Yale University Library Research Guides: Early Christianity and Patristics: Literature

Literary Christianity

Lettered Christians, letters, and late antique Oxyrhynchus by Lincoln H. Blumell documentary evidence relating to Christianity has received far less attention. to lend context to the Christian literary materials, this book examines the extant Christian epistolary remains from Oxyrhynchus between the third and seventh centuries CE. Online available.
Christianity, Book-Burning and Censorship in Late Antiquity by Dirk Rohmann less than 1 per cent, of ancient literature has survived. The role of Christian authorities in the active suppression and destruction of books in Late Antiquity has received little consideration. argues that in addition to heretical, magical, astrological and anti-Christian books, other less obviously subversive categories of literature were vulnerable through prohibition of copying manuscripts.

God's Library: the archaeology of the earliest Christian manuscripts by Brent Nongbri introduction to the major collections of early Christian manuscripts. thinking about these books as material objects with individual, unique histories.
Ad Fontes: original manuscripts and their significance for studying early Christianity by Thomas J. Kraus demonstrate the value of working with the original manuscripts in order to gain understanding of the many facets of Early Christianity, in particular the texts and background of the New Testament.
Early Christian Manuscripts : examples of applied method and approach by Thomas J. Kraus Online available.

The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature by Frances Young et al. account of that literature and its setting. general essays, covering distinct periods in the development of Christian literature, which survey the social, cultural and doctrinal context within which Christian literature arose and was used by Christians. Online available.
History and Literature of Early Christianity by Helmut Koester in non-technical style, a reference for the New Testament and its background in the Judaic and Greco-Roman world. Two volumes. Online available. Classic, though dated.
Latin Christian Writers in Late Antiquity and Their Texts by Mark Vessey After preliminary essays marking out the field, the volume is organized in three sections by authors, forms of discourse, and disciplines. Online available.
Books and Readers in the Early Church by Harry Y. Gamble discussion of the production, circulation, and use of books in early Christianity.

Ancient Christian commentary on scripture by Thomas C. Oden Multiple volumes. This "commentary" collects ancient Christian exegeses of Biblical passage. Each volume of the commentary treats a different Biblical book. In English with plentiful notes, cross-references, etc.
The Church's Bible by Judith L. Kovacs Each volume contains an introductory essay on interpreting the Old or New Testament, an introduction to the biblical text, and a chapter-by-chapter commentary on a selected book of the Bible, with lengthy passages (anywhere from a paragraph to several pages) selected from the church fathers and translated especially for the series. Incomplete.

The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity by Edmon L. Gallagher; John D. Meade presenting the early Christian canon lists all together in a single volume. focus on the first four centuries, the volume supplies the full text of the canon lists in English translation alongside the original text. brief introductions and notes, and significant scholarly discussions. overview of the history of the biblical canon.
Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church by Graves focuses on how Scripture was interpreted and used for preaching, teaching, apologetics, and worship by early Christian scholars and church leaders.
Christian Oxyrhynchus : texts, documents, and sources by Lincoln H. Blumell compendium of all published papyri, parchments, and patristic sources that relate to Christianity at Oxyrhynchus before the fifth century CE. new and expanded editions of Christian literary and documentary texts that include updated readings, English translations, and comprehensive notes. Online available.
Encyclopedia of Religious and Philosophical Writings in Late Antiquity by Jacob Neusner; Alan J. Avery-Peck introductions to over seven hundred of the main religious and philosophical writings of Greco-Roman paganism, early Judaism, and formative Christianity. Online available.

A Companion to Late Antique Literature by Scott McGill presents a broad review of late antique literature. covers notable Greek and Latin texts of the period and provides a varied overview of literature written in six other late antique languages.