The Ancient Papacy
About our Sources
Our principal sources are the ancient writings of those men who are known as the Fathers of the Church. The Fathers are ancient ecclesiastical writers outstanding for their antiquity, orthodoxy and holiness.
The host’s favorite edition of the Fathers is Cursus Patrologiae Completus compiled in the nineteenth century by Fr. J.P. Migne. This monumental work includes two series: the Latin series, including 220 volumes, and the Greek Fathers, including about 160 volumes. The Migne series actually extends beyond the period of the Fathers and well into the Middle Ages. Another important series is the Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum or CSEL, which the host considers a sort of updated Migne. The host generally prefers Migne, and sometimes compares it to “your father’s Oldsmobile,” solid and reliable.
Other important sources are the acts of ancient ecumenical councils, of which there are two well known collections. The first is Sacrorum Conciliorum Nova et Amplissima Collectio, edited in the eighteenth century by Archbishop Giovanni Mansi. A very popular modern source is Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum or ACO, edited by E. Schwartz.
The Fathers did not only speak Latin and Greek. There were many other ancient writers, both Catholic and non-Catholic, in Armenian, Syriac, Coptic and other eastern languages. There are two important series to cover these writers. One is the Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium or CSCO, which includes about 500 volumes. Another is Patrologia Orientalis or PO, including about 50 volumes.
Other sources include ancient liturgies. The monthly propers of the Byzantine or Greek liturgy are contained in the Menaion, a multi-volume work of which various editions exist in Greek and other languages; the host has consulted various editions in Greek, including the recent Athens edition. Eastern churches also use lives of the saints known as the synaxarion or synaxaria in the plural, which correspond roughly to the Roman Martyrology.
The ancient codes of Roman Law are also among our sources. The two principal codes of the Christian era, which your host has consulted in Latin, are the Theodosian Code [c. 438], edited by Theodor Mommsen, and the Code of Justinian [c. 550], edited in Berlin in the Corpus Iuris Civilis, as well as certain supplemental laws known in Latin as Novellae.
Other sources will emerge in the various upcoming discussions. Enjoy the treasury of ancient writings which is about to be presented to you!
About our SourcesOur principal sources are the ancient writings of those men who are known as the Fathers of the Church. The Fathers are ancient ecclesiastical writers outstanding for their antiquity, orthodoxy and holiness.The host’s favorite edition of the Fathers is Cursus Patrologiae Completus compiled in the nineteenth century by Fr. J.P. Migne. This monumental work includes two series: the Latin series, including 220 volumes, and the Greek Fathers, including about 160 volumes. The Migne series actually extends beyond the period of the Fathers and well into the Middle Ages. Another important series is the Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum or CSEL, which the host considers a sort of updated Migne. The host generally prefers Migne, and sometimes compares it to “your father’s Oldsmobile,” solid and reliable. Other important sources are the acts of ancient ecumenical councils, of which there are two well known collections. The first is Sacrorum Conciliorum Nova et Amplissima Collectio, edited in the eighteenth century by Archbishop Giovanni Mansi. A very popular modern source is Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum or ACO, edited by E. Schwartz. The Fathers did not only speak Latin and Greek. There were many other ancient writers, both Catholic and non-Catholic, in Armenian, Syriac, Coptic and other eastern languages. There are two important series to cover these writers. One is the Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium or CSCO, which includes about 500 volumes. Another is Patrologia Orientalis or PO, including about 50 volumes. Other sources include ancient liturgies. The monthly propers of the Byzantine or Greek liturgy are contained in the Menaion, a multi-volume work of which various editions exist in Greek and other languages; the host has consulted various editions in Greek, including the recent Athens edition. Eastern churches also use lives of the saints known as the synaxarion or synaxaria in the plural, which correspond roughly to the Roman Martyrology. The ancient codes of Roman Law are also among our sources. The two principal codes of the Christian era, which your host has consulted in Latin, are the Theodosian Code [c. 438], edited by Theodor Mommsen, and the Code of Justinian [c. 550], edited in Berlin in the Corpus Iuris Civilis, as well as certain supplemental laws known in Latin as Novellae. Other sources will emerge in the various upcoming discussions. Enjoy the treasury of ancient writings which is about to be presented to you! |
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