The article does not provide evidence for or support the supposition that the Church Fathers believed or taught a “reformed” conception of the gospel instead of Catholic doctrine.
The idea that the Church Fathers weren’t Catholic and that the Council of Trent “lost” the Gospels is absurd and unproven as well.
The “evidence” that the Church lost the gospels fails precisely because none of the quotes set forth attributed to the Church Fathers are indeed contrary to Church Doctrine!
This is a straw man set - up: (A) that the Church Fathers foretold justification by faith alone before the reformers (and the implication that their position is contrary to Church Doctrine): therefore (B)the Church Doctors are proto type reformer forerunners, does NOT work. The Church already holds the doctrines that the Fathers set forth in the article! If Catholics tried to make the case that the Fathers meant something different, then there would be a problem, but instead, Catholic Church teaching agrees.
At any rate, all of the points set forth ARE completely compatible with the Doctrine of Justification as taught by the Council of Trent, not to mention the current Catechism of the Church..
The reformed gospel is completely new, starting with the “reformers” in the 1500’s.
The Church Fathers are Catholic beyond doubt; it is not possible to “explain away” their belief in handed down tradition (2 Thes. 2:15) because there is an abundance of preserved writings that show their affirmation in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
For example: St. Ignatius of Antioch, writing circa 80 A.D. wrote in his letter to the Smyrnaean’s wrote:
“...they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ...”
The examples of the Church’s Fathers belief in the eucharist are clear and abundant. Also - the eastern church fathers (not Rome) clearly were not prototype reformers either, for the same reasons; they believed in a sacramental Church.
Yes but not Roman Catholic.