Reddit reviews The Roman Primacy, A.D. 430-451 (1899)

It wasn't apologetics so much as just reading the earliest Christians while I was studying at a Protestant seminary (on my own, of course - they would never have read the Fathers so closely). The place of Rome in the early Church was pretty obvious to me such that Orthodoxy was never an option. Books that help prove this point are:

Chapman, John. Studies on the Early Papacy

Fortescue, Adrian. The Early Papacy: To the Synod of Chalcedon in 451

Rivington, Luke. Roman Primacy, A.D. 430-451

Scott, S. Herbert. The Eastern Churches and the Papacy

I also read a bunch of modern Catholic theologians and I'd be happy to suggest sources. But my conversion took years. It was something I spent all my free time thinking about for about 3 years.

I think Lutheranism is highly problematic. Luther's philosophical and theological starting points - rooted in nominalism - tend to lead to pretty disastrous theological positions. And the Reformers did reach out to the Orthodox. The Orthodox turned them down. They saw that they were preaching novelties, just as the Catholics saw.

Chapman, John. Studies on the Early Papacy

Fortescue, Adrian. The Early Papacy: To the Synod of Chalcedon in 451

Rivington, Luke. Roman Primacy, A.D. 430-451

Scott, S. Herbert. The Eastern Churches and the Papacy


You should also read the article by Brian Daley, SJ titled "Position and Patronage in the Early Church: The Original Meaning of 'Primacy of Honour'" The Journal of Theological Studies, NEW SERIES, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Oct. 1993): 529-553.