Book Description
Thomas Aquinas' best-known work is the Summa Theologica. As the title indicates, the Summa is a "summing up" of all that can be known about Christian theology.
Customer Reviews:
A great resource for theological research.......2007-09-28
I purchased this Five-volume set after taking a couple of philosophy courses, which I feel like I should recommend to anyone starting to dive into this hefty text. If you don't feel like taking a class, perhaps some of the secondary texts written by philosophers about Aquinas will help in reading this fantastic set of info.
Aquinas forms his arguments in a way that is almost flawless. I am not Catholic, yet I find this to be an explanation of Catholic doctrine that makes me almost want to convert. For anyone from the atheist to the devout catholic, this text is a window into one of the greateast natural and revealed theologians to ever document his thoughts. Footnotes are aplenty to send you on your way to other documents, especially Augistine, so be prepared for an obsession.
Mike Yandell
Summa is supreme.......2007-05-13
Probably the best sys theo work ever. Oh, that more fellow Protestants would pour over this text!
Good Theology, Good Philosophy.......2007-01-12
These volumes have withstood the test of time in the worlds of religion and philosophy. Reading the words of one of the greatest minds in history is both entertaining and educational. This set is a must have for anyone who likes to study philosophy. For a beginner, it may be beneficial to get one of the many Aquinas readers or help texts, but it doesn't take very long to catch on and soon you will find yourself just reading at your own pace, making your own ideas about what Aquinas is all about.
Great Work, Good Translation.......2006-11-08
The Summa Theologica of Saint Thomas is without doubt one of the greatest works in the history of the Christian faith. The logical order and progression is simply amazing and the scope of the work monumental.
This translation is generally very close to the sense of the Latin original, although in a few cases I have noticed some strange differences. For example, in Pt. 1 Q.1 A. 4. The Dominican Fathers translate the Latin (which reads "Magis tamen est speculativa quam practica") as ". . . speculative rather than practical" although the Latin reads ". . . speculative MORE than practical." This is a substantial change in the meaning which ends up creating confusion in the next article when Thomas says that theology is ". . . partly speculative and partly practical". There are other variations from the Latin throughout the rest of the work, some more and less important.
I urge those who are interested in a serious study of Saint Thomas to use this text as an aid to a deeper study with the Latin. If this is not possible for you, this translation will nevertheless give you a good introduction and tool for an introductory and intermediate understanding of Saint Thomas's thought.
St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica (5 volume set) .......2006-11-05
This set of books is very good for religious studies majors or anyone pursuing a higher education in theological studies. This series addresses in detail, the myriad questions pertaining to Christian theological doctrines through philosophical reasoning.
Customer Reviews:
Most thorough.......2007-08-06
Without exception the best collection of early church teachers. In addition to the writings of the early church is a thorough general index but more than that an invaluable doctrinal index to find the seeds of virtually every doctrine imaginable. Do not presume to understand early church history without this reference. All three volumes are ideal but, at the very least, get volume 1. Do not learn church history by other sources, return to the original documents and rediscover the church that Jesus Christ founded. You will be richly rewarded in what you find.
Catholic Church is the church founded by Jesus Christ.......2007-01-13
The writings of the early church fathers leave no doubt that they are linked directly to the 12 apostles and that their beliefs in dogma which go back 1500 -2000 years ago are consistent with the teachings of the catholic church to-day.The catechism of the catholic church which sets forth what catholics are required to believe to-day is consistent with the teachings of the early fathers.Is would be impossible for this consistency to last 2000 year if the catholic church were not the church founded by Jesus Christ.This volume of books proves this beyond any doubt.Excellent reading for any Christian!
Beautiful insight on how the earliest Christian's received Christ's message........2007-01-11
Beautiful insight on how the earliest Christian's received Christ's message.
Foundation of Church Teaching.......2006-11-10
The book is an excellent resource to see how the early church fathers built on the teachings of the Apostles based on their writings. For example, you can see how they regarded the Eucharist as the body and blood of Jesus Christ and other foundational doctrines of the church. It is an excellent resource.
The Very Earliest Christian Writings after the New Testament.......2005-09-21
Unless you read Latin and koine Greek pretty well, the only way to access the earliest Christian writings after the New Testament is in English translation. This collection of early Patristic writings is easily the best. The selection of works is comprehesive and intelligent and the translations are clear and contemporary. The introductory material introducing each selection provides scholarly introduction to each work. Except for the needs of the most scholarly, who will have to equip themselves with the language skills mentioned above and tackle the manuscripts, this will serve as a valuable tool to any thinking person seriously interested in the early history of Christianity and the development of its doctrines and practices.
Book Description
The Fathers of the Church, first published a decade ago, has become the standard popular introduction to the great teachers of early Christianity. Now, this new edition presents more material from more of the Fathers -- including authors from little-known traditions of Egypt, East Syria, North Africa, and the lands that make up modern Iran and Iraq. Also new with this edition is a section on selected "Mothers of the Church," holy women from Christian antiquity.
This expanded edition features full references and citations, a topical index, detailed bibliography, and ancient texts available in English for the first time in more than a century.
The Fathers of the Church is an excellent place to pass on those same teachings and traditions -- long established as an indispensable reference tool for clergy, seminarians, RCIA candidates, and lay Catholics who want to strive to live up to the "Faith of Our Fathers."
Customer Reviews:
Every day should be Fathers' Day.......2007-09-15
This is an excellent, greatly expanded edition of an overview for intelligent Christians who are looking for a place to begin to understand Patristics (the writings of the Church Fathers). I can't think of anything that is more important for a Christian or a student of Christianity. We strive to hear the Spirit, but sometimes we disregard the Spirit speaking through Tradition. Mike Aquilina has added more authors and focused more on the texts of the Fathers. He's also added a section on female writers in the early Church.
Aquilina's brief, readable book serves as an introduction to the Fathers and how their ideas relate to the great councils of the Church. He follows that foreword with 3 chapters, one for those thinkers who preceded the Council of Nicaea, those who were contemporaneous, and those who followed it. For each Father, Aquilina gives a well-researched biographical sketch, followed by a representive piece of that Father's writing. It's a nice blend of commentary and tract, context and text. The author's prose is sharp, direct, concise and unobtrusive, the selections well-chosen and, in this edition, greatly expanded. The result is an eminently readable book that leaves you wanting to drink more deeply at the Patristic well.
Chriatianity is older than you think.......2007-09-06
For many people, there is a gap between the time of Jesus and the time of Constantine. The gap between 30A.D and 313A.D. is rich with information about the roots of Christianity. Reading the Church Fathers helps one to understand the structure of the church as well as the deep love and devotion that the early Christians shared.
Answered My Questions.......2007-08-23
This book was easy to read and understand. My goal was to find out what happened after the Ascencion of Jesus and on into the next centuries. This book answered my questions.
Average customer rating:
- Truly a useful introduction!
