Paulinus was tagged as the most promising poet of his generation—by the most famous poet of the preceding generation. He was supposed to carry the torch forward for his art. And he did, but not in the way the old school had wanted or expected. Instead he fashioned a new esthetic for the empire, a deeply Christian appropriation of the old classical forms. Along the way, he formed a religious community and then served as bishop. LINKS Letters Of St. Paulinus Of Nola https://archive.org/details/let...
Jul 14, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 43
No sane person ever proposed John Chrysostom as a model of diplomacy. His name means "Golden Mouth" and reflects his eloquence. His words, however, proved his undoing when he chose to preach a word of criticism against the Empress Eudoxia. He soon found himself battling for his position as bishop and then for his life. LINKS Works by John Chrysostom https://www.catholicculture.org/search/searchResults.cfm?querynum=1&searchid=2126796&page=1&showcount=10 Letters to Olympias https://www...
Jun 30, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Chrysostom means "golden mouth," and only one man has credibly borne the title. John Chrysostom may have been the greatest pulpit preacher in Church history. In his lifetime he was also renowned for his asceticism and spiritual counsel In recent years, however, he's been maligned — and mischaracterized — for his views on marriage and sex. Here we set the record straight with an account of his developing understanding of the one-flesh union and its particular graces. LINKS Works by John Chrysosto...
Jun 16, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 41
When Augustine's story is told, it too often ends with his baptism. But the drama of his later years is no less moving. He was as introspective at the end as he had been in his Confessions decades before. He gave his life and work a thoroughgoing review, even as he produced what many consider his masterpiece. His City of God marked the close of an age and the twilight of a brilliant life. LINKS Works by St. Augustine on Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/audio...
May 25, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 40
The drama of Augustine's life hardly ended with his baptism. The years that followed included his ordination-by-mob, an attempt on his life, and wars of words with at least four major heresies. His years were breathless adventure and busyness, and yet they yielded 44 volumes of work that continues to exercise a profound influence—no only on Christian theology, but on civilization. This is the second of three episodes on his life. LINKS Works by St. Augustine on Catholic Culture Audiobooks https:...
May 12, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Augustine of Hippo is a name that appears on any short list of the most influential intellectuals in the history of the world. He seemed to live several productive lifetimes in the course of his own. In this first of three episodes on Augustine, we examine his early years — from his childhood through his conversion to Christ at age 31. We also consider the profound influence of his mother, Monica. LINKS Works by St. Augustine on Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://www.catholicculture.org/comment...
Apr 28, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Jerome is renowned for his biblical studies and translations, The Church invokes him as Doctor, Father, and Saint. Yet he is just as famous for his sharpness in dispute. He clashed with Augustine and Rufinus, disdained Ambrose and Chrysostom. His put-downs stand with the best of Mark Twain and Groucho Marx. Links Justin McClain's splendid collection, The Quotable Saint Jerome, https://www.amazon.com/Quotable-Saint-Jerome/dp/0813233216/ J.N.D. Kelly's biography, Jerome: His Life, Writings, and Co...
Apr 14, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Didymus lost his sight at age four, and yet he became one of the most respected theologians on earth. This was in the fourth century, more than a millennium before Braille, audio tech, or other accommodations. Among his renowned disciples were Jerome, Rufinus, and Palladius. His life was long and full, intensely engaged in the controversies surrounding the doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation. His story should inspire anyone who hears it. And the story isn't over yet. Links Jerome tells the ...
Mar 25, 2021•13 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Epiphanius was a master of many languages and a scholar of profound biblical culture. He had a passion for pure doctrine—and a pure loathing for error in all its forms. He labored through a long life to root heresy out of the Church. He distrusted classical literature because of the taint of idolatry. He compiled a reference work he called his "Medicine Chest," diagnosing erroneous doctrines as "snakebites" and then prescribing cures from the pharmacy of true doctrine. In pursuing clarity, he fo...
Mar 11, 2021•14 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Cyril served as bishop during ugly times. The Church was divided, and suspicion was universal. He suffered false accusation, conspiracy, and exile. Yet he was able to see supernatural beauty shining through natural signs in the Church's liturgy: bread and wine, oil and water, breath and gesture. He is history's great practitioner of the art of mystagogy—guidance in the sacramental mysteries. His lectures, in fact, cover all the basics of Christian life: creed, commandments, prayer, and sacrament...
