In this volume, which concludes John W. Rettig's translation of St. Augustine's Tractates on the Gospel of John, Augustine applies his keen insight and powers of rhetoric to the sacred text, drawing the audience into an intimate contemplation of Jesus through the course of his Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
Discusses Saint Augustine's ten homilies on the First Epistle of John, which are among his most influential works. This title uses John's epistle as a point of departure for exploring the meaning and implications of love with profundity, passion and analytic rigour.
“Read this not just for intellectual enjoyment but to discover a centuries-old, proven path for conquering your worst sins” (Brandon Vogt, author of Why I Am Catholic). Gluttony. Lust. Greed. Anger. Sloth. Envy. Pride. The capital vices are the gateway drugs to countless sins. But where did this tradition come from? Unsurprisingly, it can be traced back to the teachings of the Church Fathers, whose words—included in this book—answer such questions as: So how do the capital sins spawn other vices in the soul? How does one cultivate the virtues that heal the soul from those vices? How are gluttony and lust related? What role does almsgiving have in soothing the passion of anger? As the path of the book descends through the vices, the words of the Fathers will assist readers in being more realistic about the attacks upon the soul. Edifying and medicinal, each chapter begins with vice and ends with virtue, so one’s path through the chapters represents a sort of ascent out of sin and on to the road to righteousness. The text gives special attention to the thoughts of Augustine of Hippo, Evagrius of Pontus, John Cassian, Gregory the Great, and Maximus the Confessor. “An illuminating survey of the Church Fathers’ wisdom on the capital vices that have burdened us since time immemorial.” —Curtis A. Martin, Founder and CEO of FOCUS “A wonderfully helpful compendium of insights and advice from the Church Fathers . . . You will be astonished at how relevant and applicable is this ancient wisdom to the life of the modern-day Christian. Highly recommended.” —James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage
Cognitive linguists and biblical and patristic scholars have recently given more attention to the presence of conceptual blends in early Christian texts, yet there has been so far no comprehensive study of the general role of conceptual blending as a generator of novel meanings in early Christianity as a religious system with its own identity. This monograph points in that direction and is a cognitive linguistic exploration of pastoral metaphors in a wide range of patristic texts, presenting them as variants of THE CHURCH IS A FLOCK network. Such metaphors or blends, rooted in the Bible, were used by Patristic writers to conceptualize a great number of particular notions that were constitutive for the early church, including the responsibilities of the clergy and the laity, morality and penance, church unity, baptism and soteriology. This study shows how these blends became indispensable building blocks of a new religious system and explains the role of conceptual blending in this process. The book is addressed to biblical and patristic scholars interested in a new, unifying perspective for various strands of early Christian thought and to cognitive linguists interested in the role of conceptual integration in religious language. Produced with the support of the Faculty of Philology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland.
Humanity’s creative capacity has never been more unsettling than it is at our current moment, when it has ushered us into new technological worlds that challenge the very definition of “the human.” Those anxious to safeguard the human against techno-scientific threats often appeal to religious traditions to protect the place and dignity of the human. But how well do we understand both theological tradition and today’s technological culture? In The Indiscrete Image, Thomas A. Carlson challenges our common ideas about both, arguing instead that it may be humanity’s final lack of definition that first enables, and calls for, human creativity and its correlates—including technology, tradition, and their inextricable interplay within religious existence. Framed in response to Martin Heidegger’s influential account of the relation between technological modernity and theological tradition, The Indiscrete Image builds an understanding of creativity as conditioned by insurmountable unknowing and incalculable possibility through alternative readings of Christian theological tradition and technological culture—and the surprising resonance between these two. Carlson concludes that the always ongoing work of world creation, tied essentially to human self-creation, implies neither an idol’s closure nor an icon’s transcendence, but the “indiscrete image” whose love makes possible—by keeping open—both the human and its world.
In this volume, canon lawyer and writer Edward Condon compiles a book full of wisdom and compelling insights. More than anything, the Fathers warn us that our life is short, and the reckoning for how we have lived it eternal. The urgency of the Church’s message, brought to life in the sayings of the Fathers, comes to remind us of our true calling and inheritance in baptism, and of the richness of the heavenly reward, which is not so much the fruit of our efforts on Earth but the fulfillment of God’s promise of love to us. The terror of hell is not the threat of the dictator, but a dire warning of the true scope of our freedom as children of God.
There is a palpable sense of confusion—and sometimes even embarrassment—with regard to so-called limited atonement today, pointing to the need for thoughtful engagement with this controversial doctrine. Incorporating contributions from a host of respected theologians, From Heaven He Came and Sought Her stands as the first comprehensive resource on definite atonement as it examines the issue from historical, biblical, theological, and pastoral perspectives. Offering scholarly insights for those seeking a thorough and well-researched discussion, this book will encourage charitable conversations as it winsomely defends this foundational tenet of Reformed theology. *The epub edition of this title will not display correctly when viewed on Adobe Digital Editions. Hebrew characters will be inaccurately displayed in this reader.
When we approach such men as St. Bernard of Clairvaux and John Calvin, we are approaching two men who were not only significant figures of their time but figures standing on opposite shorelines of the influence and impact of Scholasticism, as well as a tumultuous decline in orthodoxy. Despite this reality, what is most compelling about these two men is the continuity of their developed thought, even though they were worlds apart, separated by time. This continuity is most assuredly grounded in their historical sources, and, more importantly, their faithful handling of God’s word. That continuity, although not point for point, was rather for the significant part of the structure and content—sum and substance—of the twofold knowledge of God and self. For both of these men, this doctrine was fundamental, permeating the whole of their world and life philosophy. Bernard and Calvin clearly saw the implications of this twofold knowledge. These implications manifest in the realm of various doctrines and the network of their system of thought. This book seeks to explore those various components of their twofold knowledge of God and self, as well as the implications in the realm of experiential Christianity.
An international team of twenty scholars under Edmondo F. Lupieri’s direction produced Mary Magdalene from the New Testament to the New Age and Beyond. While the historical figure of the Magdalene may be lost forever, the construction of her literary images and their transformations and adaptations over the centuries are a lively testimony to human creativity and faith. Different pictures of Mary travelled through time and space, from history to legend and mythology, crossed religious boundaries, going beyond the various Christianities, to become a “sign of contradiction” for many. This book describes a special case of biblical reception history, that of the New Testament figure of a woman whose presence at the side of Jesus has been disturbing for some, but proves to be inspiring for others.
Christ’s bodily resurrection is the foundation of Christian faith; at least, it is supposed to be. But how often do we really consider what that means? Living Resurrected Lives explores what it would take for Christians to understand and believe so clearly in resurrection—both Christ’s glorification and the promise of our own—that our lives would be radically transformed by that faith right now. We take a daringly integrated approach, balancing careful consideration of sacred Scripture with attention to history, theology, and personal contemplative practice. We offer arguments to re-establish a firm bedrock for belief in the Gospel accounts, suggest a new theological perspective that integrates scientific insights into quantum uncertainty with reflections on the malleable nature of identity, and provide heart-stirring guided meditations for daily practice. We elucidate St. Paul’s teachings on the transformation of the body and grapple with age-old conundrums about decaying corpses and the continuity of personal identity: What dies? What lives on? We revisit early Christian intuitions about the sublime qualities of the glorified body and explore how we might cultivate such qualities through our own individual practice. Thus we propose an embodied resurrection mysticism that can permeate every moment of our lives.
