Monday, June 27, 2011

This Week in Patristics Delayed...Again

I'm afraid a combination of my end-of-year marks extravagansa, child-induced sleep deprivation and general busyness has prevented me from completing TWP for this week. So, we'll have a This Fortnight in Patristics next week instead.

The good news is that the school year is done and not only can I get back to regular TWP's, but I may even manage a few substantive posts of my own. Stay tuned!

Peace,
Phil

Sunday, June 19, 2011

This Week in Patristics June 12th to 18th, 2011

It has been a fairly busy week for patristics this week. Perhaps the run-up to Trinity Sunday inspires thoughts of the Fathers. Or not. Not many of these posts deal with the Trinity. Whatever the reason for it, enjoy the offerings for this week!

Joe Heschmeyer on the Shameless Popery blog, in part of a post discussing why Protestants become Catholic, notes the historical Evangelical avoidance of the Church Fathers and the impact that the Fathers have on many Evangelicals. Interesting notes about the historical blindness of Evangelicals (clear to anyone who visits a Christian bookstore run by Evangelicals- very little history or even high end theology. It just doesn't sell), but one wonders what to do with the admittedly modest Evangelical Resourcement which has been going on for almost ten years.

Alin Suciu on his self-named blog discusses Coptic fragments of Isaiah of Sketis and a fragment of St. John Chrysothom's Homilies on Romans which gives the apocryphal names of the two thieves crucified with Jesus.

mjhoskin on the pocket scroll blog picks up a comment in the May 30th-June 4th TWP about next steps after introductions to patristics and discusses his recommendations. He also discusses the Roman Catholic ressourcement, beginning from the 1920s, and the monastic resourcement. Both give an excellent review of the scholarship which came out of these ressourcements.

Roger Pearse on his self-named blog discusses manuscripts at Rodosto which included a copy of Eusbeius' treatise against Porphyry with a follow-up discussion on the fate of these manuscripts and his concerns about the authenticity of these manuscripts, a reference to Theodoret in St. John of Damascus, and St. Ambrose's mentions of the cult of Mithras,

Kevin Edgecomb on the biblicalia blog discusses the importance of canonicity (here, the rule of faith) against the 'quest for the historical Jesus'.

Rod (of Alexandria) on the Political Jesus blog discusses

Cynthia on the per caritatem blog discusses St. Augustine's political activism as suggested by his letters in two parts (part one, part two). Thanks, Rod for pointing this one out!

That is all for this week. I hope you enjoyed the entries and keep them coming!

Peace,
Phil

Sunday, June 12, 2011

This Week in Patristics June 5th-11th, 2011

Happy Pentecost! Welcome to the Pentecost edition of TWP. Pentecost is one of my favourite church festivals, partly because I was baptized on it, nineteen years ago and partly because of the Jewish tradition of associating 'learning' with the Jewish version. The first appeals to my spiritual history, the second to my general geekness. Perhaps we can revive the tradition of all-night 'learning for Christians....wouldn't that be fun?

David Bates on the Restless Pilgrim blog draws parallels between the death of Jesus and the martyrdom of Polycarp.

Alan Suciu on his self-named blog considers a new witness to St. Macarius of Egypt's Spiritual Homilies and more Coptic fragments of Ephrem Graecus.

Roger Pearse on his self-named blog lists the presentations on Eusebius of Caesarea from the last three years of SBL conferences.

Kevin Edgecomb on the biblicalia blog considers the rule of faith and canonicity from an Orthodox perspective.

Rod of Alexandria on the Political Jesus blog considers Elizabeth Johnson's book, The Quest for the Living God as akin to St. Athanasius' work. Since I haven't rad Elizabeth's Johnson's book, I'm not sure I get that, but when has that stopped me from posting.

That is it for this week. See you next week!

Peace,
Phil

Monday, June 06, 2011

This Week in Patristics May 30-June 4th, 2011

Hi all!

Here is this week's TWP. Enjoy the entries!

Jimmy Atkin on his self-named blog directs us to a Facebook group for his book on the Fathers, Fathers Know Best. I haven't read the book, but it is good to see another introduction out there. It does make me wonder what the next step is, now that we have so many competant introductions. He asks how long it took for the Gospels to spread.

Nick Norelli on the Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth blog reviews a collection of essays edited by Bradley G. Green, The Shapers of Christian Orthodoxy. Engaging Early and Mediaeval Theologians

Charles Ellwood Jones on the Ancient World Online blog allerts us to EDENDA, a project for editing the Latin Church Fathers.

Kelly Gerald on the Bryn Mawr Classical Review blog reviews a collection of essays, edited by Immo Dunderburg, on Stoicism in Early Christianity.

Joel on the Unsettled Christianity blog nominates the Council of Nicaea as one of the ten Most Shameful Events in Christian History. Funny, I'm rather partial to that particular Council. Besides, when you think about the rest of the Councils, ecumenical and not, Nicaea was a walk in the park.

John Bugay on the Triablogue blog considers the early papacy in a series of rather polemical articles including linking the papacy to Roman Emperor worship, discussing the views of St Optatus on 'real substance' and the papacy, discussing how critical scholarship dismisses the idea of an early papacy. I didn't link to all the entries on this topic because many dealt with contemporary theology around the papacy. He, also, questions uncritical readings of the Fathers which deny that they disagreed and were sometimes wrong.


Bryan Cross on the Called to Communion blog considers St. Optatus' treatise against Donatists, arguing that the pre-Donatist church was one church united under the Bishop of Rome. Hence, Protestants are in a state of ecclesial deism as they continue their independence from the Pope.


That's it for now. See you next week!


Peace,


Phil