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The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures The Two Meanings of the Bibleby Origen, c. 185-254 The reason why the divine power has give us the Scriptures is not solely to present facts according t the literal interpretation of the narrative.  If one looks to the letter of the text, some of the facts have not actually happened and would be irrational and illogical. Granted , the facts that have happened in the literal sense are much more numerous than the facts that have been added and have only a spiritual meaning. All the same, in the face of certain...

The Early Church Fathers on the Scriptures These Words are the Word of Godby Origen, c. 185-254 The Scriptures that prophesy about Christ, the words that announce his coming and his teaching are inspired by God.  They were proclaimed with power and authority and it is for this reason they have conquered so many people's hearts. However, only with the coming of Christ have the divine character of the prophetic writings and the spiritual meaning of the books of the Mosaic Law become apparent.  Before Christ it was not possible t produce decisive arguments for the inspiration of the Old...

Is Confession a late invention of Catholicism, or was it used from the earliest times? Let's see what the earliest writers say.DIDACHE (as early as 70 AD) -- Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life....On the Lord's Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure. (4:14; 14:1) ST. IRENAEUS OF LYONS (180 AD) -- [The gnostic disciples of Marcus] have deluded many women...Their consciences have been branded as with a hot iron [cf....

St. John of Damascuss Critique of Islam Webmaster note: The following passage is from Saint John’s monumental work, the Fount of Knowledge, part two entitled Heresies in Epitome: How They Began and Whence They Drew Their Origin. It is usually just cited as Heresies. The translator’s introduction points out that Fount of Knowledge is one of the most “important single works produced in the Greek patristic period,…offering as it does an extensive and lucid synthesis of the Greek theological science of the whole period. It is the first great Summa of theology to appear in either the East or the...

The "unanimous consent of the Fathers" (unanimem consensum Patrum) refers to the morally unanimous teaching of the Church Fathers on certain doctrines or interpretations of Scripture as received by the universal Church. This forms, to a large degree, what Catholics mean by Sacred Tradition. The individual Fathers are not personally infallible, and a discrepancy by one or two patristic witnesses does not harm the collective patristic testimony. The word “unanimous” comes from two Latin words: únus, one + animus, mind. “Consent” in Latin means agreement, accord and harmony; being of the same mind or opinion. Where the Fathers speak in...

Featured Term (selected at random):MIGNE PATROLOGIA The most comprehensive editions of the Fathers of the Church and ecclesiastical writers in existence. Jacques Paul Migne (1800-75) had been a parish priest in Orléans, France, until 1844, when he began publishing the corpus of Latin authors up to Innocent III (217 volumes, 1844-55). Then followed the Greek writers to A.D. 1439 (162 volumes, with Latin translation, 1857-66). The two collections, Patrologia Latina (P.L.) and Patrologia Graeca (P.G.), although lacking the critical perfection of modern scholarship, are still a standard source for reference and quotation. All items in this dictionary are from Fr....

Writings of the Fathers of the Church  Alexander of Alexandria (Saint)   - Epistles on the Arian Heresy and the Deposition of Arius Alexander of Lycopolis   - Of the Manicheans Ambrose (340-397) (Saint) (Doctor)   - On the Christian Faith (De fide)   - On the Holy Spirit   - On the Mysteries   - On Repentance   - On the Duties of the Clergy   - Concerning Virgins   - Concerning Widows   - On the Death of Satyrus   - Memorial of Symmachus   - Sermon against Auxentius   - Letters Aphrahat/Aphraates (c. 280-367)   - Demonstrations Archelaus   - Acts of the Disputation with the Heresiarch Manes Aristides the Philosopher   - The Apology Arnobius   - Against the Heathen Athanasius (Saint) (Doctor)   - Against the Heathen   - On the Incarnation...

CHURCH FATHERS Protestantism is closer than Catholicism to the beliefs of the Church fathers Many Catholic doctrines were only introduced centuries later and were corruptions Initial reply In fact, the exact opposite is true: the fathers as a whole were much more "Catholic" in their beliefs than they were some kind of primitive "Protestants", and this is amply confirmed by Protestant Church historians themselves. Extensive reply Ten major "distinctively Catholic" doctrines will be supported by documentation (that early Church fathers largely agreed) from the Protestant historians listed below: Bible, Church, and Tradition, not Bible Alone (sola Scriptura) as the...

I ran across this real cool video series on YouTube showing the return of the relics of the two great Saints, John Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian back to Constantinople. There is also some good historical info in them as well, although it is admittedly in favor of the Orthodox position. I put all four parts in order so you don't have to go searching for each part. Each video is like 7 minutes so it is not too long. For some reason the videos are cut off on it. But you can hit the full screen button to view...

A Few Texts From Saint Cyril of Jerusalem on the Eucharist I ran across these texts by St Cyril of Jerusalem in his Catechetical Lectures regarding the Eucharist. Recently some "Reformed" Protestants have used his writings to try and support their heresy of Sola Scriptura. In reading the texts in full context, I found no evidence of this whatsoever. In doing this research I ran across these texts pertaining to the Eucharist. Let me ask this simple question. Without applying any sophistry to the texts, who does St. Cyril appear to be in line with concerning Eucharistic doctrine? The...

Found this interesting video on Youtube:

LECTURE XXII. (ON THE MYSTERIES. IV.) ON THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 1 COR. xi. 23. I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, how that the Lord Jesus, in the night in which He was betrayed, took bread, &c. 1. Even of itself(1) the teaching of the Blessed Paul is sufficient to give you a full assurance concerning those Divine Mysteries, of which having been deemed worthy, ye are become of the same bad(2) and blood with Christ. For you have just heard him say distinctly, That our Lord Jesus Christ in the night...

