Thomas Aquinas and His Predecessors

Thomas Aquinas and His Predecessors
Author: Leo Elders
Publisher: CUA Press
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2018-04-20
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0813230276

Thomas Aquinas and His Predecessors takes us on a voyage through the history of philosophical thought as present in the works of Thomas Aquinas. It is a synthetic presentation of the works and thought of the great predecessors of Aquinas, as he kne

Learning Theology with the Church Fathers

Learning Theology with the Church Fathers
Author: Christopher A. Hall
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2009-08-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830876146

Christopher A. Hall offers you the opportunity to study theology and church history under the preaching and instruction of the early church fathers.

From Clement to Origen

From Clement to Origen
Author: Revd Dr David Ivan Rankin
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2013-05-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1409477037

From Clement to Origen addresses the engagement of a number of pre-Nicene Church Fathers with the surrounding culture. David Rankin considers the historical and social context of the Fathers, grouped in cities and regions, their writings and theological reflections, and discusses how the particular engagement of each with major aspects of the surrounding culture influences, informs and shapes their thought and the articulation of that thought. The social and historical context of the Church Fathers is explored with respect to the Roman state, the imperial office and imperial cult, Greco-Roman class structures and the patron-client system, issues of wealth production and other commercial activity, the major philosophical thinkers in antiquity, and to rhetorical theory and practice and the higher learning of the day.

Living Wisely with the Church Fathers

Living Wisely with the Church Fathers
Author: Christopher A. Hall
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2017-11-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830889183

Early Christians lived in a culture not unlike our own—in love with empire, infatuated with sex, tolerant of all gods but hostile to the One. Christopher Hall takes us back to that time, conversing with Christian leaders around the ancient Mediterranean world and exploring how this cloud of witnesses challenges us to live an ethical life as a Christ follower.

Socrates and Other Saints

Socrates and Other Saints
Author: Dariusz Karlowicz
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2017-01-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1498278744

Many contemporary writers misunderstand early Christian views on philosophy because they identify the critical stances of the ante-Nicene fathers toward specific pagan philosophical schools with a general negative stance toward reason itself. Dariusz Karłowicz's Socrates and Other Saints demonstrates why this identification is false. The question of the extent of humanity's natural knowledge cannot be reduced to the question of faith's relationship to the historical manifestations of philosophy among the Ancients. Karłowicz closely reads the writings of Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and others to demonstrate this point. He also builds upon Pierre Hadot's thesis that ancient philosophy is not primarily theory but a "way of life" taught by sages, which aimed at happiness through participation in the divine. The fact that pagan philosophers falsely described humanity's telos did not mean that the spiritual practices they developed could not be helpful in the Christian pilgrimage. As it turns out, the ancient Christian writers traditionally considered to be enemies of philosophy actually borrowed from her much more than we think--and perhaps more than they admitted.

Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers

Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers
Author: Christopher A. Hall
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 232
Release: 1998-08-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780830815005

Christopher Hall shows that studying the writings of the leaders of the early church reveals how the Bible was understood in the centuries closest to its writing. He also lays out how modern Christians can benefit from patristic interpretation of Scripture.

Worshiping with the Church Fathers

Worshiping with the Church Fathers
Author: Christopher A. Hall
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2009-11-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 083083866X

Christopher Hall invites us to accompany the church fathers as they enter the sanctuary for worship and the chapel for prayer. He also takes us to the wilderness, where we learn from the early monastics as they draw close to God in their solitary discipline. Readers will enjoy a rich and rare schooling in developing their spiritual life in this unique survey of the life of worship from the perspective of the early Church.

How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God

How Greek Philosophy Corrupted the Christian Concept of God
Author: Richard R. Hopkins
Publisher: Cedar Fort Publishing & Media
Total Pages: 399
Release: 2023-02-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1462100031

This insightful book brings profound new insights to the Trinitarian doctrines of “orthodox” Christianity. With clear and precise documentation, the book shows how these doctrines migrated into early Christianity from Greek philosophy. The various aspects of Trinitarian belief are isolated, linked to their Greek sources, and carefully analyzed to show they differ radically from biblical teaching. The Writings of early Church Fathers, portrayed in their historical context, show that during the second century, theological concepts taught in Platonism were adopted as Christianity struggled to end Roman persecution. Emperor Marcus Aurelius, a famous Stoic philosopher, was putting Christians to death because their belief did not conform to the Hellenized religion of the day. The book shows that the early church fathers sought to save their people’s lives by redefining the Christian God in Greek terms. Their efforts brought metaphysics to Christianity and ushered in concepts like the Trinity. After presenting the historical setting in which these philosophical errors were embraced as Christian doctrine, the book compares orthodox Christian theology today, called “classical theism,” to biblical teachings. The book identifies how Greek philosophy has influenced major attributes of God taught in classical theism. The book constitutes a major challenge to those who accept the tenants of classical theism but do not know the many aspects of their doctrine that are based on Greek philosophy.