We have a fellow named John in the combox who used to be a Catholic, but is now an Evangelical Anglican because he has decided that Catholic doctrines contradict Scripture and because the Evangelical Anglican position is closer to the position of the Church fathers.

That John wants his faith to agree with the Apostolic Fathers is certainly admirable, so I thought it might be fun for readers to contribute their favorite quotes from the Church Fathers for John to agree with. Any submissions from the Ante-Nicene Fathers.

Here’s mine.

“But since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the successions of all the churches, we shall confound all those who, in whatever manner, whether through self-satisfaction or vainglory, or through blindness and wicked opinion, assemble other than where it is proper, by pointing out here the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient church known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul—that church which has the tradition and the faith with which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the apostles. For with this Church, because of its superior origin, all churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world. And it is in her that the faithful everywhere have maintained the apostolic tradition”   — Irenaeus – Against the Heresies