Limited Atonement in the History of the Church

On today's program I answered a listener question about limited atonement in the history of the church. I discussed the early church, the middle ages, and the Reformation. I made the argument that limited atonement is absent from the early and medieval church with the exception of Thomas Gottschalk.

Here is the program

Predestination, Grace, and Free Will in the Thought of St. Prosper of Aquitaine and C.F.W. Walther: A Comparison and Evaluation

An article of mine, "Predestination, Grace, and Free Will in the Thought of St. Prosper of Aquitaine and C.F.W. Walther: A Comparison and Evaluation," has been posted on Blogia: http://logia.org/blogia/?p=650

How Lutherans View the Mosaic Law

Today's program was an eclectic one. I answered listener questions on a variety of topics. First, I answered a question regarding divine monergism and Luther's work The Bondage of the Will. I then spent the majority of the program discussing the validity of the Mosaic Law for Christians today. I discussed the threefold distinction of the Law and the connection between natural law and the Ten Commandments. Finally I got into a discussion about soteriology in the church fathers, dealing specifically with penance and legalism in the North African Church.

Here is the program

Cyril of Alexandria on the Importance of Having a Divine High Priest

"Seeing therefore that the Law condemneth them that sin and decreeth sometimes the uttermost punishment to them that disregard it, and in no wise pitieth, how was not the manifestation to them on earth of a Compassionate and truly Merciful High Priest necessary? Of One who should made the curse to cease, should stop the condemnation and free sinners with forgiving grace and with the bending of clememcy? For I (He says) am He that blotteth out thy transgressions and will not remember. For we have been justified by faith and not out of the works of the Law as it is written. On Whom then believing are we justified? Is it not on Him who suffered death for us after the flesh? Is it not on One Lord Jesus Christ? Have we not on declaring His death and confessing His Resurrection been redeemed?

If therefore, we have believed on a man like us and not rather on God, the thing is man-worship, and confessedly nothing else: but if we believe that He who suffered in the flesh is God, Who hath been made also our High Priest, we have in no ways erred, but acknowledge the Word out of God made Man: and thus is required of us faith God-ward, Who putteth out of condemnation and freeth from sin those taken thereby. For the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins, as Himself too saith.

Contrasting therefore with the salvation and grace that is through Christ the harshness (so to speak) of the Law's severity, we say that Christ was made a merciful High Priest. For He was and is God Good by nature and Compassionate and Merciful always, and hath not become this in time but was so manifested to us."

-St. Cyril of Alexandria, Tome III Against Nestorius

Cyril of Alexandria, Five Tomes Against Nestorius and Other Works. (Lexington: Createspace, 2013), pp.96-97

Review of Matthew Levering's "The Theology of Augustine"

Augustine is undoubtedly the most prolific and influential writer in the history of the Western church. He is one theologian who Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists alike cite as a primary influence on their varied theological traditions. Because of this fact, treatments of Augustine since the Reformation have often taken on a polemical tone, trying to place him into whatever theological framework one holds to. In this way, Augustine's ecumenical appeal has been both his greatest asset and the greatest hindrance to an honest investigation of his writings.

Levering's work does not engage in theological polemics. Though himself a Roman Catholic, he does not try to fit Augustine into any particular theological mold but engages Augustine as an independent theologian in his own right. Treatments of Augustine have often suffered from two primary deficiencies: either they try to explain too much in a single volume becoming rather garbled and inaccessible, or they paint him as a one sided theologian, centering on a single aspect of his thought. For the Calvinist writer, he has been viewed as the ultimate predestinarian; for the Roman Catholic the defender of the Roman Church against the schismatic Donatists; and for the Lutheran tradition, an early voice for justification by faith. Levering avoids these extremes by centering his work on seven distinct works of Augustine. Rather than trying to encapsulate everything taught by Augustine (which is impossible for a work this size) or centering on works that deal with the same topic, this approach allows Levering to be both balanced and comprehensive in his interpretation.

