The Christian Classics Ethereal Library is a digital library of hundreds of classic Christian books selected for edification and education. It is a service of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Included in this treasure chest are the writings of the Early Church Fathers. The church leaders of the second and third centuries. Men such as Clement of Rome, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus. Some of these men were the disciples of the disciples. They can provide great insight into the Scriptures.

But they must be read with discernment. It is obvious from the New Testament that doctrinal confusion, legalism, sacerdotalism, and gnostic error were beginning to find their way into the church even before the canon was closed. The writings of the Church Fathers are not free from such influences. These men we call Church Fathers did not always agree with one another. Their writings do not have canonical authority. These men were not apostles. It would be an enormous mistake to treat their writings as infallible. Yet it would also be a mistake to ignore what they had to say.

Here’s the link to the Early Church Fathers.