#Early Church Fathers:

[paularoseauthor]

The first Church was Catholic.

History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic.

Unveiling the Catholic Origins of the First Church. The origins of the Christian Church are deeply intertwined with the emergence of a movement inspired by Jesus Christ’s teachings.  History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic. This assertion is rooted in the early Christian community’s connection to the apostles, the development of fundamental doctrines, and the…

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Ignatius of Antioch

35-107

Feast Day: October 17 (New), February 1 (Trad)

Patronage: Against throat diseases, the Church in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa

Saint Ignatius of Antioch is one of the five "Apostolic Fathers," and was the third Bishop of Antioch. He was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist and is known for explaining Church theology. Ignatius was arrested by Roman soldiers and taken to Rome where he was sentenced to death at the Coliseum for his Christian teachings, practices and faith. On his way to being martyred in Rome, he wrote letters to the early Christians, which we still have today, that connect the Catholic Church to the early, unbroken, clear teaching of the Apostles given directly by Jesus Christ. He urged the Christians to remain faithful to God, warned them against heretical doctrine, and provided them with the solid truths of the faith. 

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[kaythefloppa]

I was today years old when I found out that Zazu was supposed to have eight babies in The Lion King 2.

Concept artwork of them done by Ritsko Notani and approved by animator Wendell Washer, (both of whom have worked on various other Disney direct-to-video sequels and spin-offs) was sold on Ebay just this weekend (godspeed to whoever is living in LA at the moment).

In early drafts of the sequel dating back to 1996, Zazu was intended to be accompanied by a female hornbill known as Binti, who would have been his mate by the end of the film. Together, they would have had eight hornbill chicks. The executives and writers deemed Binti and Zazu's storyline to be unnecessary and she was cut from the movie. When Binti was phased out, Zazu no longer had any narrative reason to have children, and thus they were cut. Zazu's role in Simba's Pride was diminished greatly as a result of this.

If the link doesn't work, here are some photos ripped directly from the site.

[teresawymore]

Fallen vs Demon

Crowley is fallen but not a demon because we'll see him redeemed. The fallen can be redeemed. Demons can't.

I'm tossing around theology today while writing a dark Aziraphale story set in Late Rome. He makes a much darker character than Crowley. It feels almost like if he fell, he would be unredeemable.

Angels are messengers, helpers, companions -- for the ethereal plane as well as the material. So, Angels can help redeem ethereal beings as well as human souls. This is my story anyway.

How nice to give my Church history research a place to express itself lol.

I wonder if Father Wally would be proud or horrified. He was always pretty cool with my iconoclasm.

[wellthatsclever]

"Bind my head and heart in You, and may I remain in Your company this day." Desert Fathers

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[troybeecham]

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The master of eternity is the first god, the world is second, mankind is third. God is maker of the world and all it contains, governing all things along with mankind, who governs what is composite. Taking responsibility for the whole of this — the proper concern of his attentiveness — mankind brings it about that he and the world are ornaments to one another so that, on account of mankind’s divine composition, it seems right to call him a well-ordered world, though kosmos in Greek would be better. Mankind knows himself and knows the world: thus, it follows that he is mindful of what his role is and of what is useful to him; also, that he recognizes what interests he should serve, giving greatest thanks and praise to god and honoring his image but not ignoring that he, too, is the second image of god, who has two images, world and mankind. Whence, though mankind is an integral construction, it happens that in the part that makes him divine, he seems able to rise up to heaven, as if from higher elements — soul and consciousness, spirit and reason. But in his material part — consisting of fire (and earth,) water and air — he remains fixed on the ground, a mortal, lest he disregard all the terms of his charge as void and empty. Thus, humankind is divine in one part, in another part mortal, residing in a body.

—Hermes Trismegistus, Asclepius sec x (Brian Copenhaver, transl). The writings of Hermes Trismegistus (Ἑρμῆς ὁ Τρισμέγιστος, or Hermes the Three-Times Greatest), a Ptolemaic (Hellenized) Egyptian or Greek living in Egypt who probably lived in the second century CE, though possibly earlier, are largely an attempt to reconcile traditional Greek and Egyptian mythologies, though they are also infused with Gnostic Christian thinking which was commonplace in Egypt of that period. Early Christian church fathers and early Muslim writers had a positive attitude towards him, and preserved his writings, which then were revived and translated in the Italian Renaissance. His writings were particularly influential in the development of modern science and found in Sir Isaac Newton a powerful advocate. This is largely because of Trismegistus’ demand to experiment, test, challenge and not be entirely satisfied with the received truths he quotes from traditional religion. Below: a floor mosaic in the Cathedral of Siena (1480) shows Hermes Trismegistus explaining the Emerald Tablet to a group of Arab philosophers

[Robert Scott Horton]

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Tumblr really can’t conceive of a religious or theological history of Christianity outside of a North American post-1950s prosperity gospel context and it shows

[stjohncapistrano67]

One more post about St. Augustine's book " The City of God, the City of Man. I'm about 100 pages in the book. And so far as I tell, it's a mix of Roman pre Catholic history, apologetics against paganism and Catholic theology. I don't think this book is for everyone, but even those who don't consider themselves, "deep" can see the parallels between his time and ours, if they read with unbiased mind. It helps to know the history of early Catholic Church, but it's not ABSOLUTELY necessary.