The seven works which Levering focuses on are: On Christian Doctrine, Answer to Faustus a Manichean, Homilies on First John, On the Predestination of the Saints, the Confessions, the City of God, and On the Trinity. With On Christian Doctrine, Levering demonstrates Augustine exegetical method which involves the confession of the historical reality behind the Biblical narrative, as well as the typological and allegorical nature of the Biblical texts. This allows Augustine to remain historically grounded while affirming the unchanging truths of the Christian faith. Augustine's response to Faustus is an extremely helpful work to include in this volume because it succinctly shows both how Augustine responded to his Manichean past, and how he, as a catholic Christian, approached Old Testament revelation. Augustine's commentary on 1 John may seem like something of a random selection in this work, as it isn't a primary work discussed  in contemporary theological dialogue, but Levering has an important reason for including it in this work. If there is any unifying theme in Augustine's theology it certainly isn't predestination or justification by faith, but love. Levering uses this work to demonstrate the complexity and predominance of love as the essence of the Christian life. This includes love toward God and creation in a rightly ordered fashion, and Augustine is even willing to employ the principle of love as a hermeneutic. The final smaller work Levering deals with in this book is On the Predestination of the Saints. If I were to write this book, I would have likely chosen another work like On the Spirit and the Letter, which focuses on the priority of divine grace against the Pelagians rather than predestination per say, but that may be due to my own theological biases. Levering treats this work honestly, demonstrating that Augustine is concerned with the providence of God over human salvation while denying that God is active in predestining evil actions.

The final three chapters in the book are the most beneficial, as they overview Augustine's three theological masterpieces: The Confessions, The City of God, and On the Trinity. The final two works are quite a challenge to get through due to their length and the seeming tangential nature of many of his arguments. Levering offers a helpful overview of the arguments and content of these books. This allows new readers of Augustine to read through these works with the overall context and purpose of Augustine's writing in mind.

This book is simply the best introduction to Augustine that is available. Levering's work is extremely accessible without sacrificing theological depth. The lay reader may get somewhat lost in the final chapter on the Trinity, but that is due to the speculative nature of Augustine's work rather than Levering's writing which is extremely lucid on such a profoundly complex topic. If you are interested in reading Augustine, or you are teaching a seminary/college course on his thought, this book is highly recommended. Don't however, let this be a replacement for reading the works of Augustine themselves, which have so many treasures that no treatment of his thought could capture them all.

My Book "The Righteousness of One" is Now Available!

An updated version of my Masters Thesis The Righteousness of One: An Evaluation of Early Patristic Soteriology in Light of the New Perspective on Paul is now available to order at the Wipf & Stock site here. It will be available on Amazon in the near future.

In the forward, Peter Leithart writes that this book "should have a dramatic effect on the debate" regarding the New Perspective on Paul. He writes that,

"Cooper does not claim to pass final judgment on the New Perspective. What he offers is the opportunity to renew the debate in a more historically informed fashion. Having cleared the clutter, Cooper leaves us still with the task of grasping what St. Paul really said."

Theonas of Alexandria on the Importance of Sacred Scripture

Despite the claims of the Roman Church in reaction to the Reformation, there is an immense divide between Patristic piety and late Medieval spirituality. In the late Medieval church, reading of sacred Scripture was discouraged on behalf of the laity; it was done by some of the clergy, and even then only with the guidance of magisterial teaching. The following quote from the 4th century Alexandrian bishop Theonas which is representative of the place which Scripture held in the church prior to the Middle Ages,

"Let no day pass by without reading some portion of Sacred Scripture, at such convenient hours as offers, and giving some space to meditation. And never cast off the habit of reading in the Holy Scriptures; for nothing feeds the soul and enriches the mind so well as those sacred studies do." Epistle to Lucianus IX.

This is advice that we would be wise to accept.

Athenagoras and Iconography

Because I have an interest in Patristic studies, I have occasionally been asked why I'm Lutheran rather than Eastern Orthodox; it is claimed that the Eastern church is consistent with the Patristic tradition, but the Lutheran church is not. Well, there are various reasons why I wouldn't join the Orthodox church including a denial of sola fide and sola gratia, but among these reasons is the Patristic tradition itself.

I understand the desire to have some kind of consistent theology between the early church and the contemporary church. The Eastern Orthodox do this by claiming to have identical doctrine with the Church Fathers. The Roman Catholics used to do it by professing a "unanimous consensus" among the fathers. Thomas Oden tries to do it today by arguing the Protestant distinctives are found in the majority of the fathers.

The problem is that there is no monolithic teaching of the church fathers, though it is my contention that all of the doctrines found in the Book of Concord can be found in Patristic writings. And, there are certain teachings that are unanimous among the fathers such as baptismal regeneration and the conviction that salvation can be lost.

Nonetheless, while many Eastern Orthodox teachings can be found in the fathers, or at least certain fathers, the teachings of the Eastern Church on iconography are not found in the earliest sources, which actually argue against such a view.

In the Eastern Church, icons are sacramental. They serve as windows into heaven when blessed by an Orthodox priest, and should be venerated by the faithful. This includes both images of Christ and of the Theotokos and the saints.



