The Ante-Nicene Fathers are the Christian writers and theologians who lived and wrote before the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325. Their writings constitute the earliest surviving witness to how Christianity was understood, practiced, and taught in the centuries immediately following the Apostles. This document catalogs every major ante-Nicene writer whose works survive (in whole or in significant part) and identifies the distinctly Catholic doctrines found in their writings.
The purpose of this survey is to demonstrate that the theological landscape of early Christianity was overwhelmingly consistent with Catholic teaching — and incompatible with distinctly Protestant doctrines (such as sola fide, sola scriptura, symbolic-only Eucharist, rejection of a visible hierarchical Church, and denial of baptismal regeneration) and with Mormon theology (such as a plurality of gods, a non-eternal God, the Great Apostasy, and denial of creation ex nihilo).
Summary & Conclusions
1
The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was taught from the very earliest post-apostolic writings — Ignatius (c. 110 AD), Justin Martyr (c. 155 AD), Irenaeus (c. 180 AD) — and was universally affirmed. No ante-Nicene Father taught a merely symbolic view of the Eucharist, which is the standard Protestant position.
2
Baptismal regeneration — the belief that baptism truly remits sins and regenerates the soul — was universal. No Father taught that baptism is a mere symbol or ordinance without saving efficacy.
3
Apostolic succession and the hierarchical structure of bishop-presbyter-deacon was affirmed by Clement of Rome (c. 96 AD), Ignatius (c. 110 AD), Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian, Hippolytus, and virtually all others. No Father advocated for congregational self-governance without bishops.
4
The primacy of the Roman Church was recognized by Clement (who exercised it), Ignatius (who honored it), Irenaeus (who cited it as the standard), Cyprian (who referenced the "Chair of Peter"), and Dionysius of Alexandria (who submitted to it). No Father denied Rome's preeminent role.
5
Sacred Tradition was consistently upheld alongside Scripture as a source of Christian teaching. Irenaeus and Tertullian made this a central argument against heretics. No Father advocated for sola scriptura — which is a distinctly Protestant principle from the 16th century.
6
The Trinity — one God in three co-eternal, co-equal persons — was clearly taught by Theophilus, Athenagoras, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Origen, Novatian, and Gregory Thaumaturgus. This directly contradicts Mormon doctrine of three separate gods and the Mormon teaching that God the Father has a physical body.
7
Creation from nothing (ex nihilo) was explicitly taught by Theophilus, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, and others, directly contradicting the Mormon belief in pre-existing eternal matter.
8
Penance, confession of sins, prayers for the dead, the intercession of saints, and the exalted role of Mary were all attested in the ante-Nicene period — all Catholic distinctives rejected by most Protestant traditions.
9
No ante-Nicene Father taught the distinctly Protestant doctrines of sola fide (justification by faith alone), sola scriptura (Scripture alone), total depravity without free will, or the "invisible church" theory.
10
No ante-Nicene Father taught any distinctly Mormon doctrine such as: God having a physical body, a plurality of gods, pre-mortal existence of human spirits, temple rituals, a Great Apostasy eliminating all priesthood authority, or continuing public revelation through new prophets and scriptures.
Note on Methodology and Sources: This survey draws on the standard Ante-Nicene Fathers collection (Roberts & Donaldson, 10 volumes) as well as modern critical editions and translations. The doctrinal identifications reference specific works and chapter/section numbers where possible. The term "Catholic doctrines" refers to teachings held by the Catholic Church (and in most cases also the Eastern Orthodox churches) that distinguish these traditions from Protestant and Latter-day Saint (Mormon) theology. Some Fathers (Tertullian, Origen, Tatian) held certain views later considered heterodox; these are noted, but their orthodox teachings are still catalogued. Full texts are available at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org), New Advent (newadvent.org), or the original ANF volumes.