I began listening to the Church Fathers while I was an Amazon delivery driver. I had 8–10 hours per day where I could listen to whatever I wanted, and I hadn’t yet read much from the writers of the early church, so I figured I’d start working my way through them. I’ve since left my job at Amazon, but I’ve continued listening to the Fathers while on walks or doing housework.

The Church Fathers give us a window into Christianity shortly after the era of the Apostles. It is through their writings that we get to see what it looked like to be a Christian in a world that had no comprehension of Christ’s message. It is through their writings we get to see what it looks like to think through the faith and remain dedicated to faith and practice in an era where the Christian message was not seen as a cultural net-positive

Additionally, we get to see the Fathers continue to proclaim the message of the Apostles. Some of the writings we have come from men who personally knew the Apostles. Clement of Rome ministered with Paul (cf. Phil. 4:3). Polycarp, Papias, and Ignatius of Antioch knew John. Their writings reflect many of the same messages of the Apostles.

Here are some things I’ve noticed:

• The Church has always needed the message of unity, and it has always struggled to live up to this command. Paul wrote against the disunity in Corinth in the mid 50s AD, and Clement of Rome had to write against disunity in that same Corinthian church in the mid 90s AD (see 1 Cor. 1:10–17; 1 Clement 46.1–9).
• The early church had a higher view of the Church than what I’ve heard from a non-denominational Protestant perspective. I was surprised to hear Ignatius instruct six churches to ensure that the bishop was present for ministry activities and for them to love their bishop like Christ (see Ignatius’ letters to the churches in Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna).
• If you read the Church Fathers, you will notice large swaths where they simply quote Scripture. Especially when writing to other Christians, they illustrate their point by quoting either the Old or New Testament.
• Finally, I was blown away by how smart and well-read the Fathers were. Writers like Tatian, Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, and Tertullian reveal brilliant understandings of Greco-Roman philosophy, mythology & religion, culture, law, and Christian theology. The extent to which they quoted both the writers of their day as well as Scripture was impressive.

All that to say, the writings of the early church have been very enjoyable. They have helped me understand what Christianity looked like in the ancient world, and that challenges me to think about my own faith and practice today.