St. Ignatius, first-century Bishop of Antioch, called the "God-bearer," is one of the earliest witnesses to the truth of Christ and the nature of the Christian life. Tradition tells us that as a small child, Ignatius was singled out by Jesus Himself as an example of the childlike faith all Christians must possess (see Matthew 18:1-4). In Bearing God, Fr. Andrew Damick recounts the life of this great pastor, martyr, and saint, and interprets for the modern reader five major themes in the pastoral letters he wrote: martyrdom, salvation in Christ, the bishop, the unity of the Church, and the Eucharist.
"Faith is the beginning of life, love is the end." "All things together are good, if you believe with love." "Faith and love are everything. Nothing is better than them." In his seven letters, Ignatius of Antioch puts the concepts of faith and love side by side in novel and gripping combinations. Olavi Tarvainen illuminates Ignatius's terse statements in this close study of his letters. In doing so, he sheds new light on an understudied theme in early Christianity. Yet he moves beyond the question of what these words collectively mean to ask how Ignatius employs them individually. By doing so, faith and love become a new lens through which to view the entire scope of Ignatius's theology in fresh and exciting ways.
Learning Christ represents a thorough reevaluation of Ignatius as author and theologian, demonstrating that his seven authentic letters present a sophisticated and cohesive vision of the economy of redemption. Gregory Vall argues that Ignatius s thought represents a vital synthesis of Pauline, Johannine, and Matthean perspectives while anticipating important elements of later patristic theology. Topics treated in this volume include Ignatius s soteriological anthropology, his Christology and nascent Trinitarianism, his nuanced understanding of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, and his ecclesiology and eschatology.
The Apostolic Fathers is an important collection of writings revered by early Christians but not included in the final canon of the New Testament. Here a leading expert on these texts offers an authoritative contemporary translation, in the tradition of the magisterial Lightfoot version but thoroughly up-to-date. The third edition features numerous changes, including carefully revised translations and a new, more user-friendly design. The introduction, notes, and bibliographies have been freshly revised as well.
This selection of writings from early church leaders includes work by Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Athenagoras, and Justin Martyr.Long recognized for the quality of its translations, introductions, explanatory notes, and indexes, the Library of Christian Classics provides scholars and students with modern English translations of some of the most significant Christian theological texts in history. Through these works--each written prior to the end of the sixteenth century--contemporary readers are able to engage the ideas that have shaped Christian theology and the church through the centuries.
Man cannot live without love.... His life is senseless if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. — John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis If you were asked what immediately comes to mind when you hear the words "Catholic Church", would you answer an intimate relationship with the God who loves me? If not, you would do well to read this engaging and thought-provoking book which explains why such a relationship is the reason for everything the Church does and teaches. Professor Edward Sri will show you how all the pieces of the Catholic faith, including the most baffling ones, fit together to make one beautiful mosaic of God's love for us and our own participation in that all-encompassing love. Using the Catechism of the Catholic Church as his itinerary, Sri will walk you through all the important aspects of the Catholic Church—what Catholics believe about God and the difference it should make in life. Along the way he addresses such often-heard questions as: Why do I need the Church—can't I be spiritual on my own? Isn't one religion just as good as another? How is the death of a man two thousand years ago relevant for my life today? Why does the Church talk so much about morality? Can't I make up my own morals? Is it really our responsibility to care for the poor— doesn't God help those who help themselves? Why do Catholics and Protestants disagree? Must Catholics worship Mary and always obey the pope? More than an intellectual enterprise, this work is also a deep spiritual reflection and a practical guide to living out our faith in Christ. It aims to form both the head and the heart, not only helping us to understand Jesus and his plan of salvation, but inspiring us to love God and our neighbor better.
"Faith is the beginning of life, love is the end." "All things together are good, if you believe with love." "Faith and love are everything. Nothing is better than them." In his seven letters, Ignatius of Antioch puts the concepts of faith and love side by side in novel and gripping combinations. Olavi Tarvainen illuminates Ignatius's terse statements in this close study of his letters. In doing so, he sheds new light on an understudied theme in early Christianity. Yet he moves beyond the question of what these words collectively mean to ask how Ignatius employs them individually. By doing so, faith and love become a new lens through which to view the entire scope of Ignatius's theology in fresh and exciting ways.
When lobbyist Faith Lockhart stumbles upon a corruption scheme at the highest levels of government, she becomes a dangerous witness who the most powerful men in the world will go to any lengths to silence in this #1 New York Times bestselling thriller. In a secluded house not far from Washington, D.C., the FBI is interviewing one of the most important witnesses it has ever had: a young woman named Faith Lockhart. For Faith has done too much, knows too much, and will tell too much. Feared by some of the most powerful men in the world, Faith has been targeted to die. But when a private investigator walks into the middle of the assassination attempt, the shooting suddenly goes wrong, and an FBI agent is killed. Now Faith Lockhart must flee for her life--with her story, her deadly secret, and an unknown man she's forced to trust...
