How did early Christians receive and understand the teaching of Jesus and the apostles? These writings, among the earliest used in training new disciples, show a clear, vibrant, practical faith concerned with all aspects of discipleship in daily life vocation, morality, family life, social justice, the sacraments, prophecy, citizenship, and leadership.
For the most part, these writings have remained buried in academia, analyzed by scholars but seldom used for building up the church community. Now, at a time when Christians of every persuasion are seeking clarity by returning to the roots...

The Epistles of Clement, Matheses, Polycarp, and Ignatius are included among the Apostolic Fathers. The authors were personally acquainted with the Apostles. Clement, Bishop of Rome was a disciple of Saint Peter. Ignatius was the second successor of St. Peter in the See of Antioch. An accepted tradition declares him a disciple of St. John. Polycarp was -instructed by Apostles-, according to Irenaeus and had been a disciple of St. John nearly twenty years. These Epistles were written in the late first and early second century and provide great insight into early Christian thought.