Thursday, August 28, 2008

St. Augustine

City of God

or

The confessions

Two works that changed Christianity forever. They shaped us and continue to shape us. We need to let them keep shaping us by keeping them in mind.

I think that's why the Pope keeps directing us to the patristics.

We believe we are the body of Christ, we have been the body of Christ and we will continue to be the body of Christ because Jesus Christ said so. We have to remember those who have been in order to continue to be.

3 comments:

Adoro said...

I think there's another reason the Pope is directing us to the Church Fathers; to refute modern scripture scholars who have decided that the Church Fathers didn't know scripture. Case in point, in the New Jerusalem Bible, the 1966 edition extensively cites commentary by the Church Fathers. Subsequent translations have almost completely (or maybe completely) erased these citations.

Pope Benedict XVI, with his writing of Jesus of Nazareth, has taken a hit for his synthetic approach to scripture, for declaring that the Jesus of scripture is both the Jesus of faith AND history, and uses the historical-critical method properly...as just one tool, not the basis of all exegesis/analysis, etc. So I think he's making a point as a way to counteract the "scholars" that have descended into heresy by ignoring the wisdom and knowledge of those who sat at the feet of the Apostles.

Just my 2 cents.

Fr.Dennis said...

good point.

Ross Kelsey said...

you have a great blog, thank you father.

2 L B: Christianity is not a pithy pop song

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