Rediscovering the Church Fathers

Haykin, Michael A. G. Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2011. 176 pp.

Introduction

Rediscovering the Church Fathers was written by Michael A. G. Haykin and published by Crossway in 2011. He earned his Master of Religion and Doctor of Theology from Wycliffe College at The University of Toronto. He currently serves as the Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Biblical Studies and Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Haykin earned his doctorate in the study of patristics and has spent his life studying and teaching around the world. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical society and is also a professor at Reformed Baptist Seminary. The author has written exhaustively throughout his career to bring the lessons of church history to the present-day church.

Summary

The Church today stands on the shoulders of giants. The aim of this book is to give us a glimpse of those giants and encourage us toward deeper study of patristics. Haykin begins with four reasons why we should “rediscover” the fathers (chapter 1), he then covers several key church fathers (chapters 2–7). He finishes the book by recounting his experience discovering the fathers (149), giving direction for further patristic study (157), and a reviewing Pelikan’s Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (159).

In the first chapter of his work introducing key church fathers Haykin defines the church fathers as “senior conversation partners”(29) that “liberate us from the present”(17) and “provide a road map for Christian life”(18). Haykin observes the general lack of knowledge regarding the church fathers. He uses examples of key figures from post-reformation history that were deeply rooted in patristics (14–15) and outlines six reasons why evangelical Christians should “engage the thought and experience of these early Christian witnesses” (17–28). Haykin states that his choice of figures to examine in the book was “based on the issues that they wrestled with in their lives as believers” (29). His final word in the first chapter is that “The Fathers are not Scripture. They are senior conversation partners about Scripture and its meaning. We listen to them respectfully but are not afraid to disagree when they err” (29).

Haykin begins his examination with Ignatius of Antioch (31). Ignatius wrote seven letters, and his three key concerns that “he longed to see unity,” that “fellow believers stand fast …against heresy”, and “to recruit the help of his correspondents in the successful completion of his…call to martyrdom” (32). Haykin uses Ignatius to illustrate and define the persecution of the church and martyrdom in the early church and probes potential reasons Ignatius desired martyrdom (42). He finishes the chapter by examining Martyrdom as a gift of the Spirit, as part of being a Christian disciple, and place in defense of the faith (45–47).

Second, Haykin explores the letter to Diognetus, a “spirited and stirring defense of the truth of the Christian worldview” (49). The “manuscript was discovered in Constantinople in 1436” by an Italian scholar who “happened upon it in a fish shop where it lay under a pile of wrapping paper” (50). The twelve-chapter letter was written sometime late in the second century, by an unknown author. It consists of twelve points, which seek “to persuade a Graeco-Roman pagan by the name of Diognetus to make a commitment to the Christian faith” (50). Haykin dissects the letter and by doing so reveals the distinct nature of the church carried into the second century, a living and vibrant community set apart from the world (51–60).

Chapter four covers Origen, prolific writer and theologian. Haykin outlines that Origen was orthodox in many respects (71), but his conclusions about the Holy Spirit and the Father “being one and uncompounded” (75) are problematic. The author then examines Origen’s beliefs about the importance of Scripture and its interpretation, to the point the Scripture is an allegory, an encoded text (81). “Origen can assert that the chief value of a miracle is not that it actually happened but the truth that is hidden within” (85). Haykin finishes the chapter by identifying Origen’s three principles of interpretation and an analysis of Origen’s defense of allegory in On First Principles (85– 90).

Chapter five explores Cyprian and Ambrose contributions to the early church, specifically with regards to the Lord’s Supper. Haykin provides biographies of both Fathers and in doing so reflects on their contributions to eucharist practice and piety. Cyprian emphasized the supper “helps to recall men and women from their temptations of being infatuated with the world” (96). Ambrose was a pioneer in the use of the “Song of Songs when relating to the Eucharist,” likening the Lord’s Supper to “the joyous experience of being kissed by one’s beloved” (102).

Haykin goes on to explore Basil of Caesarea, of whom he states, “we know more about…than about any other Christian of the ancient church apart from Augustine of Hippo” (105). The author surveys Basil’s life, in particular his attending school in Athens and his distaste for everything in the city (107). Basil converted to Christ and at the same time committed to a monastic lifestyle (108). Haykin takes the opportunity to survey the development of Christian Monasticism and its benefits and pitfalls (109). The author then dives into the humility of Basil and Basil’s focus on humility as the foundation of faith and holiness (113). Haykin finishes the chapter by investigating the Arian controversy and the role Basil played in combatting Arianism by his developments in trinitarian thought (117–129).

Patrick is the final subject of evaluation. Haykin surveys happenings in Roman history around the time of Patrick and the history of the Christian church in Britannia (131-137). After providing context, the author then reviews the life of Patrick and his decision to spread the Gospel to Ireland (137–139). The author also examines the obstacles Patrick overcame during his mission work from inside and outside the church (137–139) and provides a view of the impact Patrick and his successors (146–148).

After the survey of early church fathers, Haykin surveys his life journey studying patristics (156). He outlines for his readers a good starting point for further patristic study (157–158). Then the author finishes the book with a book review of Jaroslav Pelikan’s The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (159–165).

