The study of the Church Fathers is central to an understanding and appreciation of the history and content of Orthodox Christianity. It is in these holy men and women that the Church has found her voice throughout the centuries; in these lives transformed and illumined that she has found her most poignant mouthpeaces. It was these that produced the scriptures, the formulations of the councils, and the sacred writings that continue to form the textual tradition of the Church.
Often, the writings of the Fathers can be complex, for much hearkens from an era different to our own. Context can seem distant, and the mire of words difficult sands through which one must sift. Yet the abiding quality of the writings of the Church Fathers is their transcendence of the human moment: their ability to speak to the very heart of man even centuries, perhaps millennia, after they were first written. The Church acknowledges that it is the voice of the Holy Spirit that speaks through their words, and thus their message is eternal and ever applicable to the contemporary struggles of humanity.
It is the Fathers of the Church who have produced her great textual treasures: her scriptures, her hymnody, her theological apologetics, her histories. Thus, a proper understanding of any of these elements of Orthodox life can only be obtained when approached with a patristic sense of mind. (more...)
Patristic Source Texts - The Master List
We aim to provide a resource to all those wishing to study and know the fathers of the Church - and there is no better way in than the writings of the fathers themselves.
Monachos.net hosts a large and growing collection of on-line patristic texts through its Monachos Library Project, which undergo editing by a group of volunteers, including formatting and the inclusion of various presentation features. Additionally, we provide thorough access to patristic source documents in English elsewhere on the internet. Together, these resources are combined in our Patristics Master List, which constitutes an extensive catalogue of the writings of the fathers and mothers of the Church on-line - including many Church Fathers and writings that stand outside the confines of some academic limits on the patristic period, but which are critical to the patristic heritage of the Orthodox Church.
The Source Text Master List is searchable, and its display alterable to suit your needs. Find it here:
The Monachos.net Patristics Source Text Master List
Those interested in contributing to the provision and editing of patristic texts on-line, are invited to contact us for ways in which you can help.
Studies, Essays, Commentary and Papers
This area contains studies on patristic themes and persons, enabling a greater understanding of specific issues in the patristic heritage. These studies take the form of essays on specific Fathers or specific themes; commentaries on patristic writings; historical surveys; and related documents.
Academic papers on the Fathers and specific themes for review and study are included, as are less formal considerations of individuals and general patristic matters. Some articles also include additional study resources in patristics.
Our collection of patristic studies is divided into two categories:
- Thematic Studies - covering themes of patristic heritage - such as Christology, Trinity - which are not specific to an individual person, but may cover the thought and interactions of multiple individuals or whole eras
- Studies on Specific Fathers - focusing on specific Church Fathers, rather than broader themes, including individual histories, the theology of specific Fathers and related materials
Ideally, these studies will be consulted in concert with the patristic source texts themselves, which can be accessed from the previous Source Texts tab, above.
Christology Study Area
The study of patristics invariably includes consideration of the detailed Christological discussions (and disputes) of the third-sixth centuries, amongst others. These included the trinitarian matters most often associated with the ccumenical council of Nicaea, as well as the delicate and detailed questions about Christ's natures that carried on until well past the wcumenical council of Chalcedon in AD 451.
Our dedicated study area on patristic Christology contains numerous resources for approaching this critical set of topics, including collections of source texts assembled with articles and essays on Nestorianism, Apollinarianism, questions of nature and natures, etc., and course of articulation of the Church's reponses.
Click here for the Christology Study Area...