One of the early apologists for the Christian faith, Athenagoras demonstrates that this teaching was absent from the early church. One of the primary arguments that Athenagorus uses throughout this book is that the Christian God cannot be contained in images made by human hands. Within this polemic, he attacks the use of images by pagans in the Roman Empire, arguing against using them as instruments of worship. One would think that if images were used in worship, this would have been brought up, and would have actually hurt the point that Athenagorus was making. But he makes no such qualification that images could be used for veneration rather than worship, etc.

Well, an argument from silence doesn't prove the point, but there are some statements in Athenagoras that make his position more clear. One of the qualifications made by the Eastern Church is that they are not venerating images, but are venerating the saint or Christ behind the image. This flows from their doctrine of the images as windows into heaven.

Athenagoras understands this distinction, and when critiquing the Pagan version of image worship, he does not only critique the idea that images can't be worshiped, but also that they can be used as objects to worship their representations. He condemns the following idea:

"[I]t is affirmed by some that, although these are only images, yet there exist gods in honour of whom they are made; and that the images are to be referred to the gods, and are in fact made to the gods; and that there is not any other way of coming to them." (A Plea for the Christians XVIII)

Now, to be clear I am not an iconoclast. I have icons in my office, and a crucifix on the altar in my church sanctuary. I think that these can be helpful things. However, what I disagree with is the idea of using images as objects of worship or veneration. It seems to be a consistent point in all of the early Apologists, when writing against paganism, that images are not used as objects of worship in the Christian faith.

Melito of Sardis on Christ as the Passover Lamb

One of the resources that I have used in preparing my sermons for Holy Week is a short treatise by the 2nd century bishop Melito of Sardis. Melito was an influential bishop from Anatolia. According to testimonies from men like Jerome and Origen he was a prolific and influential writer; unfortunately, only fragments of his works exist. His treatise on the Passover was suppressed for some time because Melito held the unpopular view that Easter was to be celebrated on the Jewish Passover. This is a great treatise very much worth reading. In this work, Melito expounds upon the nature of typology and demonstrates that Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, especially in relation to the Passover. The full treatise can be found here. The following is a section from that work,



"When this one came from heaven to earth for the sake of the one who suffers, and had clothed himself with that very one through the womb of a virgin, and having come forth as man, he accepted the sufferings of the sufferer through his body which was capable of suffering. And he destroyed those human sufferings by his spirit which was incapable of dying. He killed death which had put man to death.

For this one, who was led away as a lamb, and who was sacrificed as a sheep, by himself delivered us from servitude to the world as from the land of Egypt, and released us from bondage to the devil as from the hand of Pharaoh, and sealed our souls by his own spirit and the members of our bodies by his own blood.

This is the one who covered death with shame and who plunged the devil into mourning as Moses did Pharaoh. This is the one who smote lawlessness and deprived injustice of its offspring, as Moses deprived Egypt. This is the one who delivered us from slavery into freedom, from darkness into light, from death into life, from tyranny into an eternal kingdom, and who made us a new priesthood, and a special people forever.

This one is the passover of our salvation. This is the one who patiently endured many things in many people: This is the one who was murdered in Abel, and bound as a sacrifice in Isaac, and exiled in Jacob, and sold in Joseph, and exposed in Moses, and sacrificed in the lamb, and hunted down in David, and dishonored in the prophets.

This is the one who became human in a virgin, who was hanged on the tree, who was buried in the earth, who was resurrected from among the dead, and who raised mankind up out of the grave below to the heights of heaven.

This is the lamb that was slain. This is the lamb that was silent. This is the one who was born of Mary, that beautiful ewe-lamb. This is the one who was taken from the flock, and was dragged to sacrifice, and was killed in the evening, and was buried at night; the one who was not broken while on the tree, who did not see dissolution while in the earth, who rose up from the dead, and who raised up mankind from the grave below."

Alcuin of York

It is an unfortunate fact in the study of church history that the early medieval period has been completely ignored. The time from the death Gregory (aprox. 600 A.D.) through the beginning of the scholastic period (aprox. 1100 A.D)is skipped over because there were no major theological advancements. In this period, the Western Church largely still followed Augustine, and not much theology was formulated beyond the words of Scripture and various compendiums of Patristic thought.

There were some extremely interesting disputes and figures within these so-called "dark ages." There were debates about the nature of Christ's presence in the Eucharist (between Ratramnus and Radbertus), the nature of predestination and the atonement (the Gottschalk controversy) as well as certain figures who challenged developments in the medieval church which went beyond Scripture (Claudius of Turrin for example). One figure who was influential in this period was Alcuin of York.