- Thorough
- Timeless reference for the lay person
- Great Book For Keeping On The Path To God
- Living a devout Life
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Introduction to the Devout Life
Francis De Sales
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ASIN: 0375725628
Release Date: 2002-04-09 |
Amazon.com
Devout life does not require withdrawal from the world. This was the central insight of Saint Francis de Sales, a 16th-century priest whose Introduction to the Devout Life has not gone out of print in almost four centuries. Francis served the church at a dangerous time in a dangerous place: during the Reformation, in Calvinist areas of France, when celebrating mass was punishable by death. He was a popular minister and a prolific letter writer whose correspondence was cherished for its clear and direct instruction in the ways of piety. The book collects passages from many of those letters, organized as one message addressed to the allegorical character Philothea (which means "lover of God"). The book includes long sections about prayer, temptation, and how to maintain and renew devotion to God. But it is most distinguished by its discussion of how to live a holy life in the secular world. Each chapter (such as "How to Combine Due Care for a Good Reputation with Humility") is frank, uncannily modern, and precise. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
Francis de Sales’s
Introduction to the Devout Life has remained a uniquely accessible and relevant treasure of devotion for nearly four hundred years. As Bishop of Geneva in the first quarter of the sevenjteenth century, Francis de Sales saw to the spiritual needs of everyone from the poorest peasants to court ladies. The desire to be closer to God that he found in people from all levels of society led him to compile these instructions on how to live in Christ. Francis’s compassionate Introduction leads the reader through practical ways of attaining a devout life without renouncing the world and offers prayers and meditations to strengthen devotion in the face of temptation and hardship.
Customer Reviews:
Truly a useful introduction!.......2007-06-01
I sought out this book on the advice of a priest and was not expecting the book to as useful as it was! I was immediately drawn into the book as it explained how a devotional life can be integrated into any state of life. I especially was thankful of the effort de Sales puts into explaining what is proper for one to do according to their vocation in life. Though I am Catholic, a Pentecostal friend once asked if Christians can meditate and immediately lent her this book and she has come back to me with many questions on the meaning of certain words, but has otherwise been very glad to read the book!
This book can be easily recommended to anyone seeking a deeper prayer life; young or old, priest or layman, Catholic or Pentecostal.
Thorough.......2007-03-19
Francis de Sales' devotional classic takes seriously the call to holy living and develops a focus on the perfection of the human character to an unprecedented degree and to a degree which, most likely, God intended. Addressed to "Philothea," she who would love God, it teaches us how to make an offering of our lives.
The book is divided into five major parts:
1. "Instructions and Exercises Needed to Lead the Soul from Its First Desire for the Devout Life Until Brought to a Full Resolution to Embrace It"
2. "Various Instructions for Elevating the Soul to God by Prayer and the Sacraments"
3. "Instructions on the Practice of Virtue"
4. "Necessary Counsels Against the Most Frequent Temptations"
5. "Exercises and Instructions for Renewing the Soul and Confirming It In Devotion"
Though the subheadings constitute an exhaustive and sometimes exhausting 119 chapters, down to the finest details of rules for widows and virgins, the overall effect is an intense and intentional focus on the innerworkings of the thoughts and desires of all of life. He is clearly indebted to Francis, Bernard, Augustine, and Gregory of Nazianzen.
The first part guides the readers through a series of (ten) meditations that motivate us to purify ourselves from sin and resolve to be wholly committed to a virtuous life. It is a study in self-purgation.
Secondly, de Sales walks us through meditations, retreats, and sacraments that bring us into the presence of God. We are reminded that this must be done with joy if it is to have meaning at all (p. 99).
Thirdly, we are coached on the virtues of humility and patience and chastity. He tells us how to keep poor in spirit, even in the presence of wealth (which seems a striking compromise for such a devoted work, p. 150). Here he becomes more specific and pragmatic. We are to have friendships that are not self-seeking or guided by pleasure. We should surround ourselves with virtuous people, like a drone needs bees to make honey (p. 177). We are to dress properly and govern our speech with caution. He warns against alcohol, gambling, and dancing (p. 196). Finally, widows and virgins are challenged to faithful abstinence.
The fourth is the negative side of the third, warning against the vices. This involves concern for pleasure, anxiety, sorrow, and spiritual dryness. It is primarily a resistance to inward tendencies, sounding like depression. He recommends a focus on external works, like embracing the crucifix, confession, and communion (p. 242).
Fifth, we are to practices the exercises that will daily renew our souls. This primarily comes in the form of self-awareness. We are to examine our souls in relations to its progress, its relation to God and neighbor. He gives us five considerations to keep us focused on the things that matter: the excellence of the soul, the excellence of virtue, the example of the saints who have gone before, the love of Christ, and God's eternal love.
Pragmatically, like the writings of Dallas Willard, the book opens up the possibility and reality of giving the soul and piety a kind of serious and sustained attention which is unfamiliar in modern American society. You walk away from the book wondering what the modern example of this sixteenth century manual looks like.
Timeless reference for the lay person.......2007-03-14
For anyone who wants to live a true spiritual life while following one's vocation to a lay life, this is a book to use as a reference. It is full of practical guidelines and instructions for daily life. The meditations as well as the topics addressed will inspire the reader deeply. I find Francis of Sales' introduction timeless and very a propos in our modern world.
Great Book For Keeping On The Path To God.......2007-01-16
This book is excellent, it is easy to understand, very relevant, and contains very profound insight on how to live a devout life. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants help in establishing a God centered life as St Francis De Sales helps make it very clear and obtainable. I use the meditations contained in the book in my own prayer life. I have read this book repeatedly and I have bought it again as a gift for a friend.
Living a devout Life.......2006-03-16
This book comes highly recommended to anyone who is interested in living a devout life and living according to what pleases God.
Customer Reviews:
WOW! We have writings of early trusted church pastors!.......2007-05-27
Why isn't this book on every evangelical seminary's guidebook to help us avoid many of the false teachings of the modern cults and churches? After studying in seminary and being mostly influenced by Dallas Seminary's Lewis Sperry Chafer and majority of trusted pastors of the last 150-200 years (Charles Spurgeon, Charles Swindoll, Graham, Kenneth Wuest, D.L. Moody, Matthew Henry, G.Campbell Morgan, J. Vernon Mcgee, and host of other popular writers), this is the first time I have known that we have actual writings of the early church pastors in such an easy to read guide format.
How the faithful looked at their impending martyrdom is beautifully seen in "the letter of Ignatius to the Church in Rome" and in Pastor Polycarp's martyrdom written down by the faithful for our edification. It is amazing how their view of faith included trust in Christ all the way to the end, just like John Wesley taught.
It is awesome to know that the early Church always baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity as I read in the last pages of this book, in "teachings (didache/gk) of the apostles".
It is awesome to read that worshipping Christ as God was a normal practice of faith among early Christians from the beginning and how much these trusted pastors exalted our LORD's words and life, death and resurection as the foundation for all Christians.
Surprisingly, our early church also saw great significance in the life of Christ as they saw our imitation of Christ's Perfect life to be a holy goal of every Christian every day of our lives. They did not interpret "be ye perfect as your Father in Heaven is" allegorically or as pre-Grace-dispensational in any way. To them, good works of Love motivated by Faith in Christ's Perfect Life and passionate suffering at the Cross, with His victory over satan through death and Resurrection, was a much stronger emphasis of the basis for our Salvation than simply saying a "magical" 4 laws or sinner's prayer to welcome Jesus in our hearts. The early Church's view of God's Grace is clear: "By Grace you are saved, not by your own doing, but by the will of God in Christ Jesus" spoken by Polycarp, the trusted disciple of John called and appointed to lead the Church in Smyrna. However, it is also true that they took Paul's words in Galations 5 as Holy Scripture and took all of Christ's words inline with James' letter, rather than show an adverserial relationship between Christian good works and our faith in Christ. To them, Christ's calling to holiness, His perfect obedience through the pains of the cross, revealed faithful calling of the Christian to live holy lives as part of our salvation, rather than as a separate past/present/future salvation message that I have heard by majority of our teachers in the past 200 years.
