Glory to God for the men of old who endured the persecutions of this world with joy and faith. Much can be learned from those who have looked death in the face and yet remained true to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

The Epistle of Barnabas is commonly categorized among the Apostolic Fathers alongside the writings of St. Clement, St. Ignatius, and St. Polycarp. This epistle can be dated near the end of the first century and was considered important by many of the early church fathers. It was most likely written to new Jewish believers in response to the growing heresy that the Old Law was still necessary for salvation.

Written by Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea, The History of the Church is the pioneering fourth-century work which details the chronological history of early Christianity from the time of Christ to Constantine. This monumental work of Christian history stands apart from other contemporary histories as the first full-length record of early Christianity from a Christian point of view. While sometimes criticized as biased and inaccurate, The History of the Church nevertheless provides an indispensable perspective upon the foundations of the Christian church and religion.

The Shepherd of Hermas is an astounding piece of ancient Christian writing. Traditionally ascribed to Hermas, the brother of Pope Pius I of Rome, it is usually dated at between AD 120 and AD 150. This means that the author may have been in contact with an Apostle such as John who died around AD 98. And he was most certainly contemporaneous with those who knew some of the Apostle such as Ignatius and Polycarp.

An important contribution to the study of the Didache was Kirsopp Lake's translation of 1912. As Greek can never be directly translated into English Kirsopp brings out subtle variations in the text by the words he chooses. While a lesser known translation of this astounding piece of early Church literature, it remains a must-listen to all students of Church history.