Historic writings

Early Church

• Unknown

  The Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena

  The original Greek text of this work is edited for the first time in Text and Studies, Vol. II., No. 3 (1893), by Montague Rhodes James, M.A., from the only ms.

• Peter of Alexandria

  The Apocalypse of Peter

  The fragment here translated was discovered in 1886 by the French Archæological Mission in an ancient burying place at Akhmîm in Upper Egypt. It was published at Paris in 1892 (Bouriant, *Mémoires publiés par les membres de la Mission Archéologique Française au Caire*, T. ix., fasc.

• Unknown

  The Apocalypse of Sedrach

  The translation is from Mr. M. R. James’s text in *Texts and Studies*, ii. 3, p.

• Unknown

  The Apocalypse of the Virgin

  The present translation of this Apocalypse[[cite:3952]] is made from the text as published by Mr. M. R. James in *Texts and Studies*, ii., 3, from a ms. in the Bodleian Library, which he assigns to the eleventh century.

• Tertullian

  The Apology

  Rulers of the Roman Empire, if, seated for the administration of justice on your lofty tribunal, under the gaze of every eye, and occupying there all but the highest position in the state, you may not openly inquire into and sift before the world the real truth in regard to the charges made against the Christians; if in this case alone you are afraid or ashamed to exercise your authority in mak...

• Aristides of Athens

  The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher

  Translated from the Greek and from the Syriac Version

• Methodius · c. 260–312

  The Banquet of the Ten Virgins; or Concerning Chastity

  A collection of writings by Methodius, chiefly presenting his response to Origen and including The Banquet of the Ten Virgins, a dialogue praising virginity and chastity. The introduction discusses his life, authorship, surviving works, and textual history.

• Peter of Alexandria

  The Canonical epistle, with the Commentaries of Theodore Balsamon and John Zonaras

  A collection of Peter of Alexandria’s penitential canons and surviving fragments, accompanied by a translator’s introduction and an account of his episcopate, conflict with Meletius, and martyrdom. The work presents Peter as a defender of ecclesial unity and Alexandrian orthodoxy during the Diocletian persecution.

• Tertullian

  The Chaplet, or De Corona

  Very lately it happened thus: while the bounty of our most excellent emperors[[cite:381]] was dispensed in the camp, the soldiers, laurel-crowned, were approaching. One of them, more a soldier of God, more stedfast than the rest of his brethren, who had imagined that they could serve two masters, his head alone uncovered, the useless crown in his hand—already even by that peculiarity known to e...

• Tatian

  The Diatessaron of Tatian

  The aim of the following introductory paragraphs is neither to furnish a detailed restatement of facts already known, nor to offer an independent contribution to the discussion of the problems that arise, although in other circumstances such an attempt might be made with advantage. All that is needed and practicable here is to describe briefly, if possible, the nature of the connection between...

• Tatian the Assyrian

  The Discourse to the Greeks

  Do not suppose, ye Greeks, that my separation from your customs is unreasonable and unthinking; for I found in them nothing that is holy or acceptable to God. For the very compositions of your poets are monuments of madness and intemperance.

• Theonas of Alexandria · c. 300

  The Epistle of Theonas, Bishop of Alexandria, to Lucianus, the Cheif Chamberlain

  Of this Theonas we know extremely little. Eusebius[[cite:1283]] tells us that Maximus, who had held the episcopal office at Alexandria for eighteen years after the death of Dionysius, was succeeded by Theonas.

• Phileas of Thmuis and fellow Egyptian bishops

  The Epistle of the Same Phileas of Thmuis to Meletius, Bishop of Lycopolis

  The Epistle of the Same Phileas of Thmuis to Meletius, Bishop of Lycopolis.

• Clement of Rome

  The Epistles of Clement

  Reprinted from the translation given in the 1st vol. of the Ante-Nicene Fathers. Completed and revised from a manuscript discovered after the publication of that volume.

• Cyprian · c. 200–258

  The Epistles of Cyprian

  An introduction to the life and theological writings of St. Cyprian, focusing on his role as Bishop of Carthage and his views on church organization and the episcopate.

• Ignatius of Antioch · c. 30–107

  The Epistles of Ignatius

  The seductive myth which represents this Father as the little child whom the Lord placed in the midst of his apostles (St. [[verse:MAT.18.2|Matt.

• Julius Africanus

  The Epistle to Aristides

  A collection of surviving writings by Julius Africanus, a third-century Christian chronologist and theologian. It includes his epistle to Aristides on the genealogies of Christ and his letter to Origen concerning the story of Susanna, along with biographical and bibliographical notices.

• Julius Africanus

  The Extant Fragments of the Five Books of the Chronography of Julius Africanus

  III.—The Extant Fragments of the Five Books of the Chronography of Julius Africanus.

• Hippolytus

  The Extant Works and Fragments of Hippolytus

  Fragments from Commentaries on Various Books of Scripture.

• Justin Martyr

  The First Apology

  Crescens, a cynic, has the ill-renown of stirring up the persecution in which Justin and his friends suffered for Christ. The story that he died by the hemlock seems to have originated among the Greeks, who naturally gave this turn to the sufferings of a philosopher.