Feb 24, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Ambrose of Milan, more than any other figure, is invoked in the West as the model for church-state relations. He's the one who said: "The emperor is within the Church, not above the Church." And he said it with deeds as well as words. He said it in private letters and public demonstrations. He said it through direct confrontation and civil disobedience. A former politician himself, he had a keen understanding of the game—and in the late fourth century the stakes were very high. Links Ambrose, Se...
Feb 11, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 33
There's no anti-Christian like an ex-Christian, and there was no figure in antiquity like the Emperor Julian. He promoted the return of paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire. But it was a strange paganism, modeled on the Christian Church. Julian began by making it difficult for Christians to work in professions like education, law, and military. His methods were mostly bloodless. He knew that martyrs made Christianity strong. It was better he thought, to marginalize believers, ne...
Jan 27, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Gregory of Nyssa was born into a family of high achievers. His brother was Basil the Great; his sister was Macrina the Younger. In Gregory's young life, however, he was something of a disappointment. It's not that he was a sinner or unbeliever, but he seemed to lack the holy ambition and drive that were characteristic of his older siblings. Basil often reprimanded him as a bumbler. But at Basil's death Gregory came into his own and suddenly emerged a major player on the world scene—a master of s...
Jan 12, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 31
All Gregory wanted was a quiet place where he could relax with his books and a few close friends. From young adulthood he believed God was calling him to the contemplative life, and to old age he never lost that sense. But history kept dragging him into its current. First, his father (a bishop) coerced him into ordination to the priesthood. Then his closest friend, Basil the Great, pressured him to be ordained a bishop. Both times he put up little resistance, but later resented the actions as vi...
Dec 28, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 30
History calls him "Basil the Great," and his greatnesses were many. He was a brilliant theologian; and anyone today who writes about tradition or the Holy Spirit must engage his works, which are foundational in the field. He also produced some of the earliest sustained reflections on the social order implicit in the Gospel. But he didn't just think about these things. He did something about them. As bishop he was a model administrator, marshaling the resources of Christians in order to build a "...
Dec 09, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 29
As a theological poet, he is peerless but for Dante. Yet Ephrem's fame rests not only on his words, but also on his heroic deeds. He lived almost his entire life in a war zone. He helped invent the hospital and the women's choir. He served tirelessly in times of famine and natural disaster—and he died caring for the sick during a pandemic. More than 500 of his hymns have survived into our time. Links Free audiobook readings of St. Ephrem's hymns https://www.catholicculture.org/search/search.cfm?...
Nov 24, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Aphrahat is known in the tradition as "the Persian Sage." He is the first Father in our series to live, geographically and culturally, outside the Roman Empire. Born in the late third century in the Persian Empire, he flourished amid persecution. Aphrahat is the earliest prominent witness to Syriac Christianity. He wrote in a dialect of Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus. He maintained close contact with Judaism and demonstrated a profound knowledge of Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish customs. He...
Nov 10, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 27
He is often called the Athanasius of the West, and the two men had much in common. They defended the Council of Nicaea and opposed the emperor ... and suffered exile for their trouble. But Hilary's approach to controversy differed from that of Athanasius. He listened to his opponents, read their works, and found common ground when he could. When he couldn't, he was able to address their concerns clearly and directly. He was even willing to work with heretics as they opposed more radical heresies...
Oct 28, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Every Christian historian or history buff is dependent upon the work of Eusebius of Caesarea. He didn't invent Church history, but his writings made it a serious discipline. He was the first to attempt a comprehensive, universal history of Christianity. He wanted his account to be the official story. Yet in his own lifetime he showed the perils and ironies of living within history. He did this by aiding and abetting true villains and assisting in the persecution of saints and heroes. Links Euseb...
