Scriptorium - Patristic

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To download a file, right-click a title or hold down the Control key while clicking a title, then select Save.
To download ALL the files and to monitor revised/modified files, you are advised to make use of Scriptorium iTools (see below).
‘Patristic Homilies’ and ‘Apostolic Fathers’ are also available as printed books: orders can be placed at NSCTC.

Apostolic Fathers
The title Apostolic Fathers is given to people who in their lifetime knew the Apostles of Jesus Christ. Hence the importance and soundness of their doctrine lie in the fact that it can be directly linked to the teaching of the Apostles themselves.
Besides, through their writings we get a first hand picture of the situation and of the problems of the Church at the turn of the first Century of the Common Era.

Scriptorium iTools
Scriptorium iTools (Internet Tools for Scriptorium) is a freeware utility (English interface) to help you monitor all the text- and audiovisual- files contained in this very page and in the Liturgy and Bible pages.
Files may be downloaded either as a set of files or one by one; and once downloaded they can be viewed through the application itself. Scriptorium iTools is smart enough to understand when a given file has been revised/modified: in such case it will download it, otherwise it will skip it.
• Download Scriptorium iTools 2.0.6 for

Macintosh Universal Binary (3.5 MB)

Windows (1.3 MB)

The Lord’s Prayer (by St. Cyprian)
The commentary of St. Cyprian to the Lord’s prayer has been a Christian ‘classic’ from the time it was written, in the year 251. In this book, the bishop of Carthage (North Africa), besides commenting on the text of the prayer itself, several times highlights the ideas that, as a pastor, are his main concern: unity of the Church and concord among the faithful.
  •  The Lord’s Prayer (128.98 KB)

Sacramental catechesis (by St. Ambrose)
The Sacramental catechesis (De Mysteriis) of Saint Ambrose is one of the ‘classic’ texts dealing with Christian initiation: the renown Bishop of Milan explains to the newly baptized the profound meaning of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. It was probably written about A.D. 387.
  •  Sacramental catechesis (124 KB)

Rule of St. Benedict
The famous text that founded not only the spirituality, but also the culture of the Christian West.
  •  Rule of St. Benedict (226.90 KB)

Life of St. Benedict
The Life of St. Benedict written by St. Gregory the Great.
  •  Life of St. Benedict (144 KB)

A short Life of St. Benedict
A short life of St. Benedict loosely based on the ‘Life of St. Benedict’ written by St. Gregory the Great.
  •  Life of St. Benedict (Short) (64 KB)