Reading the Apostolic Fathers: A Student’s Introduction by Clayton N. Jefford (review)

Clayton Jefford’s Reading the Apostolic Fathers: A Student’s Introductionis a successful second edition to Jefford, Harder, and Amezaga’s 1997 introduction to reading texts of the early Christian era. Originally intended as an “overview of some of Christianity’s oldest writings beyond the New Testament” (xi), the first edition proved itself a success not only for the work of serious students of biblical literature, but also in the proliferation of similar volumes—some more detailed than others—that introduced students to the rich literature of the first and second centuries ce.

In addition to the preface to the second edition (xi–xii) and a helpful “For the Reader” (xiii–xvi), Jefford begins with a preliminary chapter that provides basic identification of the fathers, genres employed, dates of composition, general theologies, the nature of relationship of these texts vis-à-vis canonical texts, and a helpful bibliography (xvii–xxviii). The core of the text includes chapters devoted to the Letter of Barnabas, the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (the Didache), Letters of Ignatius, the Letter of Poly-carp to the Philippians, the Martyrdom of Polycarp, the First and Second Letter of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians (1 Clement and 2 Clement), the Shepherd of Hermas, and the Letter to Diognetus. New to the collection is a chapter on the Fragments of Papias, by an apostolic father whose writings are embedded in the texts of others, available only to readers in secondary form.

As with the previous edition, the structure of each chapter is consistent: Jefford designs each chapter around the types of general questions that students bring to the study of early Christian texts, including—among others—composition date, setting, purpose, and images that link the texts to other early Christian literature, canonical and non. He begins each chapter with terse “answers” to these questions and, in outline format, methodically walks the reader through each of the points, with the outline providing opportunity for quick cross-reference. This format makes the text valuable beyond the “student” identified by the title, for the book can be turned to and easily navigated by those who might have need for quick access to this information for a paper, lecture, or sermon. In addition, each chapter provides a summary of the text, which—while no substitute for the actual text itself—provides a helpful introduction for readers who are perhaps approaching this material for the first time, or offers a reminder of the key arguments for those refreshing their memory. Worth noting are boldface vocabulary to identify key terms, and helpful charts that identify elements such as the use of biblical names in a given text or the gospel parallels to the death of Polycarp. The charts provide not only access to the types of data available in the texts, but also an example for students of the ways in which data might be gleaned and explored in the study of an early Christian text.

This is an excellent text for an undergraduate course on early Christian literature. The variety and diversity of early Christian leaders is particularly valuable for an age in which many young adults are seeking wisdom exterior to established canons of any religion. This text provides evidence that there is wisdom beyond biblical walls, and it also affirms that the development of identity, ethics, and theology was an ongoing project for early generations of followers after the death of Jesus.

Finally, while it is clear that this book is intended for students, as a professor I gained an unexpected insight while reading this book, for the format of the text provided me with an opportunity to rethink how I incorporate the writings of the Apostolic fathers into a class on early Christian literature. To this end, Jefford’s text provides an opportunity for scholars to consider the way in which pedagogical methods might support or be supported...