Alcuin was an 8th century British monk, writer, and teacher. He taught at the cathedral school at the time of Charlemagne, who he soon befriended. Alcuin became Charlemagne's chief theological adviser. His life was public, being both an ecclesiastical and political figure. Alcuin's writings were primarily influenced by the great bishop of Hippo, St. Augustine, as well as his British predecessor, the venerable Bede. He also drew heavily upon the writings of Gregory the Great.

Alcuin was most importantly, a devoted student of Scripture. Biblical allusion and quotation is abundant in his writings. There is most especially a devotion to the Psalter. Alcuin's methodology involved an intense study of the Biblical text, along with reference to various Patristic commentaries. In this way, my own preaching preparation is similar to that of Alcuin. Alcuin is also an important voice in the history of liturgics. Many of his prayer manuals became prominent in the medieval church, and some of his prayers were adopted at public worship services. It is likely that the celebration of All Saints day comes from Alcuin's influence.

Alcuin's works fill two volumes of the Patrologia Latina, and have unfortunately mostly not been translated into English. There is a small collection of writings and prayers which are available in English translation in the volume A Mind Intent on God by Douglas Dales. I have found this volume extremely edifying in my own life. Here is an example of Alcuin's prayer:

"Almighty Lord God, eternal and ineffable, without end or beginning: I confess you to be one in Trinity and threefold in unity: I adore you alone; I praise you; I bless and glorify you. I give thanks to you, O merciful and compassionate one, that you have granted me to lay aside the treachery and error of my spiritual night, and enabled me to participate in your grace. I beg you, O Lord, to perfect in me the work of your mercy that you have begun. Grant me always to think, speak and do what is pleasing to you. Guard me always and everywhere with your gracious care; and enable me, unworthy and wretched as I am, to come at last to the vision of your glory." (pg. 11)

Who was the real St. Patrick?

When most people think of St. Patrick's Day, they think about one of two things. 1. An excuse to drink a lot of beer, or 2. Legends about Patrick driving away snakes from Ireland, and using the shamrock to describe the Trinity.

Well, neither of those two things have anything to do with the actual, historical St. Patrick. But the real story is much better than legend. Patrick was a fifth century Christian, missionary, and bishop. We have three surviving works from his pen including a letter, a hymn, and most importantly his autobiography known as the Confessions of St. Patrick.

In this small autobiography, Patrick tells the remarkable story of how he was called by God to spread the gospel among the Irish. Patrick grew up in England, and as a child was captured as a slave by men from Ireland. Growing up, Patrick was familiar with the Christian faith but was not personally devoted to it. In captivity, Patrick began to think about the Christian faith, and was converted. He had a dream one night, telling him to go to a certain area where he would find a boat. Patrick looked for this boat the next day, found it, and escaped. He eventually made it back to his homeland.

While in Britain, Patrick became a deacon, and eventually a bishop. As a bishop he had a desire to go back to those who had captured him years before and bring them the gospel. He was almost hindered from this task by certain people who challenged Patrick's validity as a bishop due to some sin that he committed as a boy. (Legalists have been around for a long time!) Eventually this issue was settled, and Patrick was sent to the Irish people. He allowed himself to be captured, and preached the gospel to his captors, and eventually, throughout Ireland. Because of the gospel that Patrick preached, the nation was converted to the Christian faith.



Patrick's faith is summarized in his own works with a creed. This may be a personal creed, or it may have been used liturgically in the Irish church. Here is the creed:

Because there is no other God
nor ever was nor will be in future days,
other than God who is unbegotten Father,
without beginning,
yet from whom is all beginning
and who holds all things in being
as we have come to learn;
and his Son Jesus Christ
Whom together with his Father
we bear witness, has most surely always existed
even before time began,
Begotten spiritually and present with the Father
in a manner beyond human words;
before all time began.
And through him have all things, seen and unseen,
been made,
then he himself was made man,
and once death had been overcome, he was received
into the heavens with his Father.
"And he has given him full power over every name
in the heavens, on earth
and in the depths beneath
so that every tongue shall confess to him
that Jesus Christ is our Lord and God."
It is he whom we believe
and we hope he will soon come again,
to be "judge of the living and dead
who will render each man according to his deeds."
And "he has poured out abundantly his Holy Spirit upon us,"
given as a pledge of our immortality.
Which the Holy Spirit makes us both believers,
obedient "children of God and equal heirs with Christ":
whom we confess and adore,
one God in the most holy named Trinity.

There are a few things we can learn from St. Patrick, and none of it has to do with bad analogies for the Trinity. First, we see the importance of a Trinitarian confession of faith. It was this Trinitarian confession which constituted the essence of Patrick's message which was proclaimed to the Irish people. Second, it shows us how God uses preaching to spread the gospel. So often the church is distracted, trying to act like the world to win converts. But Patrick, one man, simply proclaimed the gospel, and the word was efficacious. If we only preach the word, the Spirit will work through it. There is no need to make the gospel "attractive" with some kind of flashy show. The third thing the story of Patrick teaches us is that the office of the Papacy is not of the essence of the church, and was not viewed that way at this time. Since the founding of the Irish church in the 5th century, and about the 9th century, the Irish church had no connection to the Roman Church.

