The Fathers Know Best by Jimmy Akin - Book for Christians Exploring Early Church History 

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Amen there are many other Rites other than the Roman Rite, all under the Pope

Great question. At the end of the day, I became convinced of the authority given by Christ to Peter, and that this authority of the chair of Peter was handed down to Peter's successors, as a protection of the unity of the Church. Unfortunately, the Eastern Orthodox Church, while a beautiful tradition, lacks the unity, the universality, the catholicity that can only be found in the Catholic church. I think history has shown that in the 1,500ish years since the split of the east and west, the authority of the pope has truly safeguarded Catholic unity and the development of doctrine, while the east has unfortunately become nationalistic and unable to define doctrine with any real authority.

@@FiledUnderFaith Great answer! A good example of this is the sad flip-flop of the east on the issue of contraception.

Jesus and His Apostles were most certainly not vegetarian. They are documented eating the passover meal which in itself is not a vegetarian meal. The second point you made about the Trinity not being in early Christianity is easily debunkable even muslims know it’s an early Christian belief from the first century. Jewish historical scholars such as Daniel Boyarin testify that the Trinity is an early Jewish belief. Original sin is an early Christian belief it’s even seen in the Old Testament specifically Psalm 51. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ who is God, open your eyes and set you free from the deception of satan that is islam. In the quran allah says that he is the greatest of all deceivers. Do not let him deceive you any longer.

Yes, his letters are referenced quite a bit.

Oliveta, you are too kind! I am glad this was helpful… I was also looking for something like this book for a while, so I share your excitement. I bought the book on Thriftbooks.com: www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-fathers-know-best-your-essential-guide-to-the-teachings-of-the-early-church_jimmy-akin/. If you are not in the US, I’m happy to help you find an online bookstore that could ship to your country.

Who gave us the Bible? Who has the authority to determine which books are in the Bible? Well, the Roman Catholic Church. If you don’t recognize the Catholic Church, why would you trust the institution to provide you with the Bible (that you put all you efforts to rebut Catholics with lol)? Like it or not, Jesus started a church and it was the Catholic Church. God bless

@@radekofficial2919 Very good poin! But the fact that the 'church fathers' accepted the 66 books ( 39 OT/27 NT) that we view as the 'inspired word of God' mean that all they taught as far a INTERPRETATION was correct? Also Why did God call Cyrus, my 'anointed one'? He was a pagan Persian commander? Surey it was because he was USED by God to fulfill His prophecy regarding Babylon! God has often used humans, not always His servants to accmplish his will! God made sure we would have God's word today, preserved for our benefit! Also some of the men who actually translated the bible may noy have all been believers! So I dont really get the premise that we should rely on the teachings of these men for the reason I stated especially since Paul warned us that it would be the prominent men in the church ( The 'biships') who would 'twist' the word of God & that many would follow them! See Acts 20:28-30)

@@kiwihans100 well, Jesus appointed Peter as the first pope and gave him the keys and authority to bind and loose, and He promised that the gates of hell would never prevail against it. Cyprian of Carthage “The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ he says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . . ’ [Matt. 16:18-19]. On him [Peter] he builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep [John 21:17], and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was [i.e., apostles], but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. . . . If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?” (The Unity of the Catholic Church 4; 1st edition [A.D. 251]). “There is one God and one Christ, and one Church, and one chair founded on Peter by the word of the Lord. It is not possible to set up another altar or for there to be another priesthood besides that one altar and that one priesthood. Whoever has gathered elsewhere is scattering” (Letters 43[40]:5 [A.D. 253]). “There [John 6:68-69] speaks Peter, upon whom the Church would be built, teaching in the name of the Church and showing that even if a stubborn and proud multitude withdraws because it does not wish to obey, yet the Church does not withdraw from Christ” (ibid., 66[69]:8).

For the record, it is not 66 books that were compiled by the Catholics in the fourth century. The protestants just took out 7 off it so it became 66 ​@@kiwihans100

You are very welcome. Thanks for watching.

You bet!

I would say it is a very accessible way to get to know the church fathers and their general views, so in that way it is very readable while still somewhat scholarly. It’s great when you have a specific topic in mind and want to see that the fathers thought. I have actually used it quite a bit in the last few days when replying to non-Catholics on this channel! I think having full editions of church writings would be more scholarly, though it’s a good diving off point for someone who wants to cover a lot of ground at a glance and then dive in deeper to topics/writers that interest the reader.

@@FiledUnderFaith thanks for your response. I am not Catholic but I am on the journey.

That is wonderful. I’ll add you to my prayer list of people exploring the Catholic faith. God bless you on your journey.

@@FiledUnderFaith thank you!

Hi there, I think it would be of value for Orthodox Christians as well, as I believe both the East and the West mostly agree on who the "Fathers" are.

At this point I just smile at these types of comments, smile and wave

@@PTheGoat Do you mean you think the 'church fathers' writings should be heeded, or not? Sorry not sure of your view!

@@kiwihans100 depends on your intentions behind heeded, would you not argue that the writings of the disciples of the apostles themselves could be wrong or are not of importance or that they shouldn’t be as important as they are to the church? I would say that they are

You're very welcome! My personal philosophy is, "Is there really any harm in buying one more book?" 😉

@@FiledUnderFaith Now that is a philosophy to live by! 🤣. I look forward to what you are doing on your channel btw!

