“Seeing therefore that the Law condemneth them that sin and decreeth sometimes the uttermost punishment to them that disregard it, and in no wise pitieth, how was not the manifestation to them on earth of a Compassionate and truly Merciful High Priest necessary? Of One who should made the curse to cease, should stop the […]
Augustine is undoubtedly the most prolific and influential writer in the history of the Western church. He is one theologian who Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists alike cite as a primary influence on their varied theological traditions. Because of this fact, treatments of Augustine since the Reformation have often taken on a polemical tone, trying […]
Despite the claims of the Roman Church in reaction to the Reformation, there is an immense divide between Patristic piety and late Medieval spirituality. In the late Medieval church, reading of sacred Scripture was discouraged on behalf of the laity; it was done by some of the clergy, and even then only with the guidance […]
Because I have an interest in Patristic studies, I have occasionally been asked why I’m Lutheran rather than Eastern Orthodox; it is claimed that the Eastern church is consistent with the Patristic tradition, but the Lutheran church is not. Well, there are various reasons why I wouldn’t join the Orthodox church including a denial of […]
One of the resources that I have used in preparing my sermons for Holy Week is a short treatise by the 2nd century bishop Melito of Sardis. Melito was an influential bishop from Anatolia. According to testimonies from men like Jerome and Origen he was a prolific and influential writer; unfortunately, only fragments of his […]
Alcuin of York It is an unfortunate fact in the study of church history that the early medieval period has been completely ignored. The time from the death Gregory (aprox. 600 A.D.) through the beginning of the scholastic period (aprox. 1100 A.D)is skipped over because there were no major theological advancements. In this period, the […]
When most people think of St. Patrick’s Day, they think about one of two things. 1. An excuse to drink a lot of beer, or 2. Legends about Patrick driving away snakes from Ireland, and using the shamrock to describe the Trinity. Well, neither of those two things have anything to do with the actual, historical […]
The following are quotes from St. Ambrose’s treatise On Jacob and the Happy Life. This can be found in vol. 65 of CUA Press’s The Fathers of the Church series. “For the man who has been redeemed as a slave has his freedom, and as for the man who has been called as a free man, it is good […]
Saint who? It is unfortunate that many of our Patristic forebears have been lost on the contemporary church. Yes, we all know St. Augustine, Jerome, Irenaeus, and Athanasius, but there are several writers who deserve attention that they are not afforded. One such writer is a little known Augustinian theologian known as Fulgentius of Ruspe. Fulgentius […]
“A law was not given that could give life, but which might show his sins to the sinner. For the sinner had forgotten himself, and saw not himself; the law was given him, that he might see himself. The law made him guilty, the Lawgiver freed him: for the Law-giver is the Supreme power… There […]