So why not take this St. Patrick's day to think about the message that Patrick preached? Instead of drinking, think about the glory of the Holy Trinity.

St. Ambrose on Law and Gospel

The following are quotes from St. Ambrose's treatise On Jacob and the Happy Life. This can be found in vol. 65 of CUA Press's The Fathers of the Church series.

"For the man who has been redeemed as a slave has his freedom, and as for the man who has been called as a free man, it is good for him to know that he is a slave of Christ, under whom servitude is safe and freedom secure...For in truth we are all freedmen of Christ, but no one is a free man; we have all been procreated in servitude...Don't you know that the guilt of Adam and Eve sold you into servitude? Don't you know that Christ did not buy you, but bought you back?" (Jacob and the Happy Life Book One, 3.12)

"What do you possess, moreover, that the Lord has not given you? He gave the law; He added His grace. The law denounced sin but in a hazardous situation could not entirely restrain it. For I became aware of sin that I did not know; I became aware that concupiscence was sin, and from the opportunity afforded by this knowledge the wages of sin have piled up. Sin, which before seemed dead by reason of my ignorance, gained a new life in me; but I died under the wound of sin, because the very knowledge of guilt that would help me, so it seemed, did me harm--I knew sin, but could not avoid it. For the knowledge revealed the sin, and, through the good which was that proclamation, it multiplied the malevolence of sin itself. And so I committed sin beyond measure, because it was multiplied by the proclamation of the commandment; guilt grows when it is revealed and precautions are not taken against it. How then is the commandment good, which for me is death? And how is it not death for me? For through the commandment's revealing the good which it symbolizes, sin has worked death in me. Indeed, it is certain that death came to me as long as I knew the sin that I did, just as the Lord Himself says, 'If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin.'"(Jacob and the Happy Life Book One, 4.13)

"In this danger the one remedy is that the grace of God should free the man whom the law could not." (4.16)



"Yet for me it is not death, for I readily flee to Christ, through whom we are freed from every danger of death. Therefore the second proposition has also been settled, because the commandment of the law is not death for me, even though it works death. For we are troubled by reason of frailty, but we escape by reason of Christ." (4.16)

"The Lord Jesus comes to fix our passions to His cross and to forgive our sins. In His death we have been justified, so that the whole world might be made clean by His blood. Indeed, in His death we have been baptized. If, then, sins are forgiven us in His death, let the passions of our sins die in His death, let them be held fast by the nails of His cross. If we have died in His death, why are we called back again to worldly things as if we were alive to them? What have we to do with elements of the world, with desires, with luxury and wanton behavior? We have died to these in Christ. But if we have died in Christ, we have arisen in Christ; therefore let us dwell with Christ, let us seek with Christ the things that are above, not those that are earthly and corruptible. Christ, rising from the dead, left the old man fixed to the cross, but He raised up the new man." (5.17)

"We have died in the flesh, we have been renewed in the spirit. Let us walk in the spirit, because we have received the spirit of Christ. If then Christ is in us, let our flesh be dead by reason of sin, but let our spirit live by reason of justification." (5.17)

"The law did not prevail because it did not mortify the flesh; it passed by like a shadow, because it did not enlighten; it shaded us from the Sun of Justice, because it piled up offenses--therefore it was a hindrance." (5.17)

"We did not keep it; why was the other added to it, when the flesh could not have gained justification in the works of the other? A bond was acquired, not a release; there was added the recognition of sin, but not the forgiveness of it. We all sinned; we were able to present an excuse by way of ignorance--everyone's mouth has been blocked up." (6.20)

"Nevertheless, the law was of help to me. I began to confess what I used to deny, I began to know my sin and not to cover over my injustice. I began to proclaim my injustice to the Lord against myself, and you forgave the iniquities of my heart. But this too is of help to me, that we are not justified by works of the law. Thus I do not have the wherewithal to boast of myself, and so I will glory in Christ. I will not glory because I have been redeemed. I will not glory because I am free of sins, but because sins have been forgiven me. I will not glory because I am profitable or because anyone is profitable to me, but because Christ is an advocate in my behalf with the Father, because the blood of Christ has been poured out in my behalf. My guilt became for me the price of redemption, through which Christ came to me. On account of me, Christ tasted death." (6.21)

"You have died to sin, O man; thus the law is not a hindrance any more. You rise again through grace, and so the law was of help to me because it won grace. You have received also the pledge of the love of Christ, because Christ, who has died for you, is an advocate for you and is saving up the reward gained by His blood. He has reconciled the sinner to the Father." (6.21)

St. Fulgentius of Ruspe

Saint who? It is unfortunate that many of our Patristic forebears have been lost on the contemporary church. Yes, we all know St. Augustine, Jerome, Irenaeus, and Athanasius, but there are several writers who deserve attention that they are not afforded. One such writer is a little known Augustinian theologian known as Fulgentius of Ruspe.