I was surprised to read that John Calvin, Martin Luther, and John Wesley, honored many of these early Christian writings and always taught reading them for edification and Biblical understanding as PART of our sola scriptura belief, and they never intended that anyone should read the scriptures and privately interpret it against the writings of all these early church pastor's teachings. No wonder all Christians everywhere agreed for majority of the first 1800 years of our faith on the significance of Baptism, Holy communion and hosts of other early church practices and beliefs and none of them tried to use "saved by Grace unto good works" as beyond what the early church taught, that there are jewish cereminial laws we were freed from unto Christian good works in Love.
The view of humility in Ignatius truly is humbling against majority of our teaching in the western culture, since he would never want any believer to independent of the Apostolic Christian Church to exalt oneself above the honest teachings of the Apostles and trusted pastors of the early church.
I would highly recommend this translation. Easy to read and follow without liberal antiChristian slants from some other early church books. The print material is also easy to read unlike the glaring papers used by Meier's Eusebius edition and there is not much antiChristian antihistorical Christian bias one finds in some of the early church translations.
Book.......2007-01-05
Excellent,
Every true Christian should read this. and know what the early church founding fathers Really Believed
Descriptive Insight of Early Christian Lives.......2006-12-15
'Early Christian Writings' is a collection of various epistles, as well as an account of the martyrdom of Polycarp, a religious leader for 1st century Smyrnea. The language is beautiful and eloquent, worthy of any Christian library. Literature is noncanonical, although professionally accepted as authentic 1st century Christian writing.
I wholesomely recommend this book to all peoples, and, were I a minister, would encourage my congregation to partake of the wondrous sustenance it bears for the soul.
Peace to you in His name,
RSM
Evangelical shake-up.......2006-07-09
This is one of those paradigm-changing books. At least, its the one that has brought me closest to converting from Baptistic evangelicalism to Orthodoxy (or, to a lesser extent, Catholicism).
The letters of St. Ignatius were particularly troubling - in a good way. I was taken aback by his hardcore bishop-and-eucharistic centered theology, as well as his clearly defined tripartite form of church government of bishop, priest and deacon. His letters, which also powerfully attest to the martyr spirituality of the early church, really caused me to re-think whether congregationalism is right interpretation of Scripture. I mean, exegeting the Scriptures alone doesn't seem to yield a single conclusion, but to have a record of an episcopal form of church government from a bishop who was purportedly acquainted with the Apostle John... well that's got to count for something, right?
All of the works in this volume are elegantly translated, and would do any Christian a world of good to read, especially evangelicals who are wanting to be introduced to the writings of the Church Fathers and who don't know where to start. Without question, this is the book to begin with, for the best, and earliest source materials, in an easy to read, yet intelligent, translation.
a quick review.......2006-03-06
An excellent introduction to the apostolic fathers, including very helpful introductions and footnotes for context, and a much more modern translation of texts than is found in the Loeb Classical Library.
Average customer rating:
- City of God
- Some things are better read about than read
- Important Doctrine
- An Illuminating Classic
- Augustine Created "The West"
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City of God (Penguin Classics)
Augustine of Hippo
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ASIN: 0140448942
Release Date: 2003-12-30 |
Amazon.com
Augustine's City of God, a monumental work of religious lore, philosophy, and history, was written as a kind of literary tombstone for Roman culture. After the sack of Rome, Augustine wrote this book to anatomize the corruption of Romans' pursuit of earthly pleasures: "grasping for praise, open-handed with their money; honest in the pursuit of wealth, they wanted to hoard glory." Augustine contrasts his condemnation of Rome with an exaltation of Christian culture. The glory that Rome failed to attain will only be realized by citizens of the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem foreseen in Revelation. Because City of God was written for men of classical learning--custodians of the culture Augustine sought to condemn--it is thick with Ciceronian circumlocutions, and makes many stark contrasts between "Your Virgil" and "Our Scriptures." Even if Augustine's prose strikes modern ears as a bit bombastic, and if his polarized Christian/pagan world is more binary than the one we live in today, his arguments against utopianism and his defense of the richness of Christian culture remain useful and strong. City of God is, as its final words proclaim itself to be, "a giant of a book." --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
One of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian philosophy, The City of God provides an insightful interpretation of the development of modern Western society and the origin of most Western thought. Contrasting earthly and heavenly cities--representing the omnipresent struggle between good and evil--Augustine explores human history in its relation to all eternity. In Thomas Merton's words, "The City of God is the autobiography of the Church written by the most Catholic of her great saints."
This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition is a complete and unabridged version of the Marcus Dods translation.
Download Description
One of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian thought, "The City of God is vital to an understanding of modern Western society and how it came into being. Begun in A.D. 413 by Saint Augustine, the great theologian who was bishop of Hippo, the book's initial purpose was to refute the charge that Christianity was to blame for the fall of Rome (which had occurred just three years earlier). Indeed, Augustine produced a wealth of evidence to prove that paganism bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction. However, over the next thirteen years that it took to complete the work, the brilliant ecclesiastic proceeded to his larger theme: a cosmic interpretation of history in terms of the struggle between good and evil. By means of his contrast of the earthly and heavenly cities--the one pagan, self-centered, and contemptuous of God and the other devout, God-centered, and in search of grace--Augustine explored and interpreted human history in relation to eternity. After you finish "The City of God it becomes clear why some have suggested that most of Western thought could be read as 'a series of footnotes to Augustine.' This edition of "The City of God, in the Marcus Dods translation, is complete and unabridged. The introduction is by Thomas Merton, Trappist monk and author of "The Seven Storey Mountain and The Waters of Siloe.
Customer Reviews:
City of God.......2007-08-31
This is an apologetic text in defence of the Chritian faith. In it, Augustine persuasively informed his audience (readers) concerning the history of creation from the fall of humanity to their redemption provided they recognized him as God of their lives. This is possible as they abandon all forms of idolatries as typied in what led to the fall of Rome. His philosophy of the two cities are in contrast to each other, viz, the city of God versus the city of Satan. The former is governed by God, and the later by the Devil that governs the minds of many un-regenerated. Thus, Augustine concluded in his 22 but now in 1 volume to join him "in rendering thanks to God" through this great work! Pastor Moses Oladele Taiwo, Ph.D. Professor of New Testament, New Life Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC 28203.
Some things are better read about than read.......2007-08-16
I read this for a book group I was in, and was rather peeved at being forced to blow so much time on what is essentially useful only to the Classical historian or Scholasticism buff. Realistically, Augustine is just a particularly eloquent proponent of a religious argument we all get in Sunday School at age 10: The things of this world are transitory and passing, but the things of the next world are eternal and more valuable. You can almost hear the monotonous cadence.
If what you want is to add to your already-considerable knowledge of the particulars of late Roman civilization, then this is the book for you. If you're in seminary and reading Aquinas, and you're thinking, "I'd certainly like to know more about his major intellectual influences," then this is the book for you.
But if what you want is an increased familiarity with the major ideas of Western civilization, then do yourself a favor and go pick up a pair of textbooks: one on ancient history, the other on classical philosophy. Augustine of Hippo will get a few pages in each one, and that's honestly all he's worth. Plowing through the entirety of The City of God for simple philosophical or theological curiosity would be like reading the complete works of Louis Agassiz just to see what scientific racism was like. Both efforts would be fruitful, in one sense, but in another sense you'd have spent an awful lot of time learning about antiquated theories.
Important Doctrine.......2007-06-07
This is one of the more important doctrines in the history of Christianity. Much of the structure of the Catholic church is based on the ideas of St. Augustine. However, one need not be a Catholic to believe or be influenced by his writings as they as universal to all Christians.
The first sections of the book draw into question the abandonment of the worship of pagan gods for the one true God as the reason for the fall of the Rome. Some of the more eloquent arguments against this idea follow. If Christianity is to blame for the fall of Rome, what caused all of the previous wars? Why would the gods not prevent these wars?
