November 2016 – Pursuing Veritas

Scripture among the Apologists: Justin’s Greco-Roman Sources

Greek philosophy plays an unquestionably important role in the thought of Justin Martyr and in the presentation of his Apology. While some scholars have suggested that Justin merely styled himself as a philosopher and was not seriously involved in that enterprise, the number and quality of the Greco-Roman sources employed in the Apology suggests Justin’sContinue reading “Scripture among the Apologists: Justin’s Greco-Roman Sources”

Scripture among the Apologists: Justin Martyr

Justin Martyr is sometimes called the most important Christian of the second century. Born to a man named Priscus in a pagan family between 100 and 110 CE in Flavia Neapolis in Syrian Palestine, Justin eventually became one of the most prominent and influential early Christian writers and defenders of the faith.[i] Justin’s family movedContinue reading “Scripture among the Apologists: Justin Martyr”

Scripture among the Apologists: Method II

Simplicity of Attribution: The criteria of attribution simplicity states that when the wording of any reference may be explained on the basis of a known source, attribution to that source remains preferable to claiming oral tradition or unknown sources.[i] This does not mean a rejection of the possibility of attributing a citation to oral traditionContinue reading “Scripture among the Apologists: Method II”

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Lord, so often times, as any other day When we sit down to our meal and pray We hurry along and make fast the blessing Thanks, amen. Now please pass the dressing We’re slaves to the olfactory overload We must rush our prayer before the food gets cold But Lord, we’d like to take aContinue reading “A Thanksgiving Prayer”

Ep12: Who is God?

The past several weeks of the Church Debates podcast have been wrestling with the Christological Controversies. This episode wraps up the ancient ecumenical councils by looking at the Council of Chalcedon and the doctrine of the Trinity.

Scripture among the Apologists: Method I

Standing behind this study is concern for determining how to assess accurately what constitutes the citation of one text by another where no reference is clearly indicated.[i] Unfortunately, many treatments of early Christian writings presume an inexact methodology in addressing possible citations in ancient literature, taking either a minimalist or maximalist perspective. For example, BibliaContinue reading “Scripture among the Apologists: Method I”

Scripture among the Apologists: Introduction

The early followers of Jesus Christ indelibly influenced the subsequent shape of Christian faith and praxis. Contemporary Christian conceptions of God, anthropology, history, eschatology, philosophy, the sacraments, and Christology remain indebted to the beliefs and practices of the first centuries of the Church. An important but often neglected facet of the early Church’s legacy involvesContinue reading “Scripture among the Apologists: Introduction”

Wilderness in the Apostolic Fathers

In “The Wilderness Narrative in the Apostolic Fathers,” Clayton Jefford outlines the references to wilderness traditions and narratives set in Israel’s wilderness found in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. His central contention is that the uncertainty of the ancient Israelite motif of wilderness wandering appealed little to non-Jewish, second-generation Christians who were more interestedContinue reading “Wilderness in the Apostolic Fathers”

Monthly Archives: November 2016