The Early Church Fathers

In this weeks lesson, we are talking about the Early church, or Apostolistic Fathers. These are the guys who were influential in the Early Church post Peter, Paul, and the other Apostles. These include Clement of Rome, Polycarp, and Ignatius, among others. These men, like many of the Apostles, died painful deaths for what they believed in, yet they still had the intent and focus to spread the gospel. Interestingly enough, a large reason why Christianity spread was simply due to the spread of the Roman Empire. As the Empire grew, Christianity grew with it. It is not that cut and dry; the work of the Early Church Fathers was crucial to the growth and knowledge of the Early Church. They were charged with organizing groups and leadership, being arbiters for schisms and strife in local churches, and promoting the truth of the Gospel in the face of distortion and outright lies. For all their work, many were tortured and killed in gratuitous ways. As Christians, we have a firm foundation of self-sacrificing men with a desire to see the gospel spread over the entire known world. It behooves us to carry on their example.