One of the least likable of the Church Fathers, Jerome nevertheless had an influence which dominated the Western Church for a thousand years. Always torn between comfort of wealth and demands of holiness, he spent years of soul struggle in ascetic isolation. His legacy, however, is God’s Word set forth in the language of the people.

A disciple of John through Polycarp of Smyrna, Irenaeus was a theologian of great intellect who dealt a final death blow to the Gnostic challenge to Christian orthodoxy. His arguments against false teachers devastated the opposition and preserved “the faith handed down to the saints.”

Born of Greek parents in Palestine, Justin was a searcher for truth. He explored the instruction of the Stoics, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and Plato. Unsatisfied still, he was introduced to the Hebrew prophets and his philosophy for life. He was an educated defender of the faith among the elite class of Roman society contesting the charges made against Christians by Jews and Romans alike. He demonstrated a changed life even unto death.

The second Bishop of Antioch, disciple of John the Beloved, and friend of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, Ignatius was a fiery leader who fought aggressively against the Docetic heresy and promoted a single elder model for the churches. Martyred as an atheist c. AD 115, he left significant letters to a dear friend and six churches. His theological contribution is still recognized and quoted extensively today. 

An elder in the first-century church in Rome, Clement possibly knew both Peter and Paul personally. His writings stress that one of the essential components of biblical Christianity is humility. He spoke of the mutual harmony experienced in a church with cooperative members joined to caring pastoral leadership, both without pride and a grasping for power.

The book of James is one of my favorites because the author (James) is very clear and direct about what he is trying to write. How was he directing the early Church on how to live? What exactly did he mean by “dead faith”? How does this apply to our lives today?

Malachi means “my messenger,” and speaks to God’s people as the voice of the Lord Himself. It is written as a series of discourses, which uncover the hardness of heart in the Israelites. Malachi was perhaps the last prophet to speak to the people before the 400 years of silence leading up to Christ. He leaves us with a call to repentance and a hope.

Chapter 9 offers a transition between the lofty heights of chapter 8 and the workaday world of chapters following. The philosophical survey of wisdom will soon be replaced by the pithy and isolated sayings offered on a host of common topics. But first, a final review of the options and a call to choose correctly is given.

This chapter is unique among the Proverbs. Here, Dame Wisdom speaks for herself; and the entire poem is a praise song reminding us how important she is and where to discover her. In contrast to Lady Folly, Wisdom is available publicly. She offers true wealth; and her influence is infinite from eternity past to eternity future.

After extensive teachings regarding the temptations of lust and illicit sexual behaviors, Solomon turns to other bad choices—particularly bad debt, poor work ethics, and prideful self-sufficiency. This chapter is the Israelite version of the medieval list of seven deadly sins. Wisdom is always the answer.