Homily 47 on the Gospel of John John 6:53-54Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have not eternal life in yourselves. Whoso eats My flesh, and drinks My blood, has life in himself. 1. When we converse of spiritual things, let there be nothing secular in our souls, nothing earthy, let all such thoughts retire, and be banished, and let us be entirely given up to the hearing the divine oracles only. For if at the arrival of a king all...

Benedict XVI and the Church’s Early Steps January 23rd, 2009 by Matthew Warner Recently, I decided to read and review a series of books by Pope Benedict XVI that just seemed like they should all go together. I started with Jesus of Nazareth, followed by The Apostles, and now his book on The Fathers. Together they paint an amazing picture of the springing forth of Christianity in history.Jesus is of course the source and at the center of it all. In the Apostles we find the manifestation of the Church. And now in studying the Fathers (the early Church fathers, that is)...

WHY CATHOLICS HAVE MORE FUN THAN PROTESTANTS WHILE STUDYING EARLY CHURCH HISTORYCatholics admire evangelical Protestants for their courage to stand up on life issues and many other truths of moral law. Catholics also admire their Protestant brethren for their devotion to reading the Word of God and their willingness to stand up for what they believe and bring others to knowledge of Christ's saving work. Catholics see the grace of Christ at work in these Christians and often depend on their generous prayers in time of need.So, Catholics feel badly for Protestants who oftentimes feel crushed upon embarking on studies...

The Future Lies in the Past -- Why evangelicals are connecting with the early church as they move into the 21st century.Many 20- and 30-something evangelicals are uneasy and alienated in mall-like church environments; high-energy, entertainment-oriented worship; and boomer-era ministry strategies and structures modeled on the business world. Increasingly, they are asking just how these culturally camouflaged churches can help them rise above the values of the consumerist world around them. For younger evangelicals, traditional churches are too centered on words and propositions. And pragmatic churches are compromising authentic Christianity by tailoring their ministries to the marketplace and pop culture....

Unless you spent yesterday in a cave, you know that Pope Benedict XVI promulgated Sacramentum Caritatis, his apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist. It’s a thoroughgoing treatment of its subject, examining the sacrament in light of theology, spirituality, history, and morals. It’s very practical, too, touching on points of refinement in celebrating the Eucharist, receiving the Eucharist, and observing the fasts and feasts. Like everything Benedict does, it’s steeped in the doctrine of the Fathers. He invokes Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Cyprian, Jerome, Augustine, and Chrysostom, as well as the martyrs of Abitina. Consider a small sample: 13. Against this backdrop we...

Early Church Fathers on the Church Ignatius of Antioch Follow your bishop, every one of you, as obediently as Jesus Christ followed the Father. Obey your clergy too as you would the apostles; give your deacons the same reverence that you would to a command of God. Make sure that no step affecting the Church is ever taken by anyone without the bishop’s sanction. The sole Eucharist you should consider valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop himself, or by some person authorized by him. Where the bishop is to be seen, there let all his people be;...

The Early Church Fathers believed we are justified by faith and works. The works in question are not accomplished by the goodness of the individual, but by the grace of God. Clement of Rome Let us therefore join with those to whom grace is given by God. Let us clothe ourselves in concord, being humble and self- controlled, keeping ourselves far from all backbiting and slander, being justified by works and not by words. . . . Why was our Father Abraham blessed? Was it not because of his deeds of justice and truth, wrought in faith? . . ....

Thinking about Advent, and what it means, and why we even celebrate Christmas, led me to these quotes by other, earlier witnesses for our Lord Jesus. John the Apostle: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God;  all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.   In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from...

I'm in the process of doing research on those people who have hurt the Church (universal) both in the past and in the present.I would appreciate any help in gathering the names of those you think whose positions, actions, practices, etc., have done harm to the Body of Christ, although they may have been well-intentioned.Would you please list your pick(s) and a brief summary of why you chose them. For example, Augustine is considered a "church father," although his writings encouraged the marriage of church and state for the purpose of societal transformation, even if it required forced "transformation" (i.e.,...

WHO WAS THE FIRST church historian? Most Christians would immediately say the Gospel writer Luke. He also gave us the book of Acts, an account of the early church during the time of Peter and Paul. But after that there is no major effort to record the history of the church, at least not one that anyone was aware of, until around the year 325. Then Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea in Israel, saw the importance of preserving the story of the early Christian church for us who would become believers in later generations. Think of the incredible task he...

It would be extremely beneficial at this point if we could simply produce the original autographs for examination. This would greatly simplify the operation of establishing correctly the New Testament Text. But this simply cannot happen. It has long been acknowledged by scholars that we no longer have the "originals." They have long since passed from the scene. This is due to the fact that scribes were known to destroy worn out MSS after they had copied them. Apparently the church valued the WORDS of the original more than the original itself. Therefore, the readings of the originals must be...

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada author Clive Douglas Campbell and Phoenix, Arizona, USA publisher Selah Publishing Group are pleased to announce the release of Messiah: 2030. Nobody knows the day and hour of the Second Coming, but the following years are on the front cover: Messiah: 2030 Cluny: 1030 Jesus: 30 David: 970 Abraham: 1970 Noah: 2970 Adam: 3970 Messiah: 2030 claims the Bible prophesies a sixth Arab-Israeli war will be over in 2003 and include the following: --the Palestinians will be deported to Jordan --Israel will go to war with Jordan, possess Jordanian land east of the Jordan River and King...