One area of church history that does not seem to be discussed a lot is on those who followed the Apostles. Who were the men that followed those Jesus commissioned to carry out His task to lead the church after He ascended?
William Varner, a well-known Biblical scholar, address who these men were and their theology in his lates book, Introducing the Apostolic Fathers. In this book, Varner looks at various texts and letters into these men who knew the Apostle personally. These men were not just ones who did their research and followed their example. These Apostolic Fathers were men who worked side-by-side with the Apostles Christ commissioned.
One thing to note, nowhere were these men considered Apostles. They believed that the gift and calling of an Apostle had ceased. I am sure there are some continuationists out there that are right now going to disagree with this one since they believe the calling of the Apostle still happens today.
In the book, Varner does write about the testimonies of these early church fathers so that 21st Century Christians can learn from them. He writes about Clement, Polycarp, and Ignatius. He addresses the writings of these men such as Clement's letter to the Corinthians along with his second letter, the Epistle of Barnabas, and the letter to Diognetus.
Varner addresses their eschatology which all of them were premillennial. He also addresses what each early church father believed about baptism which was by immersion. I am sure many of you are scratching your heads at this moment, but it is insight as to what these men believed to be the right doctrine and methods in the early church.
This is very well written book on the subject of church history. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to look into the history of the church. I am also delighted to suggest this book as one of the first books to read on your study of church history.
I received this book from G3 Press in exchange for an honest review.
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