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The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations
The Apostolic Fathers Greek Texts and English Translations The Apostolic Fathers, the earliest extant Christian writings outside the New Testament, are a primary resource for the study of early Christianity. These writings provide significant and unparalleled insight into the Christian movement during a critical transitional stage in its history. This updated edition of Holmess 1992 Greek-English diglot... more » edition of the Apostolic Fathers is arguably the best collection of these writings available. In 1992 Michael Holmes systematically reviewed the Greek (and in a few instances the Latin) texts originally edited by J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer in 1891. While Lightfoot and Harmer produced a magnificent work for their time, advances in the past century, including new manuscript discoveries, dictate that their work be updated. Holmes provided that updated edition complete with a critical apparatus to substantiate his textual decisions. Now a paperback edition with further refinements makes Holmess work available again to the scholarly community. This edition features updated introductions to the various writings, enhanced bibliographies with additional entries for the specialist, and in some cases additional textual witnesses. The introductions to each ancient document, the bibliographies, and the textual notes make this volume essential for the serious study of early Christianity. Scholars, research libraries, and students of the Apostolic Fathers will welcome this updated edition. Review of the 1992 edition: Clayton N. Jefford: The text, translation, and notes which Holmes has provided manage to transform the work of a previous generation of scholarship into a useful resource for the modern study of the Apostolic Fathers. I gladly welcome this second edition and believe it represents a worthy and contemporary revision of the old Lightfoot-Harmer volume. This text undoubtedly should be recognized as a superior collection of materials when placed in comparison with the commonly used edition of the Apostolic Fathers that was published by Kirsopp Lake. (Journal of Early Christian Studies) Commendations of the English-only edition: Gordon Fee: Baker Book House and Michael Holmes are to be congratulated. This new edition is a worthy successor to Lightfoot with new introductions that bring the discussions up to date and enough revision of the translations to make it readable for a large audience. James D. G. Dunn: Michael Holmes has put a new generation of students in his debt. The value of The Apostolic Fathers is enhanced by new introductions, bibliographies, and notes. I welcome it warmly.« less