Do you want to get to know the early Church Fathers? This article introduces you to the Early Church Fathers from an evangelical perspective by analyzing a reviewing Brian Litfin’s work, Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction.
INTRODUCTION
As a professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute, Bryan M. Litfin, Ph.D. has written a dynamic and accessible work weaving biographical, theological, and historical content in an attempt to restore the relevancy of patrology to evangelicals. A chronological sampling of ten church fathers is provided for study. The work begins with the early second century fathers, represented by Ignatius of Antioch and Justin Martyr, and continues into the middle of the fifth century with an introduction to Cyril of Alexandria. The book’s introduction provides Litfin’s thesis: As spiritual mentors, the church fathers connect modern thought with the “general thrust of the Christian faith,” in particular, the doctrinal aspects of orthodox Christianity as well as its communal aspects.1 The thesis is supported by attacking three common myths that suggest the church fathers were Roman Catholic, not biblically based, and represented the fall of Christianity. The purpose of this review is to provide a brief summary of the work and an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses in light its thesis.
BRIEF SUMMARY
Litfin begins by introducing Ignatius of Antioch in the context of Christianity’s primary second century opponents, the Judaizers and Gnostics. Ignatius is given credit for pioneering a monepiscopacy in order to protect the universal catholic church from false doctrines which, in effect, connects his work to the modern day senior pastor. The apologist, Justin Martyr, is introduced next as an early apologist who wrote three key apologetic works including the Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, First Apology, and Second Apology. The contributions made by Justin include a perspective of the Logos that provided a pre-Trinitarian view, as well as an amalgamation of Greek philosophy and Christianity in an attempt to reach a populous with a Hellenistic world view. Next, in light of the threat of Gnosticism, Irenaeus of Lyons is credited with the theological construct that salvation provides redemption from sin not knowledge.
Furthermore, Irenaeus combats Gnostic thought by suggesting the catholic church draw its authority from the apostles, two testaments of the Bible, and creeds supported by the Rule of Faith. Continued exploration of the dangers of heresy leads the author to Tertullian who is responsible for significantly hampering the influence of heretics like Marcion. Although ornery and legalistic, Tertullian was the first to coin the term “Trinity” and also made an essential connection between the Old Testament and New Testament by proposing the former as preparation and the latter as fulfillment which greatly informed future theological discourse.
The martyrdom of Perpetua is next explored conveying a heroic example of Christian commitment as she renounced her family and faced the beasts while singing psalms. Moving on to the controversial Origen, Litfin presents him in light of his brilliant intellect. The legacy of Origen primarily rests in his allegorical interpretation of Scripture which supports layered meanings of God’s revealed Truth, and although criticized by some evangelicals, he provides an important perspective on interpretive methods. Athanasius is addressed next and is credited for almost single handedly overcoming Arianism and furthering an orthodox view of the Trinity.
Following Athanasius the “Golden Mouth” of John Chrysostom’s preaching ministry is presented as an exemplification of the Antiochene School which focused on the literal interpretation of Scripture.2 Unfortunately, the mouth of Chrysostom was also injurious and resulted in exile and an isolated elderly existence. The beloved Augustine of Hippo is next revealed as a church father that turned from the dissatisfaction of worldly success to the satisfaction of God as described in the Confessions. Additionally, Augustine’s focus on divine grace and the theology of God’s love effectively fought off the impact of Pelagianism and Donatism. Finally, a church father of late antiquity, Cyril of Alexandria, who engaged in the Christological debate regarding Christ’s unity, is introduced. As opposed to Nestorius who overemphasized Jesus’ humanity, Cyril “coined the term ‘hypostatic union’” in order to explain that “Christ is one person (or hypostasis) who possesses two natures, divine and human.3”
STRENGTHS
The strengths of Litfin’s work can be found in four prominent areas. First, he competently supports the doctrinal and communal thematic purposes of the book. For example, doctrinally he includes references to the development of Trinitarian thought through Justin Martyr’s logic that connects the Logos to Jesus becoming flesh4 and Athanasius’ battle against Arianism.5 The author also supports the communal aspects of the theme by connecting us with the individual lives of the fathers as exemplified by the riveting stories of Augustine’s conversion6 and Perpetua’s martyrdom.7
Second, the author adequately disproves the three myths noted in his introduction. Although admittedly Rome was important, the influence of Augustine in North Africa, Cyril and Athanasius in Alexandria, and John Chrysostom in Constantinople attests to the fact that Rome was not solely responsible for the father’s heritage.8 Furthermore, the book explores the controversial Origen’s insatiable appetite for the Word supporting the idea that the fathers’ held Scripture in high esteem.9 Finally, the fact that a church father like Tertullian adequately conveyed a relationship between the Old and New Testament of preparation and fulfillment that continues to be foundational to current theological thought, reinforces the author’s belief that the church fathers supported the rise of orthodox Christianity, not its fall.10
Third, Litfin spends little time proselytizing an evangelical perspective. For instance, the author appropriately references Irenaeus’s refutation of Gnosticism while steering clear of lecturing on the potential link between Irenaeus’s views and apostolic succession.11 The overall academic approach adds significantly to the credibility of the work.
Finally, the most prominent strength of the book is possibly its accessibility and readability. The bibliographical approach of Getting to Know the Church Fathers presents an engaging style attractive to both laymen and clergy. Litfin has skillfully bridged the lost history of the church fathers to modern day evangelicals in an engaging fashion.
WEAKNESSES
Although a thoroughly enjoyable read, a couple critiques are relatively easy to note. First, the introductions, at times, appear superfluous. For example, the story of the Wild West as an introduction to Tertullian seemed to add very little to the story.12
Second, and more importantly, the author ignored some very significant and influential church fathers and controversial subjects. Excluding Clement of Alexandria and Cyprian of Carthage may have helped Litfin support the book’s thesis, but it also avoided two very important figures of Christian history. Furthermore, omitting the subjects of penance and the Eucharist certainly decreased the risk of proselytizing; their absence also decreased the credibility of the book by silently calling into question the complete defeat of his trilogy of myths.
CONCLUSION
Litfin’s compelling work is certainly relevant to modern Christianity as it masterfully connects the church fathers with the doctrinal and communal aspects of Christian thought. The evidence presented against stereotypical myths, the absence of an agenda, and the accessibility of the work all add to its impact. And though the superfluous introductions and the omission of relevant figures and content did detract, the overall significance of the work should not be underestimated.
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1. Bryan M. Litfin, Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2007), 28.
2. Ibid., 191.
3. Ibid., 252.
4. Ibid., 68.
5. Ibid., 167.
6. Ibid., 222-26.
7. Ibid., 120-35.
8. Ibid., 256.
9. Ibid., 155.
10. Ibid., 111.
11. Ibid., 85.
12. Ibid., 97-98.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Litfin, Bryan M. Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2007.