Excerpt from The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A. D. 325; Biographical Synopsis; General Index TO provide the student of the ante-nicene Literature with a copious General Index was necessary to the work which, in eight volumes, comprises the original twenty four and not a little additional material. But the General Editor felt, at every step of his own undertaking, the need of a systematized Bibliography, to which scholars intolerant of merely superficial attainment might be referred for the entire mastery of any particular subject. It is not unlikely that our countrymen are about to enter on such studies as require the' aid of the ante-nicene Fathers, in the spirit of honest and very earnest research, and it is cheering to observe that patient industry and unwearied continuous effort in the investigation of great questions is no longer to be considered impossible in our hurried and hasty American modes of life. He, then, who means to understand these volumes thoroughly, and to use them for the benefit of others, must have the keys of knowledge at hand. To supply such keys is of itself the task of none other than a specialist and an expert. The introductory notice of the Rev. Dr. Riddle will inform the reader that I am indebted to him for committing to Professor Richardson the labour of compiling the Bibliography which I had proposed, and which, in my opinion, has been so admirably performed. His work, though it falls below his own standard of all that could be desired, is practically exhaustive, and I rejoice to present it to American scholars as honourable to our literature, and especially to its author. It is most creditable to the Theological Seminary at Hartford that such a work has been completed within its walls, and largely by the aid of its library, which must be especially rich in a collection of rare works, indispensable to a performance of this description. May I venture to say, in behalf of the Commonwealth of Letters and the interests of Learning in America, that I have reason to believe that for this wealth of resources we are all debtors to the enlightened munificence of newton case, Esq., of Hartford. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.