Early church quotes

Polycarp: "O Lord God Almighty, the Father of the beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by Whom we have received the knowledge of Thee, the God of angels and powers, and of every creature, and of the whole race of the righteous who live before Thee, I give Thee thanks that Thou hast counted me worthy of this day and this hour, that I should have a part in the number of Thy martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, to the resurrection of eternal life, both of soul and body, through the incorruption by the Holy Spirit. Among whom may I be accepted this day before Thee as a fat and acceptable sacrifice, according as Thou, the ever-truthful God, hast foreordained, hast revealed beforehand to me, and now hast fulfilled. Wherefore also I praise Thee for all things, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee, along with the everlasting and heavenly Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, with Whom, to Thee, and the Holy Spirit, be glory both now and to all coming ages. Amen."

Minucius Felix said, "That many of us are poor is not our disgrace but our glory."

Tertullian said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."

"I could wish nothing better for you than this, gentlemen, that you may come to the same opinion as ourselves and believe that Jesus is the Son of God." – Justin Martyr, from The Answer to Trypho.

Justin Martyr said, "Wherever there is truth it comes from Christ and so it belongs to us."

Tertullian: "What then has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What has the academy to do with the church? What have heretics to do with Christians? Our instruction is from the porch of Solomon who himself handed down that the Lord is to be sought in simplicity of heart. Away with those who produce Stoic, Platonic, and Dialectic Christianity. We have no need of curiosity after we have Christianity, nor of inquisitiveness after we have the Gospel. Since we believe we desire nothing else to believe. For the first thing we believe is that there is nothing else we ought to believe."

Tertullian: "I believe because it is absurd. God's Son has died. That is credible because it is foolishness. And He was buried and is risen. That is certain because it is impossible."