The remainder of the book is a somewhat condensed history of Christianity as told in the Bible. Some of this is dry reading as even St. Augustine is willing to admit that he carries on too long occasionally. If one has difficulty reading philosophers such as Plato, the author argues against them to support his argument. So reading these sections may be problematic to some. The discussion of the last judgment is among those that caught my attention, stating that the separation it caused from God is like dying a second death.
Some of the discussion in the book one may find disagreeable. For example, St. Augustine states that intercourse should be limited to procreative purposes. Believing there to be shame in the act, he can see no other purpose.
As another reviewer stated, this is a heavy read for which one may need some background in the customs and life of the Romans. Familiarlity with some of St. Augustine's other works was also an asset to me in reading this book. It is an enlightening journey in faith.
An Illuminating Classic.......2007-04-13
First of all, I am writing this review for the 1958 abridged edition by Image Books (City of God), but I know that this review will be posted on the product pages for the other editions, most of which are unabridged. So, I want to make one quick comment that is specific to the abridged version: I think this was a great copy to read. The editor cut out some of the digressions, which made the book about 300 pages shorter than the normal length (over 800 pages). I was reading this for a research project, so I was thankful for an edition that got rid of some of the less central points so that I could quickly get through the work and still get exposed to Augustine's main points.
That being said, whether you read the abridged or the unabridged version, this book is an absolute classic. Most people don't know this about Augustine, but he lived in Northern Africa (today's Tunisia) while that area was part of the Roman Empire. He started writing "City of God" shortly after the city of Rome had be sacked by the Goths in 410 A.D., and this book is a response to the claims being made by the pagan population of the time that Rome had been sacked because as the official religion of the Empire had been Christianity people had stopped worshiping the pagan gods. Thus, they claimed, the pagan gods allowed Rome to be sacked; they withdrew their blessing from Rome, as it were.
Of course, Augustine thinks this notion is ridiculous and he spent the next 14 years of his life writing "City of God" to refute the pagan view. This work is a great exposition of classical Christianity. The influence of the book was (and is) beyond measure; it remained an important work in terms of influence at least until the end of the Middle Ages. One of the things I really liked about the book is that the translation was really good; you really get an insight into Augustine's character. Furthermore, since Augustine wrote about previous philosophers (Plato, Varro, etc.), you get a great idea of how this work fits into that context.
A thick read, a read that makes you think, but a very enjoyable one nonetheless. I would recommend this book to anyone curious for some exposure to classical Christianity at its best.
Augustine Created "The West".......2007-04-10
Augustine's name is not tossed around as much as that of Plato or Caesar or many other famous men and women of antiquity, but there is no doubt that he is one of the most important thinkers in all of Western history, and he in fact created the theory of "The West" that has over time become our identity.
Augustine, classically educated, a religious experimenter, Rome's top university professor and greatest scholar, and the premier thinker of the contemporary church, reacted to the fall of Rome by creating a whole new approach to what it is citizens are to look to for their citizenship and community. He postulates a new world order centred on the Christian revelation, but including all that is good from Roman and Greek civilization.
Since Rome fell, the kind of fantasy world of Roman myth and lore kept in the popular imagination by Virgil's Aeneid and related art and literature could no longer hold water. It was time for a stronger focal point for patriotism and self-definition. That would be a Christian one, including Rome and Greece, to be sure, but the major element would be Christ. The Bible would gently nudge aside Virgil, and perhaps Augustine, aware of his own extraordinary literary prowess, saw his own monumental works edging aside the other great Latin writers such as Cicero and Sallust.
This would all be quite some bit of bombastic or farsighted folly were it not to prove true. Augustine's work was indeed adopted as the 'mind' of Christendom, his City of God being read to emperors and kings, and leading the thoughts of the leaders of Christian Europe for over a thousand years.
His 'grand unifying theory' of Western civilization, uniting the organization of Rome with the thought of Greece and the revelation of the Bible, has been accepted as the de facto definition of what it means to be Western until only the very last few decades of our time.
Augustine, apparently aware of his talents, must have been aware that his epic work outshone anything written before, and is itself a testament to the civilization that he advocates: a fully coherent combination of Greek philosophy, Roman civilization and Biblical wisdom. This seamless blend of literary prowess from Rome's greatest scholar and highest ranking professor generates for the reader a powerful education in philosophy, history and theology, tied together with awesome rhetoric, that is uniquely powerful, erudite, insightful and useful all at once.
From a historical and literary perspective, this may have been the very most important book ever written by reputedly human hands.
As it is written for the leaders of society and not for the average citizen, be ready to be intrigued, challenged to thought, and impressed with every line.
By no means must the reader have any kind of religious belief to benefit from this book, nor must the reader agree with all that Augustine postulates, nor can the reader, due to the great distance of time seperating him from us and improvements in scientific knowledge since his time. The importance, greatness and power of the writing itself commend it to us.
Book Description
Deification in the Greek patristic tradition was the fulfilment of the destiny for which humanity was created - not merely salvation from sin but entry into the fullness of the divine life of the Trinity. This book, the first on the subject for over sixty years, traces the history of deification from its birth as a second-century metaphor with biblical roots to its maturity as a doctrine central to the spiritual life of the Byzantine Church. Drawing attention to the richness and diversity of the patristic approaches from Irenaeus to Maximus the Confessor, Norman Russell offers a full discussion of the background and context of the doctrine, at the same time highlighting its distinctively Christian character.
Customer Reviews:
Attaining of likeness to God through Kenosis Theognosis .......2007-10-06
"The great Antiochene fathers never use the term 'diefication' at all. That is to say... we are gods only in a titular sense. ... Without the Alexandrian sotereological perspective, deification can only be presented as a remote eschatological event." Norman Russell, (pp. 237)
"I no longer desire to be myself, but to find myself transformed in You, so that there is no 'myself' but only Yourself. That is when I will be what You have willed to make me from all eternity: not myself, but Love." Thomas Merton
Deification, as participation:
"Far from implying a heretical notion of man's absorption into God, as Western writers sometimes assume, the term encapsulates a number of widely differing approaches to the doctrine of salvation. Among the Greek Fathers deification is expressed variously as filial adoption through baptism, as the attaining of likeness to God through gnosis and dispassion, as the ascent of the soul to God, as the participation of the soul in the divine attributes of immortality and incorruption, as the transformation of human nature by divine action, as the eschatological glorification of both soul and body, and as union with God through participation in the divine energies." Norman Russell
Deification, Biblical Foundation:
The two classic biblical texts quoted in support of deification are Psalm 82:6 ('I said, you are gods and all of you sons of the Most High') and 2 Peter 1:4 ('precious and very great promises have been granted to us, that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature'). The first of these texts (also quoted in John 10:34) was never a cause of controversy. There already existed a Jewish exegesis which applied the words, 'you are gods', originally to Adam and Eve, and then to those who kept the Torah, when Justin Martyr -the first Christian Father to quote them- used them as a gloss on the Johannine 'children of God' (1 Jn 3:1). If baptism makes us sons of God and the Psalm addresses us as gods and sons of the Most High, then baptism must make us gods. Divine sonship through baptism therefore brings with it the divine qualities of immortality and freedom from passion. The text is often appealed to by later Fathers to express how baptism incorporates us into Christ, making us gods by grace in contrast to Christ, who is God by nature. N. Russell, "Partakers of the Divine Nature" in the Byzantine Tradition
Russell's Masterful Thesis:
So far, I could not but quote the eminent patristic scholar whose mother nurtured in him a love of the Fathers, and his fellowship and scholarship kept the fire inflaming. This book is unique, while exploring the diversity of the patristic approaches from Irenaeus to Maximus the Confessor, Norman Russell offers an unparalleled and compelling study of the roots and the development of the doctrine, while expounding its genuine Alexandrine texts and themes, in two chapters: The Alexandrian Tradition I & II, masterfully linking its schools led by Clement, Origen, and Didymus with the champions of its Orthodoxy Athanasius and Cyril.
