._, The _Apostolic Fathers_ are those who lived nearest
to the time, and to some extent contemporary with the Apostles, viz.
St. Barnabas, St. Clement, St. Ignatius, Hermas and St. Polycarp.
Another class is called the _Ante Nicene Fathers_, or those who
lived between the date of St. Polycarp, A.D. 167, and the date of
the Nicene Council, A.D. 325, such as Justin Martyr, St. Irenseus,
Clemens Alexandrinus, Tertullian, Origen, St. Cyprian. A third class
dates from the Nicene Council, such as St. Athanasius; Eusebius, the
Church Historian; St. Cyril of Jerusalem; St. Hilary of Poicters;
St. Basil, the Great; St. Gregory of Nyssa; St. Gregory Nazianzen;
St. Chrysostom, St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Leo, who
is commonly regarded as the last of the Fathers, although St.
Gregory of Rome is placed in the List as well as a few later
writers. The above is not a complete list, only a few of the
principal Fathers having been mentioned. It is pointed out in
Milman's "Latin Christianity" that "The Eastern and the Western
Church have each four authors of note, whom they recognize as
Fathers _par excellence_. Those of the Eastern Church are St.
Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Chrysostom and St. Gregory {110}
Nazianzen. Those of the Western Church are St. Jerome, St. Ambrose,
St. Augustine and St. Gregory of Rome,--the Fathers respectively of
her monastic system, of her sacerdotal authority, of her scientific
Theology and of her popular religion."

Feasts or Festivals.--Days set apart for the celebration of some
great event connected with our Blessed Lord or His Saints, also
called Holy Days. The rubric in the Communion Office requires that
each Feast shall be announced to the congregation on the Sunday
preceding the day on which it occurs. They are set forth in a Table
to be found in the introductory portion of the Prayer Book as
follows:

A TABLE OF FEASTS.

_To be observed in this Church throughout the Year_.

All Sundays in the year. St. Bartholomew the Apostle.
The Circumcision of our Lord. St. Matthew the Apostle.
The Epiphany. St. Michael and All Angels.
The Conversion of St. Paul. St. Luke the Evangelist.
The Purification of the Blessed St. Simon and St. Jude the
Virgin. Apostles.
St. Matthias the Apostle. All Saints,
The Annunciation of the Blessed St. Andrew the Apostle.
Virgin Mary. S