Oct 14, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 25
The world awoke to find itself heretic, but one man would not accept the situation. Athanasius stood fast against emperors, bishops, and even synods of bishops. Ordained as a young man, he lived to reign as bishop for 45 years. But 17 of those years he spent in exile. He was exiled five times at the orders of four different emperors. Athanasius became symbolic—the face of the Council of Nicaea, with its creed and its special word: "consubstantial." As the fortunes of Nicaea waxed and waned, Atha...
Sep 23, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Alexander can't say he wasn't warned. His predecessor as bishop of Alexandria, Peter, had told him not to trust Arius. But Alexander ignored the advice. Then Arius went into open rebellion, and then his heresy spread throughout the world. And then Alexander had to act decisively, arguing strongly against the Arian heresy and prevailing at the Council of Nicaea in 325. Links St. Alexander of Alexandria, Letter to the Bishop of Constantinople https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers...
Sep 11, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Through one man's witness, monasticism took the world by storm. Anthony of Egypt became history's least probable celebrity. He gave up his money and possessions. He couldn't read or write. He fled to the desert to be alone with God. Yet he drew disciples wherever he went. His desert became a city populated by monks and hermits. Philosophers and emperors sought his sage advice. In the course of his life he exercised a profound influence on the history of religion. Links St. Athanasius, Life of St...
Aug 26, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 22
He was the greatest rhetorician in the Latin-speaking world. Born in North Africa, Lactantius was summoned to serve at the imperial court. He converted to Christianity and, with the persecution of Diocletian, lost his job and lived in poverty. He continued writing to strengthen the faithful. With the rise of Constantine and the legalization of Christianity, he was restored to glory. In his writings we have a unique eyewitness account of one of history's most important transitional moments. Links...
Aug 12, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 21
It's hard to be an intelligent Christian without somehow handling Origen's ideas. He set the ground rules for scientific study of the Bible. He wrote foundational works in spirituality, apologetics, and fundamental theology. In this episode, we look at those big accomplishments, but also examine the ideas that got him into trouble. Do souls exist before they get bodies? Does Satan get saved in the end? Does allegory trump history when we read the Bible? And did Origen really say all these things...
Jul 24, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Origen of Alexandria was one of the most important figures in Christian antiquity—most brilliant and most productive—yet also one of the most complicated. He was widely influential and widely despised. He was praised for his accomplishments and blamed for disasters. He wrote thousands of books and invented several academic disciplines, including scientific biblical studies, fundamental theology, and spiritual theology. Toward the end of life he endured tortures rather than deny the faith; and he...
Jul 08, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 19
He was a believer for little more than a decade, but in that time he managed to set one of the pre-eminent examples of Christian leadership. Before his conversion, Cyprian had lived the Carthaginian dream. He was wealthy and successful, but miserable and maybe addicted to drink and other pleasures. With his baptism came a transformation. Within a year he was ordained a priest. In two years he was bishop over all of North Africa. His years in office were a time of unprecedented crisis. His Church...
Jun 24, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 18
He started as a papal critic, became history's first antipope, and today is honored — with the pope he rejected — as a saint whose feast day is universal. Go figure. Hippolytus of Rome is one of the great curiosities of early Christian history. In ancient times he was known for his encyclopedic books of theology, which became standard reference works in the centuries to follow. The Church revived his Mass prayers in the last century, and they're still in use today. Links The Refutation of All He...
Jun 10, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Alexandria, in Egypt, was the intellectual capital of the Greco-Roman world, and as the second century turned to the third it emerged as an influential center of Christian thought. Its first impression was spectacular — and it all came from a teacher named Clement. He was a seeker after truth, and had traveled the Mediterranean to study under the greatest Christian teachers. He settled in Alexandria, the site of a newly founded school, and eventually he came to lead the school. Several of Clemen...
May 27, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Perpetua of Carthage is almost unique in the literature of her time. She is a woman and a writer. Over the course of centuries, traditional Greco-Roman culture produced very few female writers. Nor did ancient literature bother much with the particular concerns of women. So Perpetua stands out as a witness to women's experience in the third century—and the changed status of women in the Church. A Christian martyr, she kept a diary while in jail. The diary records ordinary details, such as visits...
May 13, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 15
https://www.catholicculture.org/Criteria https://www.facebook.com/groups/CatholicPods/
May 11, 2020•1 min
