Early Christian Greek and Latin Literature examines early Christian writings with particular attention paid to their literary characteristics and their effect on the development of Western culture.
Christian literature has typically been looked upon as a tool for historians of the early church or of patristic thought. Early Christian Greek and Latin Literature, however, considers Christian literature as being more broadly useful because of its contribution to the shaping of Western culture as a whole. These influences include not only Christianity’s artistic achievements but also the philosophy Christians developed to confront problems and produce solutions to them. In these volumes students and scholars alike will discover ancient contents and genres that transitioned into medieval civilization—and continue to influence the culture today.
Moreschini and Norelli offer an in-depth survey, quality scholarship, and an original approach intended to appeal to specialists in classical and medieval studies, as well as to theologians, art historians, archaeologists, and other readers interested in the development of culture. The authors introduce the ancient literature in chronological order, subdivided into manageable segments. Each segment covers the ancient author and his or her works and concludes with up-to-date bibliographical annotations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction -- p..xi
Abbreviations -- p..xv
Chapter 1, The Letters of Paul and of the Pauline Tradition -- p..1
1. Letter as a Genre -- p..1
2. Chronology of Paul -- p..4
3. Authentic Letters -- p..7
a. First Letter to the Thessalonians -- p..7
b. First Letter to the Corinthians -- p..7
c. Second Letter to the Corinthians -- p..10
d. Letter to the Galatians -- p..12
e. Letter to the Philippians -- p..14
f. Letter to Philemon -- p..15
g. Letter to the Romans -- p..16
4. The Pseudepigraphical Letters -- p..20
a. Second Letter to the Thessalonians -- p..20
b. Letter to the Colossians -- p..21
c. Letter to the Ephesians -- p..23
d. Pastoral Letters: 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus -- p..24
e. Third Letter to the Corinthians -- p..28
Chapter 2, The Gospel Tradition -- p..30
1. The Literary Problem of the Synoptic Gospels: Two-Source Theory -- p..31
2. Sayings Source (Q) -- p..33
3. Forms of the Earliest Tradition -- p..37
4. “Gospel” as Genre -- p..39
5. Mark -- p..41
6. Matthew -- p..45
7. Luke -- p..49
a. Gospel -- p..49
b. Acts of the Apostles -- p..52
8. Jewish-Christian Gospels -- p..56
9. Gospel of the Egyptians -- p..63
10. Fragmentary Gospels -- p..64
11. Gospel of Thomas -- p..68
12. Gospel of Peter -- p..71
Chapter 3, The Johannine Tradition -- p..75
1. Gospel of John -- p..75
2. Letters of John -- p..80
Chapter 4, The Earliest Christian Apocalypses -- p..85
1. Apocalypse as Genre -- p..85
2. Apocalypse of John -- p..87
3. Ascension of Isaiah -- p..93
4. Apocalypse of Peter -- p..97
Chapter 5, Non-Pauline Letters -- p..101
1. Letter of Clement of Rome to -- p..the Corinthians -- p..101
2. Ignatius of Antioch -- p..105
3. Polycarp of Smyrna -- p..109
Chapter 6, Treatises in Letter Form -- p..112
1. Letter to the Hebrews -- p..112
2. Letter of James -- p..115
3. First Letter of Peter -- p..117
4. Letter of Jude -- p..119
5. Second Letter of Peter -- p..120
6. Letter of Barnabas -- p..122
Chapter 7, Ecclesiastical Discipline and Homilies -- p..126
1. Ecclesiastical Discipline -- p..126
a. Didache -- p..126
b. Apostolic Tradition -- p..129
2. Homilies -- p..131
a. Second Letter of Clement of Rome -- p..131
b. Melito of Sardis -- p..135
c. Anonymous Homily -- p..139
Chapter 8, Developments of the Gospel Tradition -- p..141
1. Dialogues of the Risen Lord -- p..141
a. Gnostic Dialogues -- p..142
b. Letter of the Apostles -- p..145
2. Childhood of Jesus -- p..148
a. Birth of Mary -- p..149
b. Childhood of the Lord Jesus -- p..151
3. Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles -- p..153
Chapter 9, Problems of Tradition and Authority: Gnostics and Montanists 158
1. Papias of Hierapolis -- p..158
2. The Shepherd of Hermas -- p..160
3. Marcion, the Marcionites, and -- p..the Earliest Refutations -- p..165
4. Gnostics -- p..169
5. Indirect Transmission of the Second- and Third-Century
Gnostic Writers -- p..177
6. Gnostic Writings of the Second and Third Centuries in
Direct Transmission -- p..185
7. Montanism and the Anti-Montanist Writers -- p..188
8. Hegesippus -- p..191
Chapter 10, The Greek Apologists -- p..193
1. Preaching of Peter -- p..195
2. Quadratus and Aristides of Athens -- p..196
3. Justin Martyr -- p..198
4. Tatian -- p..204
5. Athenagoras of Athens -- p..206
6. Theophilus of Antioch and Hermias -- p..208
7. Letter to Diognetus -- p..209
Chapter 11, The Earliest Literature on the Martyrs -- p..213
1. General Points -- p..213
2. Individual Acts and Passions -- p..215
Chapter 12, The Beginnings of Christian Poetry -- p..218
1. Odes of Solomon -- p..218
2. Christian Sibylline Oracles -- p..220
