I meant to post on this after Ann made mention on the Kokx show last Friday. She is 100% correct, as Four Witnesses is a powerhouse of Truth, and annihilator of error. It lays down indisputable evidence, from Church Fathers themselves, that the early Church was wholly and entirely Catholic. It does this so thoroughly, that there is no way a doubter can point to anything therein and say, “nuh uh.”
However, Four Witnesses is a coffee table book. It’s thick and intimidating. So I always suggest C.S. Lewis as an appetizer (as did Ann). While it is not known with certainty whether he ever became Catholic, his essays are thoroughly orthodox, and they are blessedly short and to the point. Furthermore, his writing style is rational, linear, logical… and leads to inescapable conclusions. Conclusions that are very uncomfortable if you care about your eternal soul, yet choose to remain in obstinate denial about the Truth. You can’t run from C.S. Lewis, and he will haunt you if you try to. These works are widely available, both as individual volumes and in bound sets, and relatively inexpensive. Start with Abolition of Man, and then Mere Christianity. You won’t be disappointed. They make great Christmas gifts.
Here is Ann’s post I am referring:
Absolutely Clutch Book: Four Witnesses
https://ignatius.com/four-witnesses-fwecp/
This book was HUGE in my reading my way into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and I’m not the only one who feels that way.
I mentioned it on the Kokx Podcast last Friday. And I misspoke and scrambled my Ignatius’ with my Irenaeus’ (as one does). The Four Witnesses in Rod Bennett’s book are Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus of Lyons.
And I see on the Ignatius Press website that Bennett has a sequel, “Four More Witnesses”.
Here’s the dust jacket blurb for The Four Witnesses:
What was the early Church like? Contrary to popular belief, Rod Bennett shows there is a reliable way to know. Four ancient Christian writers – four witnesses to early Christianity – left us an extensive body of documentation on this vital subject, and this book brings their fascinating testimony to life for modern believers. With all the power and drama of a gripping novel, this book is a journey of discovery of ancient and beautiful truths through the lives of four great saints of the early Church: Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus of Lyons.
“A treasure! The early Church and its teachings come to life in this story. Did the first Christians believe what you believe? Buy this book, read the words of the early Church Herself, and fall in love with the historic Church that Christ Himself founded.”
-David Currie, Author, Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic
“Rod Bennett has immersed himself in the fascinating writings of four early Fathers of the Church and has made the discovery from reading them that sincere and attentive readers of them ought to make. The author’s imaginative account of these four great Church Fathers is not only an excellent introduction to their work; it is a convincing rendering of what the early Church must really have been like. This is an important new contribution to Christian apologetics.”
-Kenneth Whitehead, Author, One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic