Ochorus for Bible colleges
A free library of primary sources for Bible colleges and seminaries
The church fathers, the Reformers, the Puritans and the great revival preachers, free for every student and teacher. A ready-made theological library for any college, whatever its budget.
- books
- 295
- sermons
- 251
- reading plans
- 36
- languages
- 10
Good places to start
The early church
The fathers in their own words, for church history and patristics.
Reformation to revival
Puritan, Reformed and Methodist divinity, and the preachers of the awakenings.
Pastoral and spiritual theology
For ministry formation and the inner life of the minister.
Why Bible colleges use Ochorus
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Primary sources at no cost
Clement, Ignatius, Athanasius, Augustine, Chrysostom, Calvin, Owen, Baxter, Edwards and Wesley: the texts themselves, free for every student.
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Study companions
More than thirty Key Teachings companions introduce a writer’s life and thought, from Augustine and Luther to Spurgeon and Tozer.
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Quotations you can cite
Each quotation is traced to the book, chapter and paragraph it comes from, so students can check it in context.
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Scripture in the classics
The Scripture index shows where the classics and sermons engage a book or chapter of the Bible, a help for exegesis and preaching classes.
Meet the writers
The lives behind the books: each one has a full biography, with the books and sermons they left.
Take them offline
Every text here can be downloaded free, as a PDF to print for a course pack or an EPUB for an e-reader, or saved to this device to read in the app with no connection.
Plans to read together
One short reading a day. Start on the same day and everyone reaches the same chapter together, each reader ticking off their own progress as they go.
Voices of the Early Church
128 days·~2 min/dayThe first Christian centuries in their own words. Clement of Rome writes from the church at Rome while the apostles' own generation still lived, Ignatius of Antioch sends his letters on the road to martyrdom, and Athanasius of Alexandria sets out the heart of the faith — why God himself became man — in On the Incarnation. Short daily readings over about four months.
Day 1 ·The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
The Key Teachings: Four Teachers
86 days·~7 min/dayTwelve weeks with four teachers, one short chapter a day, each ending in questions and a prayer: Richard Baxter on the saints' everlasting rest, Jonathan Edwards on the beauty of God and true religion, A. B. Simpson on Christ our Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King, and Watchman Nee on the normal Christian life.
Day 1 ·The Key Teachings of Richard Baxter
The Puritan Heart
54 days·~11 min/dayEight weeks with three masters of the inner life. Richard Sibbes binds up the bruised reed, John Owen wages war on the sin that still dwells within, and Thomas Watson rests the whole struggle on the promise that all things work together for good.
Day 1 ·The Bruised Reed
Start a reading group
Choose a plan and the day you begin, then pass on the link. Everyone who opens it is on the same day of the plan. Nobody needs an account, and nothing about anyone is collected.
“Humble knowledge of self is a surer path to God than the ardent pursuit of learning.”
Ways to use it in your college
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Church history readers
Assign On the Incarnation, the Confessions and the Epistles of Ignatius alongside lectures, with every student reading the same text.
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Pastoral theology
Read Baxter’s The Reformed Pastor and Chrysostom’s On the Priesthood with those preparing for ministry.
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Preaching classes
Study sermons by Edwards, Whitefield, Wesley and Spurgeon, and trace how each handled a text.
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Spiritual formation
Pair the academic reading with devotional classics like The Imitation of Christ and With Christ in the School of Prayer.
Pass it on
A message ready for a bulletin, a group chat or an email. Copy it as it is, or make it your own.
Questions
Is Ochorus really free?
Yes. Every book and sermon on Ochorus is free to read, with no paywall, no subscription and no ads. The classics themselves are in the public domain, and Ochorus is a ministry, not a business.
Do students need accounts?
No. Students can read without signing up. A free account is optional: it keeps progress, notes and saved books in step across devices.
Which traditions are represented?
The library spans the early church, the medieval church, the Reformation, the Puritans, Methodism and the revival and missionary movements, with writers from many traditions.
Can we download or print the texts?
Some books can be downloaded as free PDF and EPUB files from the book’s page. If you would like to print texts for your college, please contact us first.
Give your students the whole tradition
Browse the library, or start with the biographies of the writers you teach.