I Was Hungry! (free book) / Early Christians series

Author

Douglas Jacoby
July 31, 2024

Boo (11 weeks old)

Good morning from St Augustine, Florida. I’m staying a few days with my brother and his wife—and their new Bernedoodle. (Yes, I’m a dog person!)

Today: a free book for all website members, the launch of a new series on early Christian writings, and finally a few cool quotes.

FREE BOOK

Explore what God’s Word says about the perennial issue of poverty—and the response He expects of us.

If you’re a website member, click HERE for your free copy.

If you’re not a member, please click HERE. Sign up and get 3 books, 2 webinars, a complete NT commentary, and more.

LIGHT FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS (95-325 AD)

The period of the early church, particularly the first three centuries (up to the Council of Nicaea, 325 AD), can be a strange new world for many Christians, for several reasons:

  • We think once the NT was written, Christians ceased writing. Not so!

  • Perhaps we’ve heard of a few ancient writers, but fail to realize there was a constant stream of literature.

  • Their names are unfamiliar and often unusual—and there are so many of them!

  • Worse, they don’t always agree with what we believe and teach!

  • We tend to fail to respect history.

It’s a strange world indeed. I was first introduced to the Church Fathers in 1980, while a graduate student in theology—and I was captivated! I began to see how the churches coped with difficult circumstances; how they gradually drifted from their apostolic moorings; and how their issues are our issues—or at least similar enough that we benefit from putting ourselves in their place, giving them the benefit of the doubt, and seeking the Lord’s will.

  1. Who are they?

    1. Thinkers, writers, and leaders with living faith, linking N.T. times with Medieval Christianity

    2. Apostolic Fathers: Clement (Rome), Ignatius (Antioch), Hermas, Didache, Polycarp (Smyrna)

    3. Apologists: Justin Martyr (Shechem), Quadratus (Athens), Melito (Sardis), Athenagoras (Athens), Aristides (Athens), Theophilus (Antioch), Apollinaris (Hierapolis), Tatian (Syria), Tertullian (Carthage), Epistle to Diognetus (?)

    4. Desert Fathers: Anthony (Alexandria), Pachomius (Luxor)

    5. Papias (fragments); 2 Clement; and many more.

  2. What is the meaning of “patristics”?

    1. The study of the Church Fathers

    2. Pater (Greek and Latin for father)

  3. When did they live and write?

    1. Apostolic Fathers – the first couple of generations after the apostles, in the 2nd century

    2. Apologists – principally in the 2nd century

    3. Antenicene writers (before the Council of Nicaea, 325 AD), Nicene, Postnicene – all the way to the 8th century.

  4. Where did they work?

    1. The West (Western Europe, North Africa – Latin): Tertullian (Carthage), Cyprian (Carthage), Ambrose (Milan), Augustine (Hippo), Gregory the Great (Rome)

    2. The East (Eastern Europe, Southwest Asia – Greek): Irenaeus (Lyon), Clement (Alexandria), Origen (Alexandria), Athanasius (Alexandria), John Chrysostom (Constantinople), Gregory (Nyssa), Basil (Caesarea), Gregory Nazianzus (Constantinople)

  5.  How did they deal with real life issues?

    1. They thought through the implications of the faith, and then wrote about them.

    2. They took a stand and were often willing to die for what they believed.

  6. Why are they important?

    1. They wrestled with age-old issues, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

    2. They are closer to NT times than we are. They didnt’t get everything right, but their lifestyles closely modeled the life of Christ.

    3. They provide several models of interpretation: took the scriptures at face value.

We sometimes hold a naïve view of biblical interpretation: “All we need is the Bible and a good heart.” That is, we expect to learn nothing of significance from theology, from reading other books, or by examining history.

Yet this is a grave error. Humility requires that we learn from the past, just as we ought to learn from other Christian groups. We are not unique: our joys, challenges, and questions are not new.

Over the next few weeks I’d like to share highlights from my recent patristic study: things that have intrigued, shocked, or humbled me.

More specifically, we’ll pore over selected details and excerpts from Volume I—the first in the series above. Next week: 1 Clement and the Epistle to Diognetus. Never heard of them? Prepare to learn something!

QUOTES

After last week’s single, lengthier quotation (from David Benner), we offer lighter fare:

  • A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right, and evil doesn't become good, just because it's accepted by a majority. — Booker T. Washington

  • If he isn't who he said he is, then he doesn't matter at all. If he is who he said he is, then he's all that matters. — Anon., New Hampshire

  • Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little. — Edmund Burke

Hopefully these observations, as well as the rest of this week’s newsletter, have provided you with some food for thought, inspiration for the soul, and encouragement for the journey.

Thanks for your interest in learning, growing, and serving our Lord.

Douglas