He then masterfully traces Origen's heritage of Divine transcendence and Soul ascent in his great Cappadocian students who accommodated them to Athanasius thesis of mediation of the divine Logos through deification of the logos flesh assumed from Mary.
In the historical culmination of his extensive study, Norman Russell reveals the eminence of his patristic scholarship, in 'The Monastic Synthesis,' delving gracefully from Evagrius Ponticus, The Macarian writings, Dionysius the Aereopagite, to Maximus Confessor.
Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions
Gnosis, Theophany, Theosis: Studies in Clement of Alexandria's Appropriation of His Background (Patristic Studies (Peter Lang Publishing), Vol. 5.)
implications of the incarnation and resurrection.......2007-07-27
As far as I know, this book is the best one stop read on this central Christian doctrine. All of theology, in its relation to humanity, is really a footnote to the reality of deification. But what does that really mean? Are we absorbed into God? Are we just made like him by decree? Or do we participate in the very life of God and yet remain distinct in our nature and personhood? How this was experienced and worked out in the early church is the subject of this most detailed book.
Based largely on Jules Gross' work (La Divination du chrétien d'après les Pères grecs), Russell begins by tracing the main points of Gross, adding the criticism that Gross failed to explain, and take into account, the content in which the Greek Fathers wrote and discussed theosis. He notes that although deification talk was common in many pre-Dionysian (6th century) theologians, they were not doctrinally consistent in their usage and meaning. It is finally with St Maximus the Confessor that the theology of deification is worked out systematically.
I am leaving tons of content out, but rest assured that if you have an interest in the topic from the Greek perspective, this is the book to get. But it is not a book for beginners. For that, you may find uncreated energy a useful primer.
Although Russell's focus is Greek theology, he does offer an appendix of Syrian and Latin Fathers on the topic, along with a brief discussion of modern authors on the subject, such as Rahner, Zizioulas and Mascall.
I would strongly recommend the writings of Valdimir Lossky, especially The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church and Orthodox Theology: An Introductionon this subject. For a great East-West discussion, See A. Williams' The Ground of Union: Deification in Aquinas and Palamas. As well, please see Deification in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition: A Biblical Perspective, Being With God: Trinity, Apophaticism, And Divine-Human Communion, Theosis: Deification in Christian Theology (Princeton Theological Monograph) and Deification in Christ: Orthodox Perspectives on the Nature of the Human Person (Contemporary Greek Theologians, Vol 5).
My other reviews are often on this topic, and you can find some gems there to further your exploration of the implications of the incarnation, death and resurrection of our Lord.
A Masterpiece of what Historical Discussion of Christian Doctrine should be.......2007-06-17
"I say,'You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;" Psalm 82:6
"Those who partake of the divine nature do so through the promises of Christ who is God. Although the expression is different from Paul's, the content is not: participation in Christ wins incorruption and immortality." N. Russell
Deification in Essense:
Among the Eastern Church Fathers deification is expressed as filial adoption through baptism, and it is iterated that Abba Kyrillos VI (Coptic Patriarch, 1959-71) identified 'the light of baptism,' spotting any non baptized who reported for Eucharistic communion! His mystical company of the Desert Fathers taught that attaining likeness to God comes through Theo-gnosis (knowing God) and kenosis (self emptying). Catholic Mystics describe it as the ascent of the soul to God, the participation of the soul in the divine attributes of immortality. In Summa, it is the transformation of human nature by divine grace.
Although the first mention of deification as a concept was in Irenaeus' infamous exchange formula (God became man that man might become god), it was in Alexandria that the doctrine of deification was fully elaborated and extensively utilized in the defense of its Orthodoxy. Since J. Gross wrote his most comprehensive study of deification, "La divinisation du chrétien d'apres les Peres Grecs," in 1938, discussions of deification often suffer from insufficient historical context and from an obscurity about what deification precisely means and what process does it involve. This attitude has been recently amended by the outstanding Patristic scholar who wrote books about the Desert Fathers, Theophilus and Cyril.
Deification, Divinization, and Theosis:
Why did the terms, Deification, Divinization, and Theosis, based on the biblical expression 'partakers of the divine nature' present such difficulty, for most Protestants and Catholics? Why is the Eastern Orthodox doctrine of Theosis presently engaging the Coptic Orthodox Church, theologians and Clergy in a hot debate? Even when this Church, whose Alexandrine fathers Origen, Athanasius* and Cyril** respectively have initiated, developed and utilized it to defend Orthodoxy against heresies starting with Arianism, all the way to Nestorianism? While Athanasius declares, "The Word became flesh in order, both, to offer this sacrifice and that we, participating in His Spirit, might be deified," Cyril made it the over-riding motif of his Christological defense against the Diophysites. The Alexandrine Church doctrine that by the incarnation, human nature is deified and become participant in the divine nature was Cyril's favorite theme, that he iterated over forty times. Why was Divinization avoided by Apophatic mystics and Diophysite Theologians?
Russell compellingly distinguishes two of the Divinization opponents, "two kinds of writers: those who distinguished in an apophatic way between the essence of God and his operations or energies, and those who employed a Logos-anthropos Christology, which did not depend upon the concept of participation. It is noteworthy that writers of the Antiochene school do not quote '2 Peter 1:4'." Conversely, adds Russell, "the text was used by those who operated with a Logos-sarx Christology (Alexandrine Fathers) and with a doctrine (deriving ultimately from Origen) of a dynamic participation in God. Such a doctrine presupposed a theology which was personalist rather than essentialist, and an understanding of 'nature' which included the attributes of the living God."
Partakers of Divine Nature:
The above verse, quoted from 2 Peter 1:4, was altogether problematic. Used initially by Origen, whose initiatives formed the Alexandrian school, then by Athanasius few times, and later by Cyril repeatedly, but never used again until Maximus the Confessor, quoted only twice. Russell furthers his great book themes, expounding the history of Eastern Church Theology, asking himself, "Why was 2 Peter 1:4 popular with Cyril but not with Maximus (a student of Origen)?
Once he had embarked on his controversy with Nestorius, Cyril needed an alternative way of speaking about deification. Following in the tradition of Origen and Athanasius, he had such an alternative way to hand in the expression 'partakers of the divine nature'. His Christology is one in which the participation of the assumed humanity in the divinity of the Logos, is a key concept. He compares it with the participation of the faithful in Christ; 'corporeally' through the Eucharistic communion, and spiritually through kenotic life. Maximus, with a Capadocian / Dionysian (ps-Areopagite) background, did not participate in the 'Divine Partaking' tradition. While, his Neo-Chalcedonian Christology, revised, was still based on the concept of duality of natures, but in reciprocal communion, had no real appeal for the Petrine text. On the contrary, Cyril's anthropology is analogous to his Christology. Man attains the divinely graced life, not by participation in God as much as by synergy, a mutual reactive relationship between the Lord through Christ and those of the faithful.
