Church Fathers

Dylan Madden Word Count: 403 The Church Father’s Response 18 October 2017 The reading for this week takes into the minds of a number of church fathers and their views of women. The first church father being discussed was Tertullian, and his view on women suggested that they were nothing but creatures that would considered sexually dangerous and could taint men of church; they would use their beauty in an attempt to “minimize the spiritual damage it wrought in men” (50). Basically, I feel like Tertullian defines women as being objects of desired beauty in which a man can commit sin upon latching themselves onto women. His extended information leads to the fact that women were considered “gateways of the devil” (51). John Chrysotom…

The Early Church fathers produced a body of literature that concern virginity, marriage in women in order to justify and legitimize the patriarchal system of the time. According to these texts written by the church fathers, women can only become close to god through their virginity and/or martyrdom. Virginity and martyrdom was even preferred over marriage by the church fathers and even some of the women refused to be married. Hence the social construct that is…

rather, the function and belief of the Church established its pattern of intellectual thought. The Church was Christocentric and thus, their intellectualism was Christocentric as their tradition was in “thinking about the God who is known and seeking the One who is loved” (pg. 311). The hearts and attention of the early church were captivated by God, enveloping and formulating their intellect.…

blogs, none of which were assigned. I enjoyed this topic, and it gave me much to consider. That’s all good and well until I am reminded I do not have the luxury of time between family and work and school. The good news: I am taking a course in historical theology later this semester. I will get my fill soon enough. And secondly, I purchased this lovely daily devotional, “The One Year Book of Christian History” by Mike and Sharon Rusten to manage myself down to bite-sized, daily chunks of…

Women’s roles in Christianity are an excellent example of the unevenness of women’s contributions to history. Women were the last disciples at the cross and the first at the empty tomb. They remained integral to the work of the church in its early centuries. Traditional Christianity believed that the statements attributed to St. Paul in I Timothy 2 that women were created second, sinned first, and should keep silence. Women traditionalists believed and accepted these teachings as true. Jesus’…

also stresses her function as the guardian of his movement. However, whilst addressing a crowd, Jesus questions who his mother and brothers are, declaring that all of his disciples hold the same titles as well. Although this can be seen as a form of belittlement towards his maternal family who are also present, it in fact implies the opposite. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus consistently remarks on his followers as the “children of the kingdom” that is heaven (13:38). His deliberate use of family…

However. The corporate church and the small groups can benefit from the examples, stories, theological definitions and the practices of Swinton’s practical theodicy in order to fully reclaim the practice of lament. Swinton explains, “that small groups take us back to the community of the early church where small groups of people met, often in the midst of extreme tribulation, to share fellowship, joy, pain, and hope, and look forward to the time when evil would be no more” (124). He explains, as…

St. Jerome was born at Stido, Dalmatia in 340 AD he learned alot from his dad, a Roman Catholic but was sent to Rome by his father. There he studied many things and became fluent in Latin and Greek. Learning those languages helped him in becoming very valuable to the Popes of that time. St. Jerome was best known for translating the Old Testament from Hebrew to Latin called the Vulgate. St. Jerome is often associated with symbols like a lion, Cardinal attire and books and writing material. He`s…

It is believed by many that, “whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8). This essay will explore the writings of each theologian and their ideas and thoughts on baptism, predestination, free will, salvation and how it intertwines with the love and knowledge of God. One could sit and ponder how this short, yet specific verse could hold so much truth. Many theologians such as Origen of Alexandria, Gregory of Nyssa, St. Augustine, St. Prosper of Aquitaine and…

is the name of an autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, by St. Augustine of Hippo, written in Latin between AD 397 and 400. The first autobiography ever written, Augustine's Confessions ranks among the most profound books in history. But it's more than that; this testament shows how God gives rest to the weary and hope to the hopeless. St. Augustine's Confession showcases how humans will always be imperfect in the eyes of God, but should we feel able to embrace our frailties? The work…