The Apostolic Fathers

The earliest Christian writings after the New Testament, translated by A. Roberts, J. Donaldson and F. Crombie (1870).

Pick a writing.

An Ancient Reference Book, not part of the Bible. The writings are shown as the 1870 Ante-Nicene Christian Library prints them. The editors’ introductions and notes are not shown, nor the letters the book itself calls spurious. It is free to use.

Part I

What it is

Who the Apostolic Fathers were and what is in this book.

Who they were. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Greek Christian writers, “several unknown,” who wrote early Christian works “dating primarily from the late 1st and early 2nd centuries.”
What is here. Two letters under the name of Clement of Rome; Polycarp’s letter to the Philippians and the account of his death; the Epistle of Barnabas; the letters of Ignatius of Antioch; the Epistle to Diognetus; the Pastor (Shepherd) of Hermas; and fragments of Papias.
Two forms of Ignatius. The book prints each of Ignatius’s seven letters in a shorter and a longer form, one after the other, and three letters from an old Syriac version. All are shown here, labelled as the book labels them.
Not here. The Didache, found in 1873, after this book was printed.

Part II

Where it meets the Bible

Places where these writings touch the people and words of the New Testament. Verses are quoted from the ASV.

Paul’s letter named. The First Epistle of Clement tells the church at Corinth: “Take up the epistle of the blessed Apostle Paul” (chapter 47), the letter we know as 1 Corinthians.
Peter and Paul. The same letter (chapter 5) speaks of the sufferings of Peter and of Paul.
Smyrna. The Martyrdom of Polycarp is a letter of the church at Smyrna. Revelation 2:8 is addressed “to the angel of the church in Smyrna.”
Antioch. Ignatius was bishop of Antioch, the city where “the disciples were called Christians first” (Acts 11:26).
Words of Scripture. The writings quote the Old Testament and the words of Yeshua (Jesus) often, in the wording of their own time.

Part III

The writings

Tap a name to open its writings.

Clement of Rome2 writings

Polycarp2 writings

Barnabas1 writing

The Epistle of Barnabas

Ignatius of Antioch8 writings

Ignatius: the Syriac version3 writings

The Epistle to Diognetus1 writing

The Epistle to Diognetus

The Pastor (Shepherd) of Hermas3 writings

Papias1 writing

Fragments of Papias

Sources

Where these facts come from

Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Apostolic Father,” checked 30 October 2026. The writings: Ante-Nicene Christian Library, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1870), Project Gutenberg ebook 77576. Bible verses: American Standard Version (1901), checked by machine.