Norman Russell on Divinization:
Norman Russell, wrote recently, in an enlightening essay entitled, 'Partakers of the Divine Nature' in the Byzantine Tradition, explaining and defending the Alexandrine based Biblical theology from Origen's First Principles, comparing to Maximus the confessor. He explains, "Among the Greek (speaking) Fathers deification is expressed variously as filial adoption through baptism, as the attaining of likeness to God through gnosis and dispassion, as the ascent of the soul to God, as the participation of the soul in the divine attributes of immortality and incorruption, as the transformation of human nature by divine action, as the eschatological glorification of both soul and body, and as union with God through participation in the divine energies. In Byzantine writers the emphasis falls on the Pauline aspect of filial adoption and incorporation into Christ, the sacraments becoming all-important as the means by which divine life is communicated to the believer."
In Appreciation:
In my long career as a Catechist and Commentator, it is my first time to be urged to write a review of a theology book without the book being at hand. In a telecom with the Nottingham Patristic, and Cambridge 'Coptic Orthodox' theologian, I proposed this great unbiased scholarly work as a reference for both debating Coptic parties on the subject. Dr. George Bebawi, then praised the Oxford scholar, associating him with the eminent Syriac scholar Dr. Sebastian Brock, and evaluated the book as a 'Doctorate Thesis', carefully reviewed for the benefit of intellectual Christians. His colleague Dr. Andrew Louth, has rightly wrote, "Norman Russell presents his subject with the assurance of a master ... He displays not just understanding of the material, but also a clear awareness of the field of patristic studies ... this is a masterpiece of what historical discussion of Christian doctrine should be: historically acute and theologically perceptive."
A Qualified Review:
"Norman Russell has given us a rigorous account of the historical development of the doctrine of deification and its technical terminology, and at the same time he has offered us clear conceptual categories for distinguishing different approaches to deification in the Christian tradition. The stated subject of this book is "Christian deification from its birth as a metaphor to its maturity as a spiritual doctrine" Daniel Keating
* On the Incarnation (De Incarnatione Verbi Dei)
** The Appropriation of Divine Life in Cyril of Alexandria (Oxford Theological Monographs)
The Most Complete Overview of Theosis.......2007-06-03
I initially bought this book as I was curious about the differences between Eastern & Western traditions, particularly with the notion of theosis --the deification of man. This book goes far deeper, and covers pre-Christian practices (like Stoic thoughts, the deifications of Kings, Roman Emperors, that of private citizens who committed symbolic acts --such as Antinous, Hadrian's obsession, who drowned to "save" mankind and other sotirologies).
The book was initially Russell's doctoral thesis, which, as far as I can guess from the dates, had to have been completed when he was in late middle age. But he made it very readable, free of the theophilosophical jargon of similar texts. He still has quotes in the original language and it is a true piece of scholarship.
A great and important work.......2005-06-07
'Deification' may seem a rather esoteric theme, but all it means is the way in which, according to Christian belief, the grace of God transforms human beings. What this book offers is a survey of most of the important Greek Fathers of the first five centuries, concentrating on how they treat this central theme. The result is the best general treatment of the Greek Fathers we have had for almost fifty years. Structure and sequence are clear, strong and cogent; the clarity of exposition is outstanding. Any reader who has some prior knowledge of the field (e.g. from reading Kelly's Early Christian Doctrines) will be able to follow the argument. The book deserves wide readership and a lasting influence.
Book Description
A classic resource for the scholar, student, or minister, the thirty-eight volume Early Church Fathers, including the Ante-Nicene Fathers, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First and Second Series, is now available with a new look and an added annotated index of the authors and works (bound with volume 10 of the Ante-Nicene Fathers and available only in the Hendrickson edition). An invaluable primary resource, each of the three sets features introductions, helpful notes, references to Scripture citations, and indices of key persons, places, and theological issues. From the Apostolic Fathers to the Seven Ecumenical Councils, from the apocryphal gospels to the Arian controversy, this work is one of the most complete collections of the writing in the Christian churchÂ's first 800 years available today.
Customer Reviews:
A perfect idea gone horribly wrong........2007-06-25
This 38 volume set is a treasure chest of the writings of the early fathers of the Catholic Church (whatever your theological position may be about the word Catholic, there simply is no doubt that the church of these fathers was but "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic".)
What we needed is a set that did not try to prove that these Fathers of the Church were Protestants. They are not. We would need even less a set that would try to prove that they are 100% "Roman Catholic" in their thinking. They were not this either. It is the task of the exegete, bible student, and scholar to decide this by looking at these primary sources for themselves. We did not need the editors to tell us what the texts said. Due to this clear flaw in the notes, the texts themselves become suspect, and extra scrutiny must be used to ensure we are getting a faithful translation of the text. While this set is a "cheap" way to get the works of the fathers, the newer Newman Press texts are much better, based on better manuscripts, but also much more expensive. The volumes here have its merits, and it would be well worth anyone interested in what these Christians had to say to own them no matter what their theological leanings, but we must keep a careful eye on what is being said in the text.
Necessary Reading for Every Christian.......2002-10-27
The study of ecclesiastical history and the writings of the Saints are a necessity for a proper appreciation of Scripture and its interpretation. Philip Schaff's Church History is one of the few complete ecclesiastical history collections available. There are more modern and reliable translations of the ancient Greek and Latin texts (Ancient Christian Writers and Fathers of the Church Series), which abstain from sectarianism; unfortunately, the publishers have not yet gathered these works into a single collection. Despite the shortcomings of this edition, Philip Schaff's Church History is notable, if only for its presentation of the Reformed perspective on the development of ecclesiastic doctrine.
Schaff was guided by a number of principles in his History. He was convinced, for example, that other church histories conformed to a "dry, lifeless style" that failed to probe the "main thing in history, the ideas which rule it and reveal themselves in the process." Most church histories -he believed- failed to foster a sense organic development, leaving students unable to understand their movement's place in the overall history of the church.
Following philosopher G.W.F. Hegel, who posited that cycles of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis raise what is preserved to a higher level, Schaff maintained: "spiritual growth is likewise a process of annihilation, preservation, and exaltation." An example of this process in Christian thought and practice was -according to Schaff- the emergence of the Protestant Reformation out of the medieval Catholic Church. "The practical piety and morality of Roman Catholicism," said Schaff, "is characteristically legal, punctilious, un-free and anxious; but distinguished also for great sacrifices, the virtue of obedience, and full consecration to the Church." The Protestant Reformation brought a needed corrective through a faith that "is evangelically free, cheerful and joyous in the possession of justification by grace."
In effect Schaff presents Protestantism as the heir of catholicity at the expense of the Roman See (his description of "the Papists" is outrageous), liberating doctrine from the "constraints" of ecclesial authority. Yet he conveniently minimizes the shortcomings of Protestantism, namely its fractious nature and the replacement of Apostolic Tradition with the tradition of subjective interpretation of Scripture. Fortunately he recognized the need for union, envisioning the emergence of a synthetic "evangelical-catholic" Christianity in the future.
Schaff utilizes heavy editorializing to present the writings of the Church Fathers as representing his viewpoint; this unfairly forces the reader to accept his overbearing perspective at the expense of the Church Fathers. If you are approaching this work from a non-Protestant background, you might find it necessary to skip the introductions and the footnotes. Despite the sectarian presentation of Church history, I recommend this work, as it makes the works of the Apostolic Fathers accessible at a reasonable price.
