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During the first and second centuries a group of miscellaneous Christian leaders wrote down their understanding of the meaning of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection. These authors were considered by later Biblical scholars to be the next generation of Apostles and as a result were named The Apostolic Fathers, and their works are considered by many to be the most important collection of post-New Testament writings. Indeed a number of these texts were considered for inclusion in the New Testament, but later rejected. Their obvious significance stems from the fact that they are the first Christian writings produced outside the New Testament Canon and as such contain an essential insight into the development of the early Christian Church and Christian thinking. Much Christian Doctrine came, not from the New Testament, but from the writings produced by the early church and in particular the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. Therefore, these texts are crucial to an understanding of the shaping of Christian thought and Christian doctrine.