Fulgentius was a North African theologian and bishop who wrote in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. He was known as the "second Augustine", being the most prominent North African theologian since the death of the great bishop of Hippo, and an ardent defender of Augustine's doctrine of grace. The major focus of his works were the discussion of grace and free will against the semi-Pelagians, and upholding catholic Trinitarian theology against Arian sects.



Here are some notable quotes from Fulgentius' surviving works:

"Therefore, in the saints, God crowns justice which he has freely given them, freely preserved for them, and freely perfected in them. The wicked, however, he will condemn for their impiety or injustice, which he did not work in them. For in the former, he glorifies his own works; in the latter, he condemns works that are not his own." To Monimus, Book I, XIII.2

"We have no good works in us unless they come from God." To Monimus, Book I, IX.1

"Thus in whatever age of the present life, any sinner or evil person will be converted to God with his whole heart, he will immediately receive forgiveness for all his past sins." On the Forgiveness of Sins, XVIII, 4

"Therefore, the hearing of his voice now gives life to the dead, when he gives the grace of faith to those who do not believe and those whom he finds evil he makes good; affectionately he justifies sinners; mercifully he saves sinners; kindly he makes the blind see." On the Forgiveness of Sins, X, 3

"For a human being would never receive the grace of salvation from God if the communion of divine and human nature did not remain in the one person in Christ." To Donatus XVI, 25

"Holy Scripture has forewarned each and shown that neither ought we to remain in sin nor to doubt the forgiveness of any sin... For our God is just and merciful and good as he is infinite and unconquered. Accordingly, the goodness of the unconquered is not conquered and the mercy of the infinite knows no bounds." To Venantia, 10

"If God is merciful, he can forgive all sins. A goodness which does not conquer every evil is not a perfect goodness nor is a medicine perfect for which any disease is incurable." To Venantia, 4

If you are interested in reading more from this North African bishop, he works are compiled in Vol. 95 of CUA Press's the Fathers of the Church Series.

Baptism in the Early Church

On today's program I discussed baptismal regeneration and the early church. I went through various Patristic sources to demonstrate that there is a strong doctrine of baptism as a means for the forgiveness of sins and reception of the Holy Spirit in the early church. Here is the program.

St. Augustine on the Law

"A law was not given that could give life, but which might show his sins to the sinner. For the sinner had forgotten himself, and saw not himself; the law was given him, that he might see himself. The law made him guilty, the Lawgiver freed him: for the Law-giver is the Supreme power... There is therefore a law of the mercy of God, a law of the propitiation of God. The one was a law of fear, the other is a law of love. The law of love giveth the forgiveness of sins, blotteth out the past, warneth concerning the future; forsaketh not its companion by the way, becometh a companion to him whom it leadeth on the way." St. Augustine, commentary on Psalm 130:4

The Reformed View of Patristics and Entire Sanctification

On this week's podcast I answered a listener question about how the Reformed view early church history and concluded with a discussion of the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification. Here is the program.

Sola Fide in Patristic Literature

I have had numerous emails and comments about the sources I have recommended for seeing a "Lutheran" doctrine of justification in the Church Fathers. This is an attempt to put together a list of Patristic sources which I think approach a Lutheran doctrine of justification.

I had mentioned on my podcast, two apostolic fathers. First is Clement of Rome, who writes,

"All these, therefore were highly honored and made great, not for their own sake, or for their works, or for the righteousness which they wrought, but through the operation of his will. And we too, being called by his will in Jesus Christ, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men." (I Clement 32)

Second is the anonymous author of the Epistle to Diognetus who clearly teaches imputation of Christ's alien righteousness:

