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Introduction

Purpose

The purpose of this web site is to set out all of the Christian writings that are believed to have been written in the first and second centuries, as well as a few selected from the early third. I have also included non-Christian documents that may have special bearing on the study of early Christianity in order to make this web site a comprehensive sourcebook. I have provided links to English translations for all of these documents. When available, the work has also been provided in the original language, usually Greek. I have also provided information and scholarly opinion regarding the background, authorship, dating, and provenance of these documents. These comments are intended to provide an introduction.

I did not want to follow the common scheme of organizing early Christian documents into the canon and apocrypha, which is simply anachronistic. Because it is the most intuitive and useful, I have ordered them based on one possible chronological scheme. My judgments concerning the authenticity and dating of the documents concerned are made in the best tradition of biblical scholarship. Nevertheless, the ordering is almost certainly wrong in some part. To provide some bearings, a range of probable dating is provided for the scheme, but this range of dating can be disputed. All dates are approximate. An alphabetical listing is also provided as an easier way to find a specific text.

Comments from Visitors

"That's some website you've got going there!" -- Clarice O'Callaghan

"Your site definitely qualifies for the 'Critical Mass Award'. A very nice site, good design and your content is informative, presented well and easy to access. A worthy enterprise and a positive contribution to the Web." -- Bill Darling

"It is a pleasure to look at your website." - Gerd Lüdemann

"By the way, during Spring semester I found your amazing Web site on Christian Writings.  Many, many thanks for this site.  It is a gold mine for everyone!  I have all of my students use it, and I have been giving the URL to all of my colleagues." - Vernon K. Robbins

"I enjoyed looking at your new site on Early Christian Writings arranged chronologically. It looks like it is going to be a very useful resource -- congratulations. . . Thankyou again for your work on this site." -- Mark Goodacre

"Thanks are due to you Peter for this very useful list. I bookmarked it immediately and I have had a buzz around it already. . . Your list will be a big help to me as it goes everywhere I would have to hunt for myself but it gets me there in one. The multiple translations are also immensely useful. Many thanks." -- Sid Green

"Thank you Peter. The tremendous resource." -- Howard Broman

"I have got to say that this web site is absolutely awesome.  Thanks." - Hugh R. B. Haffenreffer

"Thank you for the effort you put forth in this endeavor. I have already e-mailed it to two friends." -- John Kesler

Want to help?

If so, please take a minute to send a brief message to my e-mail with your feedback. I am especially interested in hearing about typographical errors, errors of fact, and differences of opinion. I am also interested in hearing about documents that I've overlooked as well as different translations or resources that are available online. Please let me know about broken links or any other oddities that you may discover. Or, if you like, just write a quick note on what you think about the site.

There are also three ways to help with regards to books. First, you can buy the Early Christian Writings CD, which will help pay for the books used as resources for this site. Second, you can purchase books from links to amazon.com placed throughout the site, and particularly on the Recommended Books page. The proceeds will be used to cover web hosting and other expenses. Third, if you have some spare time, you can volunteer to edit and convert some chapters of a classic scholarly work on the Online Books page. Please e-mail me if you have any interest in transcribing books for publication on the internet.

Finally, there are three ways to help with regards to web site traffic. First, bookmark the site. Second, tell your friends or discussion groups about the site. Third, link to the site from your homepage or links page. Thanks for visiting!


Go to the Chronological List of all Early Christian Writings


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Early Christian Writings is copyright © Peter Kirby <E-Mail>.

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Kirby, Peter. "Greek Reconstruction of 0212." Early Christian Writings. <http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/dura-greek.html>.