3. Inscriptions of Abercius and Pectorius -- p..221
Chapter 13, Irenaeus and Hippolytus -- p..223
1. Irenaeus of Lyons -- p..223
a. Life -- p..223
b. Unmasking and Refutation of Falsely Named Gnosis -- p..224
c. Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching -- p..230
d. Letters and Fragments -- p..232
2. The Body of Writings Attributed to Hippolytus -- p..232
3. “Roman” Group -- p..238
a. Refutation of All Heresies -- p..238
b. Compendium of Times and Years from the Foundation of the
World to the Present Day -- p..239
c. On the Universe -- p..240
4. “Eastern” Group -- p..241
a. Antichrist -- p..241
b. Commentary on Daniel -- p..242
c. Commentary on the Song of Songs -- p..243
d. Homily on David and Goliath -- p..244
e. Blessings of Isaac, Jacob, and Moses -- p..244
f. Against the Heresy of Noetus -- p..245
5. Fragmentary or Lost Works -- p..246
Chapter 14, Alexandria and Clement -- p..248
1. Alexandria -- p..248
2. Clement -- p..250
a. Life -- p..250
b. Exhortation to the Greeks -- p..251
c. Christ the Educator -- p..253
d. Miscellanies -- p..257
e. Extracts from the Prophets -- p..263
f. Salvation of the Rich -- p..263
g. Excerpts from Theodotus -- p..264
h. Letter to Theodore on the Secret Gospel of Mark -- p..265
i. Fragments of Lost Works -- p..265
Chapter 15, Origen -- p..268
L Life -- p..268
2. Exegetical Works -- p..270
a. Scholia -- p..270
b. Commentaries -- p..271
c. Homilies -- p..276
3. Hexapla -- p..280
4. Treatises -- p..283
a. First Principles -- p..283
b. Against Celsus -- p..290
c. On Prayer -- p..294
d. Exhortation to Martyrdom -- p..295
e. Dialogue with Heraclides -- p..296
f. Passover -- p..298
g. Lost Treatises -- p..300
h. Letters -- p..300
i. Philocalia -- p..3О3
Chapter 16, Other Greek Writers of the Third Century -- p..304
1. Dionysius of Alexandria and Other Alexandrians -- p..305
2. Gregory the Wonderworker and Other Writers of Palestine and Syria -- p..308
3. Methodius of Olympus and Adamantius -- p..313
Chapter 17, The First Christian Literature of the West -- p..317
1. Christian Latin and Translations of the Bible -- p..318
2. African Bible and European Bible -- p..319
3. Characteristics of the Latin Translations of the Bible -- p..320
4. The Bible as a Christian Literary Text -- p..323
5. First Christian Latin Texts -- p..324
6. First Christian Latin Poetry -- p..326
Chapter 18, The Christian Literature of Africa -- p..329
1. Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs -- p..331
2. Tertullian -- p..332
a. First Apologetic Works -- p..333
b. Antiheretical Polemics -- p..336
c. Other Doctrinal Contributions -- p..340
d. Ethics and Rigorism -- p..341
e. Tertullian and Montanism -- p..343
f. Ecclesiology -- p..346
g. The Pallium -- p..347
h. Philosophy and Pagan Culture -- p..348
i. Tertullian’s Biblical Exegesis -- p..351
j. The Art of Tertullian -- p..353
3. Passion of Perpetua and Felicity -- p..357
4. Spread of Christianity in Africa -- p..359
5. Minucius Felix -- p..361
6. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage -- p..364
a. Before the Persecution -- p..365
b. Persecution of Decius in Africa -- p..366
c. Problem of the Lapsi -- p..368
d. The Church according to Cyprian -- p..370
e. Controversy over Second Baptisms -- p..373
f. Cyprian’s Martyrdom -- p..374
g. Cyprian the Writer -- p..376
h. Life of Cyprian -- p..377
7. Pseudo-Cyprianic Works -- p..378
8. Commodian -- p..381
9. Novatian -- p..383
The Trinity -- p..384
10. Rise of Hagiography -- p..386
Chapter 19, The Age of the Tetrarchs and of Constantine -- p..388
1. Religious Syncretism -- p..388
2. Arnobius -- p..392
3. Victorinus of Pettau and Reticius of Autun -- p..396
4. Lactantius -- p..398
a. Workmanship of God -- p..399
b. Divine Institutes -- p..399
c. Wrath of God -- p..402
d. Deaths of the Persecutors -- p..402
e. Other Works and Style -- p..404
5. The Correspondence of Seneca with St. Paul -- p..405
6. Acts of the Martyrs -- p..405
7. Firmicus Maternus -- p..407
8. The Rise of Christian Poetry -- p..408
a. Psalmus responsorius -- p..409
b. Lactantius as Poet (Phoenix) -- p..410
c. Praises of the Lord -- p..410
9. Juvencus -- p..411
10. Eusebius of Caesarea: Philology, History, and Apologetics for a
Triumphant Christianity (by Lorenzo Perrone) -- p..413
a. A Leading Figure of His Time -- p..413
b. In the Tradition of Origen: The School of Pamphilus -- p..413
c. Biography and Literary Production -- p..414
d. Language and Style: Compilation and Reuse of Materials -- p..415
e. Our Presentation of the Works -- p..416
f. Works of Historical Interest -- p..416
g. Apologetic Works -- p..421
h. Dogmatic Writings -- p..424
i. Works on Biblical Subjects -- p..425
General Bibliography -- p..431
Bibliographical Lists -- p..431
Work Tools -- p..432
Reference Works -- p..432
Handbooks of Patrology -- p..433
Histories of Early Christian Literature -- p..433
Important Collections of Texts -- p.435
Original Texts (With or Without a Translation) -- p.435
Translations Only -- p.436
Index of Ancient Sources -- p.437