I just read this quote in "The Life of Moses" by the Church Father St. Gregory of Nyssa. I'm supposed to find this universal affirmation of Roman Catholicism everywhere in the church fathers, but I don't see it much outside St. Augustine and Ambrose. Here's the quote:"The Church is also called Christ by Paul (1 Cor 12:12, Eph 1:23), it would be well to regard the names … [Read more...]
Heresy, Scripture, and Tradition
I found a guy's blog with this quote in it and I thought I should put it up for discussion, it is from St. Vincent of Lerins "Commonitorium" written in 434 CE/AD:"But here some one perhaps will ask, Since the canon of Scripture is complete, and sufficient of itself for everything, and more than sufficient, what need is there to join with it the authority of the Church's … [Read more...]
Eastern Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthdoxy seems like the near perfect version of Christianity. I think they have an amazing balance of Tradition and Scripture. Scripture is still allowed to critique traditions and it is held in high esteem (even if the communion as a whole can't agree on the canon of it). I love the fact that they allow for mystery, and that they seem so ancient in how they do … [Read more...]
The God Who Stoops
I was once taught by a wise man that in Greek, grace meant to stoop in compassion and be willing to help. I remember reading the words in St. Luke's gospel which describe Jesus. There were 2 adjectives that he found after all his investigation, which described Jesus. "Grace & Truth". The painful part is the truth, it's the part that no one wants to hear, it's the part about … [Read more...]
What doth it profit a man?
I was reading about Jaroslav Pelikan, the famous ecclesiastical historian/theologian/pastor and was amazed at all the awards he had. He was like the most respected person in his field and spent his whole life studying the church. He was a Lutheran convert to Orthodoxy (Russian I believe). I really want to read his books on tradition, and the history of the church. … [Read more...]