Evaluation

To begin evaluation, Haykin provides excellent reasons to get on the path, shows the waymarks of the path, and with his reading recommendations begin the journey down the path toward more knowledge of the church fathers. His example of his own personal journey acknowledges that not all will become teachers and historians, but that we should all seek more knowledge of the church fathers to gain better understanding of our faith today. Haykin clearly communicates the reasons to get on the path (29), the clear need of the church is historical context and understanding outside of our small time on earth. David Wells in No Place for Truth echoes this dire need, “The stream of historic orthodoxy that once watered the evangelical soul is now damned by a worldliness that many fail to recognize as worldliness because of the cultural innocence with which it presents itself.” The church suffers today because while we throw out in sermons, class, and prayers that the church has existed for 1900 years or so, we fail to examine the fathers that held the faith back from the brink. Wells goes further in his agreement with Haykin,

“To be sure, this orthodoxy never was infallible, nor was it without its blemishes and foibles, but I am far from persuaded that the emancipation from its theological core that much of evangelicalism is effecting has resulted in greater biblical fidelity…just the opposite…we now have less biblical fidelity, less interest in truth, less seriousness, less depth, and less capacity to speak the Word of God to our own generation in a way that offers an alternative to what it already thinks. The older orthodoxy was driven by a passion for truth, and that is why is often empty of theological interest.”

We must not be scared to examine writings of the fathers because we do not wholly agree with them, there are beneficial theological material and lessons of faith that we need to see and hear for the strengthening of our resolve. Reading patristics reveals that men and women of faith have been set apart from the world in all centuries, not just our own. Haykin’s analysis of the letter to Diognetus is a notable example of the church distinct from the world in the second century.

Second, the author states in the beginning of his book that he has selected these fathers to illustrate key moments for key parts of the faith, the waymarks of the path. This makes the book practical from start to finish. The best example is the chapter on Basil of Caesarea, humility in all things but defending the orthodox faith as a warrior in face of heresy. The author’s selections of Basil’s writings, and breadcrumbs to follow, for example his Homily 20, which upon further investigation is better than any modern-day Christian self-help book. The author also uses Patrick to illustrate the mission work of the church in all ages, to the point where his discussion of Patrick’s contemporaries questioning why he cared for the heathens sounds much like the questioning of William Carey when he expressed desire to go to India.

Haykin uses the father of church fathers Ignatius of Antioch to discuss the weighty topic of martyrdom. He uses the good and the bad of Origen to show the development of Scriptural interpretation, and Cyprian and Ambrose to show the development of the church and its ordinances. Haykin’s selections were excellent for the purpose he set forth, providing baseline knowledge of the subject and creating a small fire of interest that when properly fueled will grow into an inferno of deeper study. To be critical of his inclusions expresses a desire for a much thicker, more detailed book, a work most certainly already available.

Critical thoughts on this book are difficult to find, Haykin sets a goal to give a small taste of the fathers and accomplishes what he sets out to do. However, if pressed I would recognize the need for a different method of organization to bring more fluidity to the message of the book. With the book’s goal in mind, uniting Ignatius, Basil, and Patrick as living for Christ when facing death, heresy, and mission work and placing them at the beginning of the biographies. These three chapters are Haykin’s strongest offerings. Pairing Ambrose, Cyprian, and Origen after these three offerings could be organized as early church life within the church. I believe the chapter covering Diognetus should be an appendix, as a formal case study demonstrating proper analysis of church features and function in the second century. This movement would have allowed for one more chapter, on Irenaeus, Augustine, Athanasius or even Leo or Gregory the Great. I think the book would have benefited from a formal chapter on an orthodox father with a clear purpose versus an anonymous letter.

A final critical thought of Haykin’s work involves the use of Origen. The writer of this review strives for original thought, however the common thread among other reviewers demands a look at his inclusion in the book. At first glance Haykin choosing someone with such a poor reputation causes the reader to pause. However throughout the chapter Haykin keeps his balance, exhibiting the positive and negative roles that Origen played in the development of Scriptural analysis. To observe the inclusion critically, the space could have been utilized with a solidly orthodox figure. Haykin illustrates the difficulties faced by Origen in his desire to be seen as intelligent by pagan standards (80). Origen is a confessor, broken on the rack but not killed (81), dies later after being freed. He is a man to be honored for his leadership of the early church and his prolific writing, however he went too far with his human reasoning skills exegeting the Scripture into allegory to determine the secret meaning of straightforward texts. He disregarded history in favor of allegory to the point of error.

As mentioned by other reviewers, Haykin does a superb job of writing fair and true of a man caricatured as a key heretic of the early church. A silly thought indeed, especially with the certainty that few modern evangelicals know who know the names of Arius, Sebelius, Apollinaris, or Nestorius. Origen played his role, and while we question his inclusion, he is welcome and beneficial to us. Haykin teaches us to adjust our expectations and to carefully glean the good from the error when studying early church fathers.

Conclusion

Haykin in his lectures over early church history at Reformed Baptist Seminary was clear this book is meant to be a primer, not an exhaustive source for the study of patristics. Haykin accomplishes that goal by providing a work that can be handed to anyone in the church to spark interest in the fathers. The writer of this review was a member of a restorationist church (church of Christ) for 35 years of his life. This book perfectly communicates why we must recognize and utilize the entirety of Church history, not neglect the giants upon which our understanding of the scripture finds interpretive footing. The reviewer enjoyed this book and recommends for those who have not met the church fathers yet (as well as those who already study patristics).

Bibliography

Biles, Deron J. “Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church.” Southwestern Journal of Theology, January 1, 2014, 294–95.

Meissner, Thomas. “Review: Rediscovering the Church Fathers | Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary,” March 24, 2024. https://www.wisluthsem.org/review-rediscovering-the-church-fathers/.

Scott, Timothy. “Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church.” Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, no. 16 (2011): 117–18

Wells, David F. No Place for Truth: Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology? First Edition. William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1994.

Wilhite, Shawn. “Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church.” The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 17, no. 2 (2013): 93–94.

Williamson, Shane. “Review—Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church,” October 4, 2019. https://mildyoke.wordpress.com/2019/10/04/review-rediscovering-the-church-fathers-who-they-were-and-how-they-shaped-the-church/.