Primitive Church Sources
The Wesleys were born in an age deeply interested in the past. Anglicanism valued the teachings of the primitive church expressed in the church fathers and General Councils of the first five centuries. Primitive Christianity was instilled in the Wesleys from their high church upbringing, as John once explained, “From a child I was taught to love and reverence the Scripture, the oracles of God, and next to these to esteem the primitive Fathers, the writers of the first three centuries. Next after the primitive Church I esteem our own, the Church of England, as the most scriptural national church in the world.” What John stated here certainly applied to Charles as well. Therefore, the writings of the primitive church is an important source for understanding the theology and thought of the Wesleys and early Methodism.
The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 Vols.
Series editors: Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson
This series has been reprinted often and has served for many years as the standard American edition of the writings before the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. The Wesleys valued the spirit and piety of the first three centuries of the Church and sought to restore this spirit of devotion in their current ministry context. John held that the primitive church was the “normative model for doctrine and belief,” and considered Methodism as nothing less than the “religion of the Bible, the religion of the primitive church, the religion of the Church of England.” They considered the primitive church as closest to the fountain (Christ & apostles) and therefore the purist era in the history of the faith – apart from the apostolic era. See each volume for its listing of contents.
ANF vol. 1 Ch. Fathers, Justin, Irenaeus
ANF vol. 2 Clement Alexandria, Hermas, etc.
ANF vol. 3 Tertullian
ANF vol. 4 Tertullian, Origen, Commodian
ANF vol. 5 Hippolytus, Cyprian, Novation
ANF vol. 6 Methodius, Africanus, etc.
ANF vol. 7 Lactantius, Apostolic Constitutions, etc.
ANF vol. 8 Apocrypha & Others Writings
ANF vol. 9 Diatessaron, Apocalypses, Origen
ANF vol. 10 General Index
ANF Testimonies on Christ’s Deity
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons  130-202
Born in Smyrna in Asia Minor, Irenaeus became an influential apologist against the rising tide of Gnosticism in the new faith. Besides his five volume work Against Heresies, another pivotal work of was his later summary of Christian teaching:
Apostolic Preaching
Macarius the Egyptian  300-390
Macarius was a Coptic Christian monk and hermit. He is also known as Macarius the Elder, Macarius the Great and The Lamp of the Desert. His writings on Christian holiness influenced John Wesley’s theology and the development of his doctrine of Christian perfection. Wesley began to read Macarius during his Oxford period. Wesley so prized Macarius’ writings on holiness that he included extracts of the latter’s Fifty Spiritual Homilies in the first volume of his Christian Library (1749). Wesley read the 1721 edition. The 1921 edition is also provided, which includes a helpful introduction on Macarius.
Macarius Fifty Spiritual Homilies 1721
Macarius Fifty Spiritual Homilies 1921
Macarius Institutes of Christian Perfection 1816
John Chrysostom  c. 347- 407
Chrysostom was Arch-bishop of Constantinople from 397 till his death. He was given the title “Chrysostom” celebrated for his eloquence as a preacher, which in Greek means “Golden-mouthed.” He was a prolific author and left expositions on most of the New Testament. Here are many of his works from the Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers 1st Series.
NPNF 1st series 9 On Priesthood, Ascetic Tracts & Sermons
NPNF 1st series 10 Matthew
NPNF 1st series 12 Romans-Corinthians
NPNF 1st series 13 Galatians-Philemon
NPNF 1st series 14 John & Hebrews
Saint Augustine  354-430
Augustine was a Roman African, early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings shaped the development of Western Christianity, which left a mark on the Anglican tradition of the Wesleys and early Methodists. He was bishop of Hippo in north Africa and is viewed as one of the most important church fathers in Western Christianity. Augustine’s views on predestination, grace, sin, and salvation particularly influenced the debates between the Wesleys and the Calvinists. The NPNF volumes are from the Nicene and Post-Nicene Series edited by Phillip Schaff. The other volumes represent new translations of Augustine’s writings.
NPNF 1st series 1 Confessions/Letters
NPNF 1st Series 2 City of God/Ch. Doctrine
NPNF 1st series 3 On Trinity/Treatises
NPNF 1st series 4 Manicheans/Donatists
NPNF 1st series 5 Pelagians
NPNF 1st series 6 Gospels
NPNF 1st series 8 Psalms
Augustine Lord’s Sermon on Mount
Augustine Sermons
Augustine Enchiridion – Faith, Hope and Love
Augustine The Spirit and the Letter
Augustine 93 Letters
Augustine Letters 1919
Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers
This second series of the classic set of early church writings includes such influential leaders as Eusebius, Athanasius, Jerome, Ambrose, Hilary, the three Cappadocians (Basil and the two Gregory’s), John Cassian, Cyril, Leo, Gregory the Great, John of Damascus, and the seven General Councils. See each volume for its listing of contents.
NPNF 2nd series 1 Eusebius
NPNF 2nd series 2 Socrates, Sozomenus
NPNF 2nd series 3 Jerome, Rufinus, etc.
NPNF 2nd series 4 Athanasius
NPNF 2nd series 5 Gregory of Nyssa
NPNF 2nd series 6 Jerome
NPNF 2nd series 7 Cyril, Gregory Nazianzen
NPNF 2nd series 8 Basil
NPNF 2nd series 9 Hilary, John DamascusÂ
NPNF 2nd series 10 Ambrose
NPNF 2nd series 11 John Cassian, Vincent, Sulpitius
NPNF 2nd series 12 Leo the Great, Gregory the Great
NPNF 2nd series 13 Gregory the Great, Ephraim Syrus
NPNF 2nd series 14 Seven Ecumenical Councils