to that generation: the \u003cem\u003eDidache\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eLetters of Ignatius of Antioch\u003c\/em\u003e, and the\u003cem\u003e First Epistle of Clement of Rome\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThese are not obscure curiosities. They come from the heart of the early church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe origins of the church at Antioch are known to us from the Scripture. It was at Antioch that the gospel was first preached to the Gentiles as a matter of course, and it was Antioch that first sent Paul on his missionary journeys. Antioch continued as a significant center of Christianity for centuries, and it was this church which Ignatius led as bishop until sometime around the year AD 107, when he was removed from church leadership and arrested for his faith. He wrote seven letters as he was marched to martyrdom under Roman guard - all seven are contained here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe origins of the church at Rome are less clear, although tradition tells us it was founded by Peter, and we know it very quickly gained a place of prominence among the early church. Paul wrote his epistle to the church at Rome around AD 55-57, and his first epistle to the church at Corinth about the same time. Approximately 40 years later, a man by the name of Clement was positioned as a bishop in the church at Rome writing his own epistle to the church at Corinth. This epistle - the\u003cem\u003e First Epistle of Clement of Rome\u003c\/em\u003e - was treasured and read aloud in churches for centuries. It appears here in full.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eAlongside them sits the \u003cem\u003eDidache\u003c\/em\u003e, a fascinating enigma and among the earliest glimpses we have of how the first Christians actually worshiped, prayed, and ordered their common life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eWe've modernized the language for clarity and added introductions and discussion questions, representing the best of modern scholarship, to help you read these texts on their own terms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eHardcover. Designed to be treasured.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48014441218306,"sku":null,"price":23.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/rhizareads.com\/products\/the-apostolic-fathers-early-witness","provider":"Rhiza","version":"1.0","type":"link"}