[paularoseauthor]

Unveiling the Catholic Origins of the First Church.

History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic.

The first Church was Catholic. And this is why I am looking very seriously into the Catholic Church. The origins of the Christian Church are deeply intertwined with the emergence of a movement inspired by Jesus Christ’s teachings.  History reveals that the first Church was, in essence, Catholic. This assertion is rooted in the early Christian community’s connection to the apostles, the…

[gxlden-angels]

I know there's a common thing of "christians are christians because they haven't actually read the bible" but I actually grew up being told to read the entire bible once a year once I learned to read. I even had a NIV kids' one with a checklist that had you read a certain amount per day. I only ever read my daily amount when forced to by my youth group or family members that did read the whole thing once per year and even then I usually faked it until they left me alone

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

Lives of church fathers in 1487, printed by Hannibal Foxius. Two North American copies.

658J. Eusebius – Only Two copies in the US (La vita el transito) Eusebius Cremonensis: Epistola de morte Hieronymi; Aurelius Augustinus, S: Epistola de magnificentiis Hieronymi; Cyrillus: De Miraculis Hieronymi). [Venice, Hannibal Foxius, 1 June 1487].               $7,000 Octavo 16.7x12cm. Signatures: a–i8. 72 leaves, 36 lines, Roman letter, rubricated with capital letters in red…

[seekingtheosis]

Defending the Divinity of Christ: The Church's Battle Against Arianism - Part 4

Discover how the early Church defended the divinity of Christ against Arianism. Learn about Arian beliefs, the Nicene Creed, and key Church Fathers who safeguarded orthodox Christian doctrine.

In the name of God the Father, Christ Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit, One True God. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus In the previous blog, we delved into the early heretical movement of Gnosticism, a significant threat to early Christian doctrine. Gnosticism’s emphasis on secret knowledge, dualism, and a distinct interpretation of Christ’s nature prompted the Church to…

[livingwellnessblog]

Against Heresies (Irenaeus)

Irenaeus was born around 130 AD, likely in the city of Smyrna, which is in modern-day Izmir, Turkey. He was a student of Polycarp, who himself was a disciple of the Apostle John,

Life of Irenaeus Irenaeus was born around 130 AD, likely in the city of Smyrna, which is in modern-day Izmir, Turkey. He was a student of Polycarp, who himself was a disciple of the Apostle John,(Jesus-Apostle John-Polycarp-Iraneaus) providing Irenaeus with a direct link to the teachings and traditions of the apostles. This connection to apostolic tradition deeply influenced Irenaeus’s…

[ghostkidet]

Something positive for this blog: I finished writing my prologue yay me !!

[troybeecham]

Today, the Church commemorates the solemnity of SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles and Martyrs.

Orate pro nobis.

Both St. Peter and St. Paul have their own special feast day, so why is their a solemn commemoration for them together? The reason is that this day recalls to our minds the fact that they both were martyred (some say on the same day) in Rome during Nero’s genocidal persecution of Christians.

The significance of their martyrdom as the focus of this solemnity reveals this commemoration as one of remembering all who have been martyred for their faith in Jesus.

Christians are the single most persecuted religious people on the planet. Most people have never heard that. I’ve been trying to raise awareness of this fact as a priest for 20 years.

Open Doors, an organization that tracks persecution of Christians worldwide, provides direct support, and releases an annual report on the persecution of Christians (https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/), notices an “alarming” increase in violence against Christians by Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, the number of religiously motivated killings jumped from 4,650 in 2021 to 5,014 in 2022 — making up 89% of all religiously motivated killings worldwide. The rest are by Socialist/Communist regimes. That means on average 15 Christians are martyred daily, mostly at the hands of Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa.

The global Muslim jihadist assault is destabilizing countries in West and Central Africa as well as other nations around the world. Entire countries are at risk of collapse into extremist violence. 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa face high levels of persecution; half of these have violence scores in the “extremely high” range.

The global Muslim jihadist movement, which seeks to expand Sharia across not just the African continent, but the whole world, has forced Christians into constant motion, from their homes to displacement camps, or to other countries. The insecurity stemming from this experience of forced displacement makes Christians even more vulnerable to further violence. Christian girls and women, in particular, are targeted for sexual assault and being sold into slavery, while men are more likely to lose their lives, and boys are either sold into slavery or forced to become Muslims and jihadists.

Today, more than 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. In Open Doors’ World Watch List top 50 alone, 312 million Christians face very high or extreme levels of persecution. Christians killed in 2023 so far have numbered 80% more than five years ago (3,066).

As we go about our days, let us bear in mind the cost of being a disciple of Jesus, that for some it is a social norm and therefore not very costly, and for others it costs everything.

May we who live in nations where being a Christian is safe never forget the deadly plight of those who live daily in the valley of the shadow of death, and let us pray for their strength to remain faithful to the one who rose victorious from the grave.

Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.