"This was not that he at all delighted in our sins, but that he simply endured them; nor that he approved the time of working iniquity which then was, but that he sought to form a mind conscious of righteousness, so that being convinced in that time of our unworthiness of attaining life through our own works, it should now, through the kindness of God, be vouchsafed to us; and having made it manifest that in ourselves we were unable to enter the kingdom of God, we might through the power of God be made able. But when our wickedness had reached it’s height, and it had been clearly shown that its reward, punishment and death, was impending over us; and when the time had come which God had before appointed for manifesting his own kindness and power, how the one love of God, through exceeding regard for men, did not regard us with hatred nor thrust us away, nor remember our iniquity against us, but showed great longsuffering and bore with us, he himself took on him the burden of our iniquities, he gave his son as a ransom for us, the righteous one for the unrighteous, the incorruptible one for the corruptible, the immortal one for the mortal. For what other thing was capable of covering our sins than his righteousness? By what other thing was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly could be justified, than by the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation! That the wickedness of many should be hidden in a single righteous One, that the righteousness of one should justify the many transgressors." (Chapter IX)

The best resource for the Apostolic Fathers is the translation: Holmes, Michael. The Apostolic Fathers in English (Baker, 2006) The old J.B. Phillips translations in the Schaff ANF series still hold up as well.

I would particularly point to the writings of St. Ambrose. His treatise On Jacob and the Happy Life is very significant in this regard. Look at the following quote for example,

"Nevertheless, the law was of help to me. I began to confess what I used to deny, I began to know my sin and not to cover over my injustice. I began to proclaim my injustice to the Lord against myself, and you forgave the impurities of my heart. But this too is of help to me, that we are not justified by the works of the law. Thus, I do not have the wherewithal to enable me to glory in my own works, I do not have the wherewithal to boast of myself, and so I will glory in Christ. I will not glory because I have been redeemed. I will not glory because I am free from sins, but because sins have been forgiven me. I will not glory because I am profitable or because anyone is profitable to me, but because Christ is an advocate in my behalf with the Father, because the blood of Christ has been poured out in my behalf. My guilt became for me the price of redemption, through which Christ came to me. On account of me, Christ tasted death." (On Jacob and the Happy Life, 133)

This quote is merely a sample of Ambrose's Christ-centered pastoral heart. You will find a lot of talk about justification by faith and the condemnatory use of the law. The English translation of this can be found in: McHugh, Michael P. St Ambrose: Seven Exegetical Works (Washington D.C: Catholic University of America, 1972)

John Chrysostom's commentary on Galatians expounds upon the law/gospel distinction rather clearly. He defines the purpose of the law as follows,

"the Law commands all its precepts to be performed, and punishes the transgressor; therefore we are all dead to it, for no man has fulfilled it. Here observe, how guardedly he assails it; he says not, 'the Law is dead to me' but 'I am dead to the Law', the meaning of which is, that, as it is impossible for a dead corpse to obey the commandments of the Law, so also it is for me who have perished by its curse, for by its word am I slain." (Comments on Galatians 2:19)

He also writes,

"For the Law requires not only Faith but works also, but grace saves and justified by Faith." (Comments on Galatians 3:12)

Speaking of Abraham, Chrysostom states, "And if he who was before grace, was justified by Faith, although plentiful in works, much more are we. For what loss was it for him, not being under the Law? None, for his faith sufficed unto righteousness." (Comments on Galatians 3:6)

Chrysostom's Pauline commentaries can be found in the NPNF series edited by Phillip Schaff. There are numerous editions.

Other works I would point to are Augustine's treatise On the Spirit and the Letter, which demonstrates a pretty clear law/gospel distinction. This work was especially important for Luther, as was the work The Call of All Nations by Prosper of Aquitaine, which I have often referenced.

I will probably do a part two to this post, because there are so many resources that could be referenced. My upcoming book deals only with the Apostolic Fathers, but I would like to write one dealing with Chrysostom and Ambrose, who are two of my favorite writers and preachers.

Ultimately, isolated quotes are not enough. You will have to read the works themselves, look at the context, and place these ideas into the overall theological system of these particular writers. This is what I attempt to do with my work, and hopefully some others will take up the task as well, looking at other early writers who I have not had the time to study.

My Upcoming Book

I just received word from Wipf & Stock that an edited version of my Masters Thesis will be published. The title of the work is The Righteousness of One: An Evaluation of Early Patristic Soteriology in Light of the New Perspective on Paul. I will keep you updated when I get a date for publication.

Chemnitz approved of double predestination?

I was reading through Chemnitz' Loci Theologici, and came across a discussion of Fulgentius of Ruspe's book to Monimus. Fulgentius likely isn't a familiar name, as he is not an oft cited writer. He was a north African bishop in the sixth century who is known primarily for his defense of the Augustinian view of grace against the semi-Pelagians. You can find a one volume translation of some of his works in the Fathers of the Church series by CUA press. I highly recommend it.

