I consider the Church Fathers like I consider the Classic Rockers, like The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin. Within those 6 bands you can find every genre of American rock music that came after, at least the hints and undercurrents of them. Same with the Church Fathers. They were varied enough that the different branches you see today all have some kind of tie back to them intellectually if not theologically.
I haven't spent a huge amount of time studying them. But I have studied Augustine, who lived in the 300s, read a good bit of Irenaeus, and studied Greek philosophy since the Church Fathers who used it as a tool of interpretation.
I did do an overview of church history by reading Latourette's 2 volumes on it, linked below. It gave me a good overall feel for their doctrine and how it ebbed and flowed over time. My observation is that there were bad heresies from the beginning, even from some of the more respected voices and there were really faithful teachings and practices from the very beginning. The gospel gained in influence and declined in influence multiple times.
I consider the Church Fathers like I consider the Classic Rockers, like The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin. Within those 6 bands you can find every genre of American rock music that came after, at least the hints and undercurrents of them. Same with the Church Fathers. They were varied enough that the different branches you see today all have some kind of tie back to them intellectually if not theologically.
I haven't spent a huge amount of time studying them. But I have studied Augustine, who lived in the 300s, read a good bit of Irenaeus, and studied Greek philosophy since the Church Fathers who used it as a tool of interpretation.
I did do an overview of church history by reading Latourette's 2 volumes on it, linked below. It gave me a good overall feel for their doctrine and how it ebbed and flowed over time. My observation is that there were bad heresies from the beginning, even from some of the more respected voices and there were really faithful teachings and practices from the very beginning. The gospel gained in influence and declined in influence multiple times.
https://www.amazon.com/History-Christianity-Vol-Beginnings-1500/dp/1565633288/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XV1BH37QMU0Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Dyc4xnP6CrqyiTWL5YrY1uXcJ4XvJqcumW62Zer_RJQgLO3vTuJEj8m8DTHbsEcbhUt2x5l-BnUXmPnyxM_dRmgGz6ROg33B8VDOagtG_YbB2oEWXFn15TEeSgdZ1T8esI_7XX-XOPVRNQD1s79bygE2jNJlHaDE5dNYEtPmhmHSy5FifjUBd9BJdvVU6zhvmOsJsNtcyTu9V4ylBJLUE-f1GVtF7r8uWMFvMDMu8Fk.U4Bls9ZECyjMAX3Ip3ERS-D6tKdbnKAtGqb7R8YogTk&dib_tag=se&keywords=kenneth+scott+latourette%2C+a+history+of+christianity&qid=1721242424&sprefix=kenneth+scott+la%2Caps%2C315&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/History-Christianity-Vol-Reformation-Present/dp/1565633296/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1XV1BH37QMU0Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Dyc4xnP6CrqyiTWL5YrY1uXcJ4XvJqcumW62Zer_RJQgLO3vTuJEj8m8DTHbsEcbhUt2x5l-BnUXmPnyxM_dRmgGz6ROg33B8VDOagtG_YbB2oEWXFn15TEeSgdZ1T8esI_7XX-XOPVRNQD1s79bygE2jNJlHaDE5dNYEtPmhmHSy5FifjUBd9BJdvVU6zhvmOsJsNtcyTu9V4ylBJLUE-f1GVtF7r8uWMFvMDMu8Fk.U4Bls9ZECyjMAX3Ip3ERS-D6tKdbnKAtGqb7R8YogTk&dib_tag=se&keywords=kenneth+scott+latourette%2C+a+history+of+christianity&qid=1721242424&sprefix=kenneth+scott+la%2Caps%2C315&sr=8-2