What is "Resources" folder for?

[Nemo]

The is a folder for general resources on the early Church Fathers, historical background and development of the early Church, etc.

[Kerstin]

There are a number of books on the Church Fathers, and I thought these two may be of interest as an introduction or synopsis to some of the essential figures of the early Church.

In 2007 Pope Benedict XVI did a series on the Church Fathers during his General Audiences. The books below are the compilation of them.

The Church Fathers: From Clement of Rome to Augustine

Church Fathers and Teachers: From Saint Leo the Great to Peter Lombard

These can also be read on the Vatican website - preceded by a series on the Apostles.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict...
2006 (starts 3 May) - Apostles
2007 (starts 7 March) - 2009 Church Fathers

[Kerstin]

I found a timeline that may be helpful

https://www.preceden.com/timelines/10...-

[Nemo]

Thank you, Kerstin. The timeline is very helpful.

[Kerstin]

I edited post#2 above. It occurred to me that these General Audiences are also available for free on the Vatican website.

[Nemo]

Kerstin wrote: "I edited post#2 above. It occurred to me that these General Audiences are also available for free on the Vatican website."

I browsed the Vatican site and a question came to my mind: Pope Benedict XVI is no doubt very knowledgeable, but where did the wealth of information on the Church fathers come from? He doesn't cite his sources ... then I remembered the joke about why God never got tenure at any university.

[Kerstin]

Nemo wrote: "I browsed the Vatican site and a question came to my mind: Pope Benedict XVI is no doubt very knowledgeable, but where did the wealth of information on the Church fathers come from? He doesn't cite his sources ..."

LOL!

There are sources right in the text, but not as extensive as for a scholarly work - unfortunately. This may be due to the format. For instance in "St. Clement, Bishop of Rome", in the third paragraph is (Adversus Hereses 3, 3, 3), St. Irenaeus's work Against the Heresies.
Generally, in Joseph Ratzinger's/Pope Benedict's books you'll always find extensive bibliographies, so I trust him :)

And as you hint at, it is a bit of a "chicken and egg" thing.

[Kerstin]

Our parish will have a class on the Early Church this fall, and here are the texts our priest selected for it.

Primary text:
Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World

Secondary texts:
The Christians as the Romans Saw Them
Christianity in Ancient Rome: The First Three Centuries

One of the primary challenges in reading the Church Fathers by themselves is that one doesn't fully understand the context and cultural setting. We can make certain deductions and make assumptions, but are they really what is going on?

Another text I have heard much about is The Fathers of the Church: An Introduction to the First Christian Teachers. I have just recently bought it, and I haven't gotten into it yet. Mike Aquilina uses the same texts we are reading and puts them in context as to where the Church was at any given point and how the Church Fathers reacted to these in their writings.

[Susan]

Kerstin wrote: "Our parish will have a class on the Early Church this fall, and here are the texts our priest selected for it.

Primary text:
[book:Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Rom..."

Thank you!

[Clark]

Nemo wrote: "but where did the wealth of information on the Church fathers come from? He doesn't cite his sources."

They are General Audiences, not academic papers or the Catechism.

The absence of sources should make us all feel right at home -- the Church Fathers quote people the same way. :-)

Clark

[Kerstin]

This seems to me the best folder to post this...

There is a brand new podcast on the Church Fathers by Mike Aquilina. I just listened to the first one, and he doesn't go into much substance yet. It is more of an introduction who the Church Fathers are and their role and significance in the life of the Church.
https://www.catholicculture.org/comme...