After the New Testament: Key Apostolic Fathers & Second-Century Texts

By the late first or early second century AD, the last book of the New Testament had been written. In AD 325, the Council of Nicaea would articulate the doctrine of the Trinity and adapt the church’s rule of faith into an official creed. But what happened in between these two watershed moments of church history? The second century, in particular, was an existentially defining period for the church. The gospel spread far beyond its origins in Galilee, where it was met by serious challenges. The church would emerge from these with greater clarity about its identity and beliefs. The major voices of this period were the Apostolic Fathers, so-called because they were the first generation of Christian leaders and teachers after the twelve appointed by Christ. Some of them actually knew apostles or knew someone who knew them. In this article, I will introduce a few writings of the Apostolic Fathers. I have left out a considerable chunk.1 I have selected those that have special interest for the average New Testament reader. I will organize these works under three major challenges Christians faced in the second century concerning Scripture. Table of Contents 1. What is the relationship betw...