Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 7

Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries.

Historical English Source Edition

The reader presents the historical English source wording below.

Title: ANF07. Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius, Apostolic Teaching and Constitutions, Homily, and Liturgies Creator(s): Schaff, Philip (1819-1893) (Editor) Rights: Public Domain CCEL Subjects: All;EarlyChurch; Symbols; Proofed LC Call no: BR65 LC Subjects:

Early Christian Literature. Fathers of the Church, etc.

The Writings of the Fathers down to a.d. 325

AMERICAN REPRINT OF THE EDINBURGH EDITION

revised and chronologically arranged, with brief prefaces and occasional notes

FATHERS OF THE THIRD AND FOURTH CENTURIES:

LACTANTIUS, VENANTIUS, ASTERIUS, VICTORINUS, DIONYSIUS, APOSTOLIC TEACHING AND CONSTITUTIONS, HOMILY, AND LITURGIES.

The genius of Lactantius suffers a sad transformation when unclothed of vernacular and stripped of the idiomatic graces of his style. But the intelligent reader will be sure to compare this translation with the Latinity of the original, and to recur to it often for the enjoyment of its charming rhetoric, and of the high sentiment it so nobly enforces and adorns. This volume will be the favourite of the series with many. The writings of the Christian Tully alone make up more than half of its contents; and it is supremely refreshing to reach, at last, an author who chronicles the triumph of the Gospel [1] over "Herod and Pontius Pilate;" over the heathen in their "rage," and the people in their "vain imaginings;" over "the kings of the earth who stood up, and the rulers who were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ."

I love the writings of Lactantius, and two of his sayings are always uppermost when I recall his name. They touch me like plaintive but inspiring music. Let me quote them entire: [2] --

1. "Si vita est optanda sapienti profecto nullam aliam ob causam vivere optaverim, quam ut aliquid efficiam quod vita dignum sit."