If you’ve ever tried to read the Church Fathers in Portuguese, you know the struggle: scattered translations, out‑of‑print volumes, or academic editions with price tags that make your eyes water. That’s why the Coleção Patrística (Patristic Collection) from Paulus Editora is such a gift.
Launched in the 1990s and still growing, this series offers bilingual editions (Greek/Latin with Portuguese translation) of key patristic texts. Think Augustine’s Confessions, Athanasius’s On the Incarnation, John Chrysostom’s homilies, Cappadocian classics, and even lesser‑known gems like Gregory of Nyssa’s The Life of Moses.
Each volume includes:
The pace is slow (only a few new titles per year), and some major Fathers — like Irenaeus or Cyril of Alexandria — are still underrepresented. Also, the binding is simple paperback; not heirloom quality, but fine for daily use. colecao patristica
No project is perfect. Some scholars note that the translation speed is slow – at the current pace, it will take another 30 years to translate all of Augustine's sermons or John Chrysostom’s complete homilies. Furthermore, a few early volumes used translations based on older, outdated critical editions (later revised). However, the series continues to update and reprint corrected editions.
Another limitation is the cost. In economies like Brazil's, a single volume can cost between R$ 80 and R$ 150. Yet, compared to English critical editions (which cost $60-$90 per volume), the Coleção Patrística remains affordable.
Before the 1990s, seminaries in Brazil and Portugal relied on French or Italian patrologies. The Coleção Patrística democratized knowledge. If you’ve ever tried to read the Church
If you teach, preach, or simply love the early Church, hunt down these books. They’re not just for academics. The Coleção Patrística invites you to sit at the feet of the Fathers — in your own language.
Have you read any volume from the collection? Which Father would you like to see translated next? Let me know in the comments.
A "Coleção Patrística" (Patristic Collection) is a collection of writings from the early Christian Church Fathers, also known as the Patristic period. This period spans from the end of the apostolic era (around 100 AD) to the beginning of the Middle Ages (around 800 AD). The Patristic Collection includes works from various Christian authors, theologians, and ecclesiastical writers who played a significant role in shaping Christian doctrine, liturgy, and culture. In Brazil and Portugal
Some notable features and goals of a Coleção Patrística include:
Some popular works and authors found in a Coleção Patrística include:
These collections are often published in series, such as the "Coleção Patrística" (Patristic Collection) by the Brazilian publisher "Paulus Editora" or the "Patristic Series" by other publishers. They are valuable resources for scholars, theologians, and anyone interested in exploring the early Christian tradition.
In Brazil and Portugal, when academics refer to "A Coleção Patrística," they are almost certainly referring to the series published by Editora Vozes.