Learning Theology with the Church Fathers
Overview
The early church fathers were great theologians--though they did not think of themselves as such. They were working pastors, involved in the daily life and leadership of their congregations. Yet they were wrestling with many of the great and formative questions of the Christian faith, such as the Trinity, the incarnation, the providence of God and the nature of the church. These beliefs were defined in the crucible of spiritual leadership, pastoral care and theological conflict, all set against the background of the great cultural movements and events of their day. For the church fathers, theology was a spiritual exercise woven into the texture of life. What would it be like to sit under the preaching and instruction of these great men, to look over their shoulders as they thought and wrote, or to hear them debate theological issues? Learning Theology with the Church Fathers offers us that experience. With the same insight and love of his subject that he brought to Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, Christopher A. Hall opens the door on patristic theology. Focusing on the great questions, we view these issues in their settings and find greater appreciation for the foundations and architecture of our Christian faith.
Top Highlights
“Heresy, then, is the willful propagation of a position or perspective that runs against the grain of apostolic teaching and tradition. It is frequently linked to specific personalities, precisely because at the core of heresy is often an individual’s intentional choice to advocate and promote a teaching that the church has not communally received and cannot discover in or reconcile with the teaching of the apostles. Athanasius himself comments that heresy is often marked by the name of its teacher, specifically because it is that teacher’s unique doctrine that sets a group apart from the church at large. Orthodox Christians, on the other hand, are marked by their refusal to link themselves with any other name than that of Christ.” (Pages 29–30)
“That, Athanasius responds, is precisely the point. The Arians fundamentally err in limiting their thinking and speaking about God to what seems possible from a human perspective.” (Page 40)
“What is lofty you are to apply to the Godhead, and to that nature in him which is superior to sufferings and incorporeal; but all that is lowly to the composite condition of him who for your sakes made himself of no reputation and was incarnate—yes, for it is no worse thing to say—was made man, and afterwards was also exalted.’34 The key to these difficult biblical texts is learning ‘to know which passages refer to his [divine] nature, and which to his assumption of human nature.’” (Pages 64–65)
“A father in the faith, then, is someone who is familiar with the teachings concerning the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and can be trusted to hand on faithfully and correctly the tradition that he himself has already received.” (Page 19)
- Title: Learning Theology with the Church Fathers
- Author: Christopher A. Hall
- Publisher: IVP Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2002
- Logos Release Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Theology, doctrinal › History--Early church, ca. 30-600; Fathers of the church
- ISBNs: 9780830876143, 9780830826865, 0830876146, 0830826866
- Resource ID: LLS:LRNNGTHCHRFTHRS
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:15:48Z