A Treasure-Trove of Early Christian Writings".......2002-04-22
In this series an indescribable wealth of primary sources will be found, which consists of apologetic, theological, philosophical, exegetic, ethical, dogmatic, and historical writings. Many documents and decrees, early church liturgies and hymns, along with an abundance of letters and tracts from the most illustrious and prolific authors of our Christian past are preserved here as well in a complete and clear turn of the century English prose translation. Moreover, this 38 volume set includes the principle writers of the Church from St Clement of Rome, a contemporary of St Paul, to St John Damascene, the last of the Eastern fathers who wrote during the 8th century AD. In the West, Pope Gregory the Great's works are the last included in this series, since the end of his pontificate essentially marks the West's shift from the world of late antiquity into the dawn of the Dark Ages. Arguably, some works by Latin authors like St Benedict, Isidore of Seville, Prudentius, Sidonius, and Rufinus of Aquiliea should have joined the ranks with other Western fathers, since the editors saw it necessary to place in the works of John Damascene, who wrote well over a century later than Isidore, the latest of the authors listed above. However, the editors judgement to place St Gregory the Great as the last of the Western fathers may be vindicated, although to leave authors like Prudentius, Rufinus, Sidonius, and Benedict out, who all wrote and thrived before Gregory's birth, may be open for scrutiny. Also, these works are all translated and edited by Protestant scholars and divines, so the footnotes, prefaces, and profiles of these Church Fathers and their works tend to be shrouded with Protestant leanings. Although, Catholics--and anyone for that matter--will nevertheless find this series to be the most complete and reliable source of early Christian writings. The Catholic University of America currently has many of the Church Fathers writings available, which are definitely worth checking out as well.
Recommended even though newer collections are available.......2002-03-24
...This is an excellent resource, no two ways about it. I find myself using it all the time, looking up things I find quoted in books, tracts, etc. I found it very convienent to be able to get the whole set at once, and I might add, for a very good price ....
Just a caveat: this is not, and does not advertize itself as a complete compendium of the writings of the authors represented in this set. For instance, Origen, Jerome and Athanasius are given particularly brief treatments, as are most of the writers presented in volumes 25-38.
... This is a great resource, but some 120 years after initial publication, the body of manuscripts and scholarship used in translation has been improved upon. This cannot be looked upon as an intrisic weakness in this series, but rather an effect of aging which falls on all older works which rely on a body of historical writings which are under constant study.
Regarding the introduction essays, I don't have a huge problem with them. Not all of them are openly polemical. This was compiled by Protestants, so one should not be surprised to find pro-Protestant essays therein. One cannot possibly confuse these with the writings of the Fathers themselves, and can be easily skipped.
However, I did pick up a fair amount of attempted "damage control" in the footnotes, i.e. the footnote on Irenaeus' Against Heresies 3:3:2. Other examples could be cited.
In any case, I am not citing these things to "unpromote" the work, but simply discussing the points .... I am aware that there are newer translations of these writings available, but are only available piecework and for much more money.
This is indeed a great place to start, but people wanting more complete writings and/or more current scholarship might want to consider the Ancient Christian Writers series.
A wonderful, but outdated resource. . ........2000-08-05
Five stars for anything that gets people to read the actual writings of the Fathers of the Church. Minus one star for the rather overbearing editorialization by Phillip Schaff and others, most of whom try to filter the texts through a strongly Reformation lense. This just isn't fair, and it's not good scholarship. Minus a second star for datedness. Due to discoveries of better manuscripts, etc., there are now better and more complete translations of these works. This set is a starting point -- not an ending point, and should not be considered as such.
For current critical translations, see the "Fathers of the Church" series and the "Ancient Christian Writers" series. (But be prepared to purchase those books one volume at a time.)
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- A Readable Translation of Previously Un-Translated Texts
- The Bible Through a Different Glass
- Important New Translation of Origen
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Origen (The Early Church Fathers)
Joseph W. Trigg
Manufacturer: Routledge
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Book Description
Origen was the greatest and most influential Christian theologian before Augustine, the founder of Biblical study as a serious discipline in the Christian tradition, and a figure with immense influence on the development of Christian spirituality. This book presents, for the first time in English, a comprehensive and accessible insight into Origen's life and writings. It analyzes the principal influences that formed Origen as a Christian and as a thinker, his emergence as a mature theologian at Alexandria, his work in Caesarea and his controversial legacy. Fresh translations of a representative selection of Origen's writings, including some never previously available in print, present the development of Origen's theological thought and argument.
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This volume presents a comprehensive and accessible insight into Origen's life and writings.
Customer Reviews:
A Readable Translation of Previously Un-Translated Texts.......2006-02-21
I am hoping as much to address the writer as to counsel the reader. To the reader I would say that this is a very reader-friendly translation. I like the fact that some modern expressions and idioms are used when it clarifies the text. If you are fascinated about the early church, or simply ancient history, these writings are full of issues which will stimulate thought.
To the writer, Mr. Trigg, I would ask that future volumes (for I assume you are still writing and translating) include a more extensive index for readers like me who would like to explore Origen by topic. The index to biblical verses, which is 12 pages long, and which you painstakingly prepared, is extensive and well done. But the topic and name index of just 6 pages is too short. If one wants to search for Origen's teachings on a particular topic, it could be easier.
I would also say this. You keep yourself in the background of this book, I am sure out of modesty. But I'd like to know where you found these texts. Are you working from the original texts or from copies. What condition are the original texts after over 1700 years. How did they come to be spread across Europe. How are they preserved? Were you permitted to photocopy the texts to translate them back in the U.S. or did you have to work there. You mention that much of Origen's writings were lost, but that much remains to be translated. How much is there? What are we missing?
Finally, I would ask the question, "Was Origen a Moral, Vituous Man?" What can we learn from his life? What is the lesson of his self-castration? What is the lesson of the austerity of his lifestyle? He addresses Gregory as "his son." Did he literally adopt him, was he merely a favored student, or did Origen not fully castrate himself? Were the rifts he caused among the early Christian churches the result of pridefulness or spite, or was he the innocent victim of jealous peers.
I have this feeling that Origen will be "re-discovered" someday soon and ordinary people (Christians and closet academics) will again want to know about him. Books like The Da Vinci Code make me believe that there is a thirst for knowledge about the early church that will only become more intense with time (and with release of the movie). I think we are at the beginning of a great upwelling of interest in this topic, and I think that your books will help to satisfy that need.
The Bible Through a Different Glass.......2001-01-29
Origen (c. 185 - c. 250) is, with Tertullian, one of the two prolific ante-Nicene Christian authors who is not recognized as a saint. That verdict on Tertullian, an apostate to the Montanist sect, is not surprising. Origen, however, was the most prominent Christian teacher and scholar of his day, remained steadfastly loyal to the Church, died as a martyr and was admired fervently by such great and unquestionably orthodox theologians as Gregory of Nyssa. Notwithstanding such credentials, his ideas fell under suspicion soon after his death, and "Origenism" has since borne a taint of heresy.
Joseph Trigg, an Episcopal clergyman and author of a previous life of Origen ("Origen: The Bible and Philosophy in the Third-century Church" (1983)), would like to restore his subject's reputation and introduce him to contemporary Christians. To that end, he has assembled this anthology of a dozen selections: seven Biblical commentaries, four homilies and a letter to St. Gregory the Wonder Worker. Most of these are excerpts from, or fragments of, longer works, but each is substantial in itself. None will be familiar to the non-specialist. Not included are Origen's best known treatise (the source of many later doubts about his orthodoxy), "Peri Archon" ("On First Principles"), and his apologia "Contra Celsum", both readily found elsewhere and neither typical of the author's work.
Origen's great subject was the interpretation of Scripture. These texts illustrate his approach, which differs strikingly from that of any modern commentator. The underlying theory is that, because God is the author of the Bible, every word of the text is significant. But, because God is supremely subtle, that significance is not evident to the untutored reader. The plain, obvious meaning is, to Origen's mind, usually the least important. The deepest, spiritual truths can be uncovered only through learned scholarship, augmented by prayer.
