This comprehensive volume brings together a team of distinguished scholars to create a wide-ranging introduction to patristic authors and their contributions to not only theology and spirituality, but to philosophy, ecclesiology, linguistics, hagiography, liturgics, homiletics, iconology, and other fields. Challenges accepted definitions of patristics and the patristic period – in particular questioning the Western framework in which the field has traditionally been constructedIncludes the work of authors who wrote in languages other than Latin and Greek, including those within the Coptic, Armenian, Syriac, and Arabic Christian traditionsExamines the reception history of prominent as well as lesser-known figures, debating the role of each, and exploring why many have undergone periods of revived interestOffers synthetic accounts of a number of topics central to patristic studies, including scripture, scholasticism, and the ReformationDemonstrates the continuing role of these writings in enriching and inspiring our understanding of Christianity