Joseph Hollcraft MA
Foundations of Catechetics: CCP 211
Week 2: September 11, 2007

II. Historical Survey of Catechesis and the Church Fathers: History comes from the L. historia, meaning, “to weave a pattern”. God has impressed his pattern of design in history because he is he Lord of history. Catechetics has been the instrument to unite Jesus and the “age of grace”. The Church Fathers are a collection of early Christian teachers that lives closer to the Lord’s own lifetime, a time when memories were “fresh and pristine.” The Church received her structure and framework from these founding fathers that were in keeping with the Lord’s commission. Essentially, the fathers receive their paternal identity by and through their devotion to the keeping of handing on of Doctrine and sacramental living--the Deposit of Faith and Morals.

A. Catechetics in history with an emphasis on the Church Fathers: (1) Era of Apostolic Fathers; (2) The
Ante-Nicene fathers; (3) The Nicene Era; (4) The Post Nicene Era (note that we will return to these figures as we go through core doctrine…a sketch survey to see their relationship to the Deposit of Faith). I will also note catechesis in Christendom and catechesis in the age of Modernism (end of year).

1. Era of Apostolic Fathers: The Gospel’s First Echo

a. St. Clement of Rome: End of the first century Pope (4). His letter to the Corinthians received much reverence for its teaching on Creation, order in the Church and healing of relationships. He is most noted for his address on the primacy of Rome.

b. St. Ignatius of Antioch: End of the first century Bishop. A giant figure among the early fathers, he was most noted for his pastoral epistles and their emphasis on the major doctrines (the first to coin the term Catholic in 105 A.D). Like Polycarp, his martyrdom is very famous for its Eucharistic overtone (read).

c. St. Polycarp of Smyrna: First century Bishop, he was a Disciple of St John the Evangelist, whose most famous work was his letter to the Philippians. His martyrdom is the most famous of all (read)

2. The Ante-Nicene Fathers: The Church finds its voice

a. St. Justin the Martyr : Greek Philosopher who converts to the new Christian religion. His major works: the First and Second Apology and Dia-logue with Trypho have survived. His major contribution was the first clear exegesis of the Bible. An exegesis that focused on how Christ was the fulfillment of prophecy.

b. St. Irenaeus of Lyons: Second century Bishop who is considered the “father of Theology”. His most famous work is Against the Heresies, in which he gives a beautiful defense of Gnosticism. Also was the first to call Mary the “new Eve.”

c. Tertullian: Famous for his letter to the Roman governors. This apology spoke to Christianity’s validation through the example of love: “see those Christians how they love one another”; “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

d. St. Cyprian of Carthage: Third Century Bishop. Avid writer was most famous for his treatment on the unity of the Church and her apostolic nature. “The Church is like the sun with many rays; like the tree with many branches…”

e. St. Clement of Alexandria: Presided over the famous school of Alexandria, he was a staunch apologist against the heresy Gnosticism.

f. Origen: The first to write extensively on the Senses of Scripture. He addressed the language of mystical economies working tirelessly to unveil the many-layered meaning of Scripture

Homework Assignment: Reflecting upon a Church Father from either the Nicene Era or Post Nicene Era, give me reasons into why your selected figure “grabbed you attention”-- consider his life and saintly work.