The Fathers of the Greek Church - Hans von Campenhausen

Published by Adam and Charles Black Limited: London, 1963.
Translated from German by LA Garrard.
First published in German as 'Griechische Kirchenväter' in 1955.

A 'proper' theological work by a 'proper' theologian, The Fathers of the Greek Church gives a brief biography of a number of the - wait for it - fathers of the Greek Church. Being written by a theologian, it is no surprise that the book focuses more on the theological writings of each individual than their actual biography, although this is still covered.

I love church history, and what I enjoyed about Fathers was learning more about the beliefs of a number of these individuals, or even (for a few) hearing about them at all! With early church history it is also interesting to track the development of concepts that modern believers take for granted. It is not that these concepts had to be invented - as Scripture alludes to them - but it took some time for the understanding of these concepts to be solidified. Reading about the individuals that God used to do this work is an interesting undertaking, particularly when some of the individuals, such as Cyril of Alexandria, come across as fairly worldly and underhanded in their approach. Von Campenhausen even includes one individual, Synesius of Cyrene, who was appointed a bishop whilst not being a Christian!  On the other hand, others - such as Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria and John Chrysostom - are interesting enough - and faithful enough in their witness - that I am curious to read more about them, or perhaps even some of their works.

The main difficulty with Fathers is the way von Campenhausen writes. This might be exaggerated by the translation from German, but the book is very academic and a bit dry in its presentation. Although the individuals were fascinating figures, I did find myself wishing the book was a little more engaging at times.

Overall, a good introduction to an interesting period of church history, but not an easy read.

Completed 20 May 2024.

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