Why Patristics?
By The Rev. Thomas L. Holtzen, Ph.D.
Why study the early church fathers? The short answer is that Anglicanism understands itself to be historically connected to the early church. In the words of the Nicene Creed, Anglicanism considers itself part of the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” Instead of claiming to be the one true church, the Anglican Church makes the much more modest claim to be a part of the catholic or universal church. It can make this claim because through its practices and teachings Anglicanism maintains a historic and living connection with the early church. John Jewel spoke of this when, at the time of the Reformation, he wrote in his Apology for the Church of England saying, “But yet for all this, from the primitive church, from the apostles, and from Christ, we have not departed.” In a similar way the current canon A5 of the Church of England states, “The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal.” Whether it is Jewel’s reference to the “primitive church” or the Church of England’s reference to “the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church,” early church teaching still influences the life and practices of the Anglican Communion today.
The teachings of the early church fathers, therefore, form an important part of Anglican belief, even though their authority is accorded a status secondary to Scripture. The authority of early church fathers derives from their witness to the life and practice of Christianity from the very earliest of times. Since the early church fathers lived in such close proximity to the time of Christ, they give us a special insight into how the early church understood foundational teachings of Christian faith, and how these teachings were lived out in the life of the church. In this manner, the voices of the early church fathers still speak down through the ages to us who are living in a very different time.
In the written works of the early church fathers we find teachings about things such as the role of the bishop, the meaning of Baptism, and nature of the Eucharist that are still held today. Clement of Rome (ca. 96 AD), for example, wrote about the beginning of apostolic succession, stating that the apostles appointed those who “should succeed them in their ministry.” St. Ignatius of Antioch (ca. 98–117 AD) calls Eucharist the “medicine of immortality” and instructs that a heretical group called the Docetists who denied that Jesus came in the flesh must “abstain from the eucharist and prayer, since they do not confess that the eucharist is the flesh of our savior Jesus Christ, which suffered on behalf of our sins and which the Father raised in his kindness.” Ignatius also wrote about the necessity of bishops, indicating, in a famous turn of phrase, that “wherever the bishop is; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there also is the catholic Church.” The early church father Justin Martyr (ca. 100–165 AD) taught about the sacraments, calling Baptism the “illumination” by which we are “born again.” From Justin we also learn that blessed bread and wine is called Eucharist, and that “we do not receive these things as common bread nor common drink” but receive them as “the flesh and blood of that Jesus who became incarnate.” He goes on to describe the celebration of the Eucharist in much the same way as it is still celebrated today:
. . . on the day called Sunday all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place and the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits. The when the reader has finished, the Ruler in a discourse instructs and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all stand up together and offer prayers; and, as we said before, when we have finished the prayers, bread is brought and wine and water, and the Ruler likewise offers up prayers and thanksgivings to the best of his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and the distribution of the eucharistized elements to each, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.
In these, and in many other ways, the teachings of the early church are still practiced by the church to this very day as part of the living tradition of the church.
By studying the Fathers, your faith comes alive and you begin to see how you are part of something much larger than yourself: the living, breathing body of Christ throughout time and space—the Church. It is made up of the whole body of Christ, those living and those who have died and are in the nearer presence of Christ, both of which together make up the great communion of saints. Study the early church Fathers, hear their voices still speaking today, and learn what it means to be part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
The Rev. Thomas L. Holtzen, Ph.D. serves as Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Nashotah House. Since his ordination in 2003, Fr. Holtzen has served as priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Ashippun, Wisconsin, one many area churches founded as mission churches by Nashotah House over 150 years ago. There he celebrates the Eucharist, preaches, teaches adult education, provides pastoral care, and oversees the functioning of the parish. At the bishop’s invitation, he served on the Diocese of Milwaukee’s Dialogue Task Force on Human Sexuality in 2003–2004 and authored the “Classic Response.” Fr. Holtzen’s professional interests include Christian doctrine, especially the Trinity, Incarnation, soteriology, sacramental theology, and the theology of St. Augustine and John Henry Newman.