On page 328, Chemnitz cites Augustine's affirmation of double predestination and approves of Fulgentius' formulation of the concept. Fulgentius argues that predestination is twofold. First God predestined the elect unconditionally unto salvation. Second God predestines not individuals unto death but the punishment to be given to those who reject the gospel. As Chemnitz writes, "God foreknows the evil intentions and actions of the godless, but he does not predestine them. But he has predestined that the punishment for these sins shall take place with righteous judgment." It is interesting to me that there is precedence in the Lutheran tradition for double predestination. This formulation of double predestination is actually more consistent with the Augustinian tradition than the Reformed are.

The predestinarian tradition does not leave room for a double predestination in the Calvinistic sense of the term. In the late Patristic and medieval period, no one argued for an unconditional predestination unto death. It's easy to read a source which says "double predestination" and assume a later definition of the phrase, but as Chemnitz shows, it is actually consistent with the Lutheran formulation of the concept. The Lutheran tradition is much more Augustinian and catholic than the reformed tradition.

Introduction to Patristic theology

I have been asked quite a few times recently what to read to begin studying the Church fathers. These are a few of the resources that helped me begin to study Patristic theology.

First, I must recommend two essential volumes. One is J.N.D. Kelly's Early Christian Doctrines, and the other is Jeraslov Pelikan's The Christian Tradition vol. 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition. These are really the two standard scholarly introductions to Patristic theology. While I don't always agree, the extensive one volume treatment of such a broad topic remains unsurpassed.

I do not recommend reading the Ancient Christian Commentaries series, nor do I recommend Jurgen's three volume introduction to the fathers. These are commonly recommended resources that I have found less than helpful. Regarding the Ancient Christian Commentary series, I have found that the quotes are selective, and contain no context. A list of Patristic citations often betrays the author's beliefs rather than the father who is being quoted. I also find it somewhat strange that these volumes contain quotes from known heretics such as Pelagius. Jurgen's volumes betray a heavy Roman Catholic bias. The quotes he selects show continuity with later defined Roman Dogmas which are often far from the majority views in the early Christian period.

Rather than reading compilations of Patristic quotes, I would recommend going to the sources themselves. But where should one begin? There are so many volumes out there, it is just about impossible to read them all. I will give you some of my personal favorites, though there is far more out there, and I'm sure others would list different books than I will recommend.

First, I recommend Augustine's Confessions. This is an easy to read (provided you get a modern translation) autobiography that contains numerous great spiritual insights. Most people I have met who have an interest in Patristics began with this book, including myself. Second I recommend reading the apostolic fathers. I would recommend Michael Holmes translation, as a modern English version. This contains the earliest Christian writings. While you may be flat out confused by the Shephard of Hermas, the epistle of I Clement, the Ignatian writings, and the epistle to Diognetus are spiritual gems.

And on to my personal favorites:
Irenaues's On the Apostolic Preaching This is a great introduction to the Christian faith from one of the greatest early Christian writers. http://www.amazon.com/Apostolic-Preaching-Irenaeus-Saint-Bishop/dp/0881411744/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321984147&sr=8-1

Augustine's On the Spirit and the Letter This was one of Luther's favorite writings, as it introduced him to what would be known as the distinction between law and gospel. This can be found in a modern translation in http://www.amazon.com/Answer-Pelagians-Works-Saint-Augustine/dp/1565480929/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1321984376&sr=8-10

Prosper of Aquitaine's The Call of All Nations. This book is quoted in the Augsburg Confession (though attributed to Ambrose) and was often recommended by Luther. It is by far the best book written on the subject of grace and predestination in the first 1500 years of the church. Prosper defends a moderate Augustinianism which defends both the election of grace, and God's universal saving will. http://www.amazon.com/14-St-Prosper-Aquitaine-Christian/dp/0809102536/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321984612&sr=1-1

Ambrose's Patriarchal Treatises, specificall On Jacob and the Happy Life. Ambrose is a brilliant rhetorician, and while often his exegesis is strained, his Christ centered pastoral approach brings out some of the best preaching the church has ever seen. http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Exegetical-Fathers-Church-Paperback/dp/081321355X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321984807&sr=1-2

Finally, so as not to be too overwhelming in my recommendations, I recommend John Chrysostom's Commentary on Galatians. Chrysostom's commentaries follow a grammatical historical approach, much like a modern commentary would. This is a work I have continually come back to for edification and encouragement in my Christian life. This can be found with some of his other excellent commentaries. http://www.amazon.com/NICENE-POST-NICENE-FATHERS-St-Chrysostom-Thessalonians/dp/1602066140/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321985027&sr=1-6

Let me know if this is helpful, or recommend other introductory resources that I may not have come across that you have found useful in Patristic study.