@@FiledUnderFaith think the same way as you, but my wife would consider my buying another book harmful to peace and harmony 😅

Yes, I have Four Witnesses as well! 😅

Sure! Try searching for "The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations by Michael W. Holmes". I like the hardback version that has the green cover.

@@FiledUnderFaith Ahh yes, that actually came up first. It has a green cover but it was $29.49 so I was eying which one was $40. Glad it’s cheaper. Thank you!

Awesome! Do leave a comment with your thoughts if you feel so inclined. :)

@@FiledUnderFaith I’m sure I will love them. I can’t spend the money at this point but when I do get them, I’ll try to find this thread and let you know how much I enjoyed them. Do you have a recommendation for a great book on the life stories of the Saints? I can only find children’s books on the subject for some odd reason.

Sounds good. As for the saints, I have a small volume called “Lives of the Saints”. It will list a saint or two for each day of the year (generally following feast days), so you can learn a little about the saints each day. There is actually a second, newer volume that lists more obscure saints as well. You can buy them separately or as a set. Here is volume 1: www.catholicgiftsandmore.com/product/lives-of-the-saints-vol-one-21051?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu_W2rqyG-wIVojizAB1ddAnKEAQYAiABEgKf7vD_BwE

why do you insist on misrepresenting the catholic faith? why don't you study a little more Church history? - why don't you ask ecumenically oriented protestant why they are not bigoted against the catholic faith? - is it so difficult to love more seeking the truth than feeling good denigrating others??? - especially when they believe like you in the Holy Trinity, the incarnation of the Word, on his redemptive work on the cross, on his resurrection and his vivifying presence in our hearts, etc etc etc - don't we deserve your respect, even if we dont believe in the pseudo-reformation of the 16th century as something that is needed for being true Christian??

@@silveriorebelo2920 I Corinthians 6:9-11 "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" ..Catholics are idolaters Majority of the Catholic priest are homosexuals and have molested childrens all over the globe.,Most Catholic priests drink alcohol and most are drunkards,. The bible says if you are God's children you will know them by their fruits and not wicked and sinful doings like most Catholics are ,.they are religious but ungodly and doesn't bear fruits..Fruit of the Spirit becase if you are truly saved,. Jesus himself will change your life..

Historical illiteracy on full display. Historical fact: "Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is (administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude (of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” [St. Ignatius of Antioch - Letter to the Smyrneans 8 (c. A.D. 110)] Ignatius was a direct Apostle of John and regarded as an Apostolic Father by ALL Christians. His letters were written prior to Rome adopting Christianity and before his death by Rome! This is where the word Catholic originated from, which isn’t disputed by any historical scholar, nor the fact that bishops, priests & deacons existed prior to Romes adoption. Soon after, it became the Roman Catholic Church! Fast forward to the creation of the Bible and you’ll find out that it was the Catholic Church who the Holy Spirit pick to decide which books in the New Testament were considered inspired. The Bible you quote is compiled directly by Catholics! This Catholic Bible was accepted by ALL Christians until the 16th century when the Protestants (Catholics) decided to removed certain books which is PROHIBITED by scripture! Martin Luther was a Catholic Priest who NEVER intended to leave the church but simply to reform it from within. He didn’t have any support for his claims until long after he had left the church and gained popularity, his supporters weren’t biblical but due to the wealth that would be redirected away from the church which has led to the over 40,000 different forms of Christianity we have today and the ignorance you freely demonstrate. If you don’t like Catholics, stop using a Bible period! Or renounce that ignorance and join Jesus’ true church!

Antonio, well said! 💯

@@Antonio.R.O.C. Ignatius of Antioch was an early Christian a believer of Jesus Christ and not an idol worshiper,.He doesnt beleive in indulgence,penance ,.because salvation is a free gift and cannot be earned by works and money.He never prayed to mary and dead saints and never practiced and preached Roman catholic man made doctrine and rituals.,Roman Catholic is The Whore of Babylon ,.the deciever.

Good question. I'm afraid I don't have any to recommend, but I'll try to come back to this comment if I happen to come across any. It looks like Trent Horn has a book, "Answering Atheism" though I am not sure if it is worth reading. Mere Christianity and the Case for Christ were helpful for me, but of course they are not by Catholics.

Have you looked into the fundamentals of catholic dogma by Ludwig Ott ? It explains deeply the dogma of the Catholic Church

Thanks for your recommendation, Fredy! I also wanted to add a new comment to say that I came across my husband’s copy of Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Robert Tacelli. It’s thick but might be helpful. Theology and Sanity is more theology than apologists, but it is also a super fascinating read.

Having read the fathers quite a bit myself, I have no idea how you can think this.

@@FiledUnderFaith You probably read sourcebooks compiled by Roman Catholics, who leave out all the contradictions, errors and heresies on purpose. You need to be studying the EARLIEST church Fathers, the bible. Anything else is a secondhand source and untrustworthy. Even if someone knew an apostle it does not mean they accurately transmit what was taught or said. People who make the so-called early church fathers their rock, are usually people who don't have Jesus as their rock.