The Fathers Know Best

Clement's Letter to the Corinthians

Introduction

Pope Clement I wrote this letter to the Church at Corinth after a leadership dispute broke out there, and the Corinthians appealed to him. (He told them to reaffirm the recently rejected leaders in their former offices.) This may be the first exercise of papal primacy outside the New Testament. 

The letter is most often dated to the A.D. 90s, but there are significant reasons to date it earlier. Internal evidence--including a reference to the Jerusalem Temple still functioning (it was destroyed in mid A.D. 70) and a series of repeated calamities in Rome (possibly the "year of four emperors" that took place in A.D. 69)--points to a date in A.D. 69 or 70. Whether an earlier or a later date is preferred, it is an important witness to the role of Rome in the first century. 

The author may be the same Clement mentioned by St. Paul in Philippians 4:3. --Jimmy Akin

The Didache

Introduction

The Didache (pronounced DID-ah-KAY) may be the earliest surviving Christian work outside the New Testament. It speaks as if apostles are still travelling, and it gives the reader tips on how to tell a true apostle from a false one. (Hint: If he tries to mooch off a local church, he's a false one.) This points to an early date, perhaps in the mid 1st century. 

The document provides a basic instruction on certain aspects of the Christian faith. It includes a treatment of Christian morality (including a condemnation of abortion), information about celebrating the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, prayer and fasting, Church leaders, and even a little about the end of the world. --Jimmy Akin

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At long last the NOOK version of The Fathers Know Best is now available.

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NOOK Is Coming . . .

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VIDEO: What's the Real Story Behind the Infamous "Incident of the Statues"?

 

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VIDEO: Did the early Christians have any fiction? (And what did St. Paul look like?)

 

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VIDEO: Did the Church Fathers Aways Agree w/Each Other?

 

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VIDEO: What Anti-Pope Is also a Saint?

 

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