I found this podcast while searching for some supplemental information as I read The Fathers Know Best by Jimmy Akin. This podcast is so engaging and thorough. Can’t stop listening!

A great resource to give background on the early church fathers succinct to the point and very informative. Look forward to these.

Learning more about the early Church and her many great struggles and triumphs especially with heresies is proof positive that the Holy Spirit has safeguarded the deposit of Faith for over 2,000 years. It gives me hope that The Church will once again triumph over the divisions and disputes that she faces today. This material is so well presented, not dry at all, and entertaining to listen to. It should be required listening for every Catholic. Awesome work, gentlemen!

It is good to know the history of the church. If we do not know the history then we must not be ignorent of the truth.thank Mike !

I recently discovered these podcasts and they were exactly what I needed. While relevant to every age, they are helping me become more grounded in the foundations of the Church. The length of each episode is perfect. With so much noise out in the world today they are a wonderful diversion. Great work. Contributed after listening to the first 2 episodes.

Action packed Church history in 20 mins or less! Thank you

This is one unique podcast. The history alone is worth to learn a lot about the Church. The Roman Catholic Mass connections to Africa was really cool to learn about.

First off, I’m not Catholic. I actually belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But I love this podcast. It’s so well put together. And it’s fascinating and inspiring to learn more about the early Christians, and the sacrifices they made for the cause of Christ. We all owe them so much. Thank you!

Great information, extremely well presented, good sound quality (so many of these sound like they were recorded inside a drainage culvert!).

This podcast is one of my favorite podcasts. It’s very informative and always looking forward to the next episode. Great work!

This show is so good. Going through the councils now after going through the fathers. Beautiful blend of history and theology. Mike had me laughing out loud during the episode on Ephesus. Please keep it up Mike, et al.

great series on the history of the early church.

While a joy to us lovers of religious history, this podcast series leaves out half and more of the important early voices of church history: desert mothers and early martyrs, women saints and mystics, and a whole beautiful side of Christianity. We particularly felt that lack in the recent polemic against abortion, lovingly but one-sidedly (as had to be in a church unable to accept nuance or inclusion) presented from a very pejorative and masculine point of view. The claim that somehow science now agrees that human life starts at conception needs a little more exploration. The question is not so easily answered and so easily resolved so as to sacrifice the life of a young woman, for example, to save an embryo which has implanted improperly. Respecting the dignity if every human life means looking at each case individually, not making a blanket decision that "abortion is always everywhere evil."

I cannot stop listening!

Overall I recommend this podcast since there is good information. The podcast seems to me a little light on doctrine and a little heavy on anecdotes. Also, it’s very hard to listen to the narrator’s “overly nice” voice inflection. It sounds very unnatural and is distracting.

Don’t read to me from a script

This was just what I was looking for to learn about the fathers in chronological order. Mike Aquilina has been studying and writing about church history for over 20 years and is a great educator. Thank you!

Mike Aquilina gives excellent synopses of critical figures in church history. Despite being a history major and a Catholic I knew little about the Church Fathers so this served as a great introduction. Occasionally I disagree with his opinions but this is trivial in comparison with the knowledge gained. Thank you for all you do!

Aquilina has a great gift for presenting patristics in a way that is simultaneously intellectually faithful and accessible to laymen. He balances narrative and explication well, and is enjoyable to listen to.

Makes learning about the Church Fathers easy and accessible

This is well-researched and beautifully presented. I’m eager to go deeper into reading and study of the Early Church.

Well drafted, well delivered, insightful, informative, an excellent introduction to the Fathers for everyone. Highly recommended!

Great Podcast! Thank you so much for doing it, dear Mike! Sincerely,

I am so thankful for Mike’s dedication to the Church Fathers! I enjoy his books, and have heard his longer (4 hour) talk in formed, and this podcast is just as enjoyable!

Mike Aquilina is simply one of the best if not the best historian on the early Church. Listen to this podcast and read his books!

Mike Aquilina clearly speaks truth on what he knows and love best- the Church Fathers. There’s no one else I’d trust more on this subject. Great beginning and I cannot wait to learn more!

Author Mike Aquilina starts off strong. Having listened to him on other podcasts discuss the fathers of the church, I was looking forward to a podcast by him dedicated to early church history. This does not disappoint. Written by a writer and delivered with the passion of somebody who has been studying this for his adult life, this one is a gem.