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Lactantius · 315 · Treatise
Lactantius composed this fierce apologetic treatise around 315, in the immediate aftermath of Constantine's victory over Maxentius and the effective end of systematic imperial persecution of Christians. Writing as both theologian and…
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Athanasius of Alexandria · 318–335 · Treatise
For readers who want the whole argument that ends in On the Incarnation: the case against idolatry and for knowing God through the soul and creation; read On the Incarnation first if you have time for only one.
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Arius · 318 · Letter
This letter represents one of the earliest and most direct statements of Arian theology, written by the Alexandrian presbyter Arius to his former fellow student Eusebius, who had become bishop of Nicomedia.…
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Works The Complete Works Of Saint Athanasius
Athanasius of Alexandria · 318–373 · Other
For readers who want one downloadable file of his works; the individual works are catalogued separately and are better reading copies.
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Historical Tracts Historical Tracts of S. Athanasius
Athanasius of Alexandria · 320–373 · Other
For historians: the 1843 Oxford volume of his defences and his History of the Arians in one book; the individual works are catalogued separately.
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Arius · 320 · Letter
This brief theological letter represents one of the earliest surviving documents of the Arian controversy that would reshape fourth-century Christianity. Written around 320, it is Arius's direct appeal to his bishop Alexander…
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Athanasius of Alexandria · 320–373 · Letter
For readers who want Athanasius as pastor and correspondent: festal and personal letters on fasting, monks, bishops and the canon.
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Letters Letters of Pachomius
Pachomius · 320–346 · Letter
The Letters of Pachomius emerge from the administrative and spiritual challenges of governing the first organized Christian monasteries in fourth-century Egypt. Pachomius, who established his initial community around 320 near Tabennisi in…
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Pachomius · 320–346 · Treatise
The Rule of St. Pachomius emerged from the first organized Christian monastic communities in fourth-century Egypt, where Pachomius established a revolutionary form of religious life that moved beyond the solitary hermit tradition…
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Arius · 320 · Poem
The Thalia represents one of the most consequential theological poems in Christian history, composed by Arius around 320 as popular propaganda for his understanding of Christ's relationship to the Father. Written in…
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Arius · 327 · Letter
This brief letter represents Arius's direct appeal to Emperor Constantine around 327, written during his exile following the Council of Nicaea. The Alexandrian presbyter had been condemned for his teaching that the…
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Athanasius of Alexandria · 329–373 · Letter
For readers of the church year and of the canon: his Easter letters, including Letter 39, the first list of exactly the 27 New Testament books.
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Eusebius of Caesarea · 333 · Treatise
Eusebius of Caesarea composed this theological treatise around 333, in the immediate aftermath of Constantine's legalization of Christianity and the Council of Nicaea. Writing as both historian and apologist, Eusebius sought to…
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Athanasius of Alexandria · 337–346 · Treatise
For readers interested in how one verse (Matthew 11:27) was argued over by Arians and Nicenes; short and technical.
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Athanasius of Alexandria · 339 · Letter
For historians of the Arian years; a short protest letter.
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Statement of Faith Declaration of Faith, in Latin and the Original Greek
Athanasius of Alexandria · 340–360 · Treatise
For students comparing early creeds; a page-long statement, best read alongside On the Incarnation.
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Cyril of Jerusalem · 348–350 · Sermon
The Mystagogical Catecheses comprise five sermons delivered by Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, to newly baptized Christians during Easter week in the late 340s. These addresses were given in the Church of the…
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Catechetical Lectures Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Series II Volume VII - Cyril of Jerusalem
Cyril of Jerusalem · 348–350 · Book
Cyril of Jerusalem's Catechetical Lectures represent one of the earliest and most complete systems of Christian instruction for new converts, delivered during his tenure as Bishop of Jerusalem from around 348 to…
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Athanasius of Alexandria · 350–356 · Treatise
For students of how the Arians read earlier Alexandrian theology; a specialist piece.
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Hilary of Poitiers · 350–367 · Poem
Hilary of Poitiers composed these three surviving hymns during his years of exile in Phrygia, imposed by Emperor Constantius II between 356 and 360 for his opposition to Arianism. Writing in a…
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Ephrem the Syrian · 350–363 · Poem
Ephrem the Syrian's Hymns Against Heresies emerged from the theological battlegrounds of fourth-century Mesopotamia, where Christian communities faced sustained challenges from Arian, Marcionite, and Manichaean teachings. Writing between 350 and 363 in…
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Ephrem the Syrian · 350–373 · Other
The hymns and homilies of Ephrem the Syrian emerge from the theological battles and pastoral challenges of fourth-century Mesopotamia. Writing in Syriac from his base in Nisibis and later Edessa, Ephrem composed…
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Pachomius · 350–400 · Other
The Life of Saint Pachomius emerges from the fourth-century Egyptian desert, where the great monastic pioneer established the first organized Christian cenobitic communities along the Nile. Originally composed in Coptic during the…
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Ephrem the Syrian · 350–363 · Poem
The Carmina Nisibena (Songs of Nisibis) is a collection of seventy-seven hymns composed by Ephrem the Syrian between 350 and 363 CE in response to the repeated Persian sieges of his native…
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