These principles lead to minute, painstaking analysis. Book I of the commentary on John's Gospel, 46 pages in this edition, is devoted to discussing two words. The conclusions reached through this effort can be unexpected and may often look arbitrary, as when Jeremiah's lamentations over Jerusalem are construed as an allegory of the mission of the Apostles or Jesus's washing of his disciples' feet is taken as symbolic of Christian pedagogy.
Because this way of reading Scripture is so foreign to our habits, these writings, if perused quickly and carelessly, are more likely to bewilder than enlighten. Origen's method and assumptions obviously bear no resemblance to modern Biblical scholarship, despite his sedulous care to establish the most accurate possible text. Nor can he be grouped with the fundamentalists. He agrees with them that the Bible is the very Word (and words) of God. From that premise, the draws the unfundamentalist conclusion that statements of fact are frequently not to be taken literally and that ordinary Christians get little out of Scripture without expert guidance.
To read Origen as more than an historical curiosity requires, then, the adoption of an unfamiliar perspective on the Bible. Fr. Trigg's introduction, while offering a useful account of Origen's career and posthumous reputation, unfortunately pays little attention to furnishing equipment for such a feat of intellectual imagination. A work like James Kugel's "The Bible As It Was", dealing with the very similar ancient Jewish hermeneutics, may help supply this need.
Origen is one of the most famous names in early Christian history, and this collection, though not fare for a casual Sunday afternoon, is the best available way for laymen to see a great mind at work in its most characteristic mode.
Important New Translation of Origen.......2000-08-20
This introduction to and translation of Origen appears in a highly respected series of key selected texts by the major Greek and Latin Fathers of the Church. Joseph Trigg, who is one of the foremost interpreters of Origen, provides fascinating and profound insights into Origen's life and writings in his introduction. He analyzes the principal influences that formed Origen as a Christian, his emergence as a mature theologian, and his controversial legacy. The translation is fresh and clear. Moreover, the book includes some writings by Origen that have not been available previously. This is an exciting book that I'd recommend to anyone -- scholar or not -- who wishes to explore the thought of one of the greatest and most influential Christian thinkers before Augustine.
Cynthia B. Cohen, Ph.D., J.D. Senior Research Fellow, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University Washington, D.C.
Book Description
Interest in the ways of the early church has never been more intense. What did early Christians believe about the divinity of Christ? What were the beliefs of those who sat at the feet of JesusÂ' disciples? Now, for the first time, a unique dictionary has been developed to allow easy access to the ancient material and furnish ready answers to these questions and others like them. David W. Bercot has painstakingly combed the writings of these early church leaders and categorized the heart of their thinking into more than 700 theological, moral, and historical topics to create A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. Wonderfully suited for devotional or thematic study as well as sermon illustration, this resource offers a window into the world of the early church and affords a special opportunity to examine topically the thoughts of students of the original apostles, as well as other great lights in the life of the early church.
• Collects relevant comments on key Christian concepts from prominent figures such as Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Clement of Rome, and Hippolytus.
• Includes key biblical verses associated with a given topic.
• Offers brief definitions of unfamiliar terms or concepts, allowing easy access to the ancient material.
• Provides a "Who's Who" of ante-Nicene Christianity to put in context the ancient Christian writers.
• Discusses more than 700 key theological, moral, and historical topics.
• Gives strategic cross-reverences to related topics.
• Functions as a topical index to the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent resource for Pastors.......2007-07-03
when you are preparing a sermon you like to quote as much as possible the understanding of scripture of great christian of the past and the present. In this book you will find excellent quotes of the early centuries of the Christian Church about difficult matters clearly expounded. This book is the product of many years of research by an anglican cleric, but still of good value for any evangelical christian.
A good reference.......2007-05-27
I am a fan of Mr. Bercot, and especially enjoyed "Will the Real Heretics please stand Up" and "The Kingdom that turned the World Upside Down". He is one of my favorite Christian writers along with Margaret Barker and C.S. Lewis. So when I saw this book on the bookshelves of a local Barnes & Noble, I thought 'hey, what the heck...' and picked it up. I was not in one bit let down.
In this book, Mr. Bercot gives some ready reference to topics varying from baptism to the early Christian concept of Zion. All of his references come from many distinguished Christian writers and include an easy to look up format - that is - in alphabetical order. So it is relatively easy to look up anything.
However, I did have one reservation with this tome. Some of the material that I was most interested in was scant and only offered a few references. And, to add to that, some doctrinal and dogmatic concepts and issues where not even to be found, such as annointing, foot washing, and other things that I was hoping would be included. Nevertheless, this is a good reference book that supplies some useful information that can readily be looked up and checked out. So, if you are a student of first century Christianity or a fan of David Bercot - I am one of each - then I would recommend this book for you as a quick reference book.
Great Resource.......2007-01-10
This is really a pretty thorough resource. I spent a few months with the editor, David Bercot, before this was written, and I can tell you this book is the product of his own research, it's thorough, and it is not misleading (though every book will be affected by its author's leanings). You will not regret having this book.
Most people do not know how much was written by the churches in the 2nd and 3rd century before the church and the government began a marriage under Constantine. This is an awesome introduction to those writings, and it will give you a taste of just how consistent those early writings were. They were not wracked by the sort of divisions that plague us. Early Christianity is a lot different than most of us realize.
A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs.......2006-05-23
This dictionary is a MUST for anyone who wishes to get a fresh new view of Christian doctrine, and learn what the early Christians who were taught by the Apostles themselves believed. It is a compilation of writings on over 700 subjects, most of them preceded by appropriate Scriptures.
This dictionary is an essential part of my research into the Bible and Christian faith.
Outstanding reference to start study on early church!.......2006-05-18
What a tool for study! If you are not an Ante-Nicene scholar, this book is a great source to start studying what the early church taught.
David Bercot is a well respected historical theologian focusing on the early church. He has been cited controversially by some because of his critiques in other writings stating that after the first couple of centuries that the church became less orthodox (little "o", not Greek Orthodox or any other Orthodox church) because of incorrect teachings. This is a common belief among Protestants and Evangelicals. So, know that his focus is restricted in this sense, and some sources are not considered that Orthodox or Catholic churches may rely on.
Bercot covers a significant set of beliefs in this writing, making this a superbly helpful book. I say it is a great place to start, because of the way the book's subjects are laid out. The book discusses a few topics regarding the authors quoted, and then works through a sample study of a topic to show how to use the book. He then gives a "Who's Who of Ante-Nicene Authors" that gives a very brief biography of each author. (For those who are unfamiliar with the term Ante-Nicene, this refers to the Christian Church before the Nicene Council in AD 325.) On any given subject, Bercot begins with the associated Scriptures that discuss the issue. Then, he moves on to listing quotes from Ante-Nicene authors' writings. With each quote, he gives the reference so one can go back and read the context.
Pros: Because of this reference system, it is very easy to go and do further study from the Scriptures and the Ante-Nicene fathers. Most of the writings he refers to are found in the 10 volume set (ISBN: 1565630823). Likewise, Bercot has a very easy-to-use listing of terms that facilitates finding the correct area of the book for information. He gives superb guidance about studying the early church fathers as well, which is very good advice from this ecclesiastical history scholar.
Cons: Some of the more complicated issues don't have all Scripture listed. For instance, Free Will and Predestination, a very controversial topic, does not list all Scripture nor all early church writings. Granted, though, a full list would likely fill a book on its own. Most topics are fully detailed. Also, the biographies of
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