Toward the end of the century A.D., the Christian movement was cut off from its Jewish roots. Its counselors, the apostles, were dying. The second generation were neither as discerning as the apostles nor as theologically refined as later theologians. As a consequence, their literature mirrors both courage and rough-and-tuble leadership. Vibrant disciplesip and close association with the apostolic era vitalize these early church writings. The fathers innovated organization and confronted controversy. The Apostolic Fathers is their legacy.