Catechized

What the Early Church Believed

Explore what the Church Fathers actually wrote about the doctrines that shaped Christianity — in their own words.

Series

Church Fathers on Doctrine

From Irenaeus's "recapitulation" to Augustine's doctrine of grace, early Christian writers developed a theology of sa…

The doctrine of the Trinity was not invented at Nicaea — it was clarified there. Here is the long story of how the ch…

Before the Reformation debates over sola scriptura, the early church had a rich and sometimes surprising theology of …

Origen, Tertullian, and John Chrysostom left us detailed treatises on prayer. Their answers are surprisingly practica…

The early church writers spoke of the Lord's Supper in striking, almost startling terms. Here is what they actually s…

From Ignatius to Augustine, the earliest Christian writers spoke of baptism as far more than a symbol — here is what …

Guides

A practical guide to engaging the primary sources of the Christian tradition

Stories

How the voice of a fourth-century bishop broke through two years of silence — and reminded me that the faith I almost…