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Athanasius of Alexandria · 318–335 · Treatise
For any reader who wants the classic short answer to why God became man; read Against the Heathen first only if you want the whole two-part argument.
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Cyril of Jerusalem · 348–350 · Treatise
The Catechetical Lectures represent one of the most complete surviving records of fourth-century Christian initiation practices. Delivered by Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, between 348 and 350, these twenty-four lectures were given to…
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Ephrem the Syrian · 350–370 · Poem
The Madrāšē d-Haymənutā (Hymns on Faith) represent Ephrem the Syrian's poetic response to the Arian controversy that threatened to divide fourth-century Christianity. Writing from Nisibis and later Edessa between 350 and 370,…
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Ephrem the Syrian · 360–370 · Poem
The Hymns on the Nativity comprise a collection of twenty-eight hymns composed by Ephrem the Syrian during the 360s, written in Syriac for liturgical use during the Christmas season. These works emerged…
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Basil the Great · 370–379 · Other
For the reader who wants to pray with Basil rather than read about him: the eucharistic liturgy still used in Lent in the Byzantine churches and daily by the Copts, its long anaphora a summary of the whole faith. Follow Hapgood's English; the Greek is for
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Long Rules Regulae fusius tractatae
Basil the Great · 375 · Treatise
For anyone who wants to know where Benedict's Rule came from: 55 questions on loving God and neighbour, leaving the world, obedience, work and care of the sick, answered from Scripture. The more readable of the two Rules; read it first.
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Basil the Great · 375 · Treatise
For anyone who wants to see how the Church came to call the Spirit God: a careful argument, not a devotional book. Not the place to start if you have never read a Church Father; take the Address to Young Men first.
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Gregory of Nyssa · 382 · Book
For anyone who has sat with a dying person and wondered what the soul is and whether it survives; a dialogue with his sister, Christian in substance and Platonic in form, and his most approachable philosophical work.
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John Chrysostom · 390 · Sermon
John Chrysostom's homilies on the Gospel of Matthew represent a landmark achievement in early Christian biblical commentary, delivered as sermons to his congregation in Antioch around 390. These ninety homilies emerged from…
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Gregory of Nyssa · 390 · Book
For readers who want the great statement of Christian life as endless progress into God, told through Moses's life and then its meaning; the one work of his most people should read, though no free English translation exists yet.
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John Chrysostom · 391 · Sermon
John Chrysostom's thirty-two homilies on Paul's letter to the Romans represent the most sustained biblical exposition from Christianity's greatest preacher. Delivered in Antioch around 391, these sermons emerged from Chrysostom's regular practice…
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Multiple / anonymous · 425 · Scripture
The Georgian Bible represents one of the earliest Caucasian biblical translation traditions, developed for the Christian communities of Georgia and transmitted in the Georgian script and language. In scope it is a…
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Philoxenus of Mabbug · 485–519 · Sermon
These thirteen homilies represent the surviving preaching corpus of Philoxenus of Mabbug, a sixth-century bishop and theologian who served the Syriac Orthodox Church during a period of intense christological controversy. Writing between…
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Severus of Antioch · 512–518 · Sermon
The Cathedral Homilies comprise the liturgical preaching of Severus of Antioch during his tenure as patriarch from 512 to 518, delivered in the cathedral church of Antioch during a period of intense…
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Severus of Antioch · 512–538 · Poem
The hymns of Severus of Antioch emerged from one of the most turbulent periods in early Christian history, when the Eastern churches were torn apart by fierce theological debates following the Council…
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Severus of Antioch · 515–518 · Treatise
Against the Grammarian emerged from Severus of Antioch's theological battles during his years as Patriarch of Antioch, written between 515 and 518 in response to a Chalcedonian opponent known only as "the…
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Severus of Antioch · 515–518 · Treatise
The Philalethes, whose title means "Lover of Truth," stands as Severus of Antioch's most systematic defense of Miaphysite Christology against the theological settlements that emerged from the Council of Chalcedon in 451.…
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Severus of Antioch · 520–538 · Treatise
This polemical treatise emerged from one of the most bitter theological controversies within sixth-century Miaphysite Christianity. Severus of Antioch, the exiled patriarch who had become the leading voice of moderate Miaphysite theology,…
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Sophronius of Jerusalem · 600–638 · Other
Andrew of Crete's Life of Saint Mary of Egypt stands as one of the most compelling hagiographical narratives in Eastern Orthodox tradition, recounting the radical transformation of a woman who moved from…
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John Climacus · 600–610 · Treatise
The Klimax, known in English as "The Ladder of Divine Ascent," emerged from the harsh ascetic environment of sixth-century Sinai, where John Climacus served as abbot of Saint Catherine's Monastery. Written for…
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John Climacus · 600–650 · Treatise
This brief treatise serves as the thirtieth and final step of John Climacus's great work "The Ladder of Divine Ascent," though it stands apart as a distinct piece addressed specifically to those…
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Maximus the Confessor · 620–662 · Other
The Selected Writings of Maximus the Confessor represent the theological output of perhaps the most sophisticated mind of seventh-century Eastern Christianity, forged in the crucible of the Monothelite controversy. Writing between 620…
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Ascetic Life The Ascetic Life; The Four Centuries on Charity
Maximus the Confessor · 626–662 · Treatise
These two treatises by Maximus the Confessor represent his foundational contributions to Christian ascetical theology, written during his mature period before his confrontation with imperial authorities over monothelitism. "The Ascetic Life" emerged…
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Maximus the Confessor · 626–662 · Treatise
Maximus the Confessor composed this treatise on divine love during the seventh century, likely while serving as a monk and theological advisor in Constantinople before his later exile and persecution. Written in…
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