5.2 St. Bede the Venerable: Monk and Scholar
Way of the Fathers
In this episode, the first in our series on the Doctors of the Church, Dr. Papandrea introduces you to St. Bede the Venerable (c. 673–735 AD). He lived in a Benedictine monastery from the age of seven, and he wrote the first scholarly history of England and its conversion to Christianity. He is considered the “Father of English History” and the patron saint of historians Links SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: DONATE at: Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: To ask questions, make comments, or interact with Dr. Papandrea, join the conversation in the Original Church...
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5.1 The Doctors of the Church–Introduction
Way of the Fathers
With this episode, we begin our new series on the Doctors of the Church. What is a Doctor of the Church? Are all Doctors also saints? What makes a person a Doctor of the Church? All these questions, and more, will be answered, as well as some hints at what you can expect from this series. Get ready to sample the fruit of some of the greatest minds the Church has ever produced! Links To listen to our episode 4.13 on Pelagianism: SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: DONATE at: Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: To ask questions, make comments, or interact with Dr....
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St. Boethius: Church Father and Medieval Scholar
Way of the Fathers
St. Severinus Boethius was a man with one foot in the ancient world and one foot in the middle ages. He is another one of our lesser-known fathers who were anything but forgotten among the medieval scholastics. In this episode, Dr. Papandrea introduces another enigmatic but highly influential Church father. This is the last episode of our interim series on “Forgotten Fathers” - the next episode of The Way of the Fathers will introduce us to the Doctors of the Church, and begin our new series on the Doctors. Links If you need a refresher on Arianism, listen to episode 4.11 in our series on...
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Who Was Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite?
Way of the Fathers
Whenever you see “Pseudo-“ in front of a name like this, it means we don’t really know who the person was. This Church father wrote under the name of Dionysius the Areopagite, a convert of St. Paul mentioned in the book of Acts. But the documents attributed to him were written hundreds of years later. Nevertheless, this unknown pseudonymous author was hugely influential for some of the most important fathers and doctors of the Church. The medieval scholastics and mystics found these writings especially inspiring. Links To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on other anonymous Church...
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Egeria the Pilgrim and the Stations of the Cross
Way of the Fathers
Egeria (or Etheria) was a woman who embarked on a three-year pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in the late fourth century. From her “pilgrimage diary” (actually fragments from her letters to her “sisters” back in Spain) we learn much about liturgy in Jerusalem. There we can see the beginnings of the lectionary, and the seeds of the Stations of the Cross. In this episode, Dr. Papandrea also talks about the history of the spiritual discipline of pilgrimage itself. Links To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on the city of Jerusalem, Episode 3.2: To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode...
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Rufinus of Aquileia and the Apostles’ Creed
Way of the Fathers
Rufinus is mostly known as the translator of Origen, and the opponent of St. Jerome in the controversy over Origen. But he also wrote an important commentary on the Apostles’ Creed, which is on Dr. Papandrea’s list of “state of the art documents,” patristic works that succinctly showcase the state of the development of doctrine at the time they were written. Links To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episodes on Origen, Episode 19: and Episode 20: To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on Jerome, Episode 37: To read Jerome’s Letter to Rufinus of Aquileia: To read Rufinus’ Apology...
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Pope St. Stephen and the Sacraments
Way of the Fathers
After the controversies in the mid-third century, in the aftermath of the persecution of the emperor Decius and the schism of Novatian, Pope St. Stephen was instrumental in clarifying the Church’s theology of the sacraments of Baptism and Penance and Reconciliation. What is required for a valid baptism? What is the solution for falling away into mortal sin? Who may offer the absolution of the Church and by what authority? Are confession and penance to be done publicly, or privately? Should we rebaptize Protestants coming into the Catholic Church? What if I “backslide”? Should I get...
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Father Caius and the Tomb of St. Peter
Way of the Fathers
Caius was a priest in Rome, in the third century. He wrote that if one comes to Rome, one can visit the shrines at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul. These tombs had been known and visited since the apostle’s deaths, and are known to this day - they are in the same place where Caius knew them. The tomb of St. Paul is directly under the main altar of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which was built on the site of the first memorial chapel, which was itself built on the site of the original shrine. The tomb of St. Peter is directly under the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in...
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Athenagoras the Athenian: Apology Not Accepted
Way of the Fathers
The early Christian apologist Athenagoras may not be as famous as some of the other Church fathers, but he’s a great example of someone who started out as an apologist against Christianity, but when he actually learned what the apostles and the Church taught, he was converted. He teaches us about the doctrines of the Trinity, and the Resurrection. Links To read Athenagoras’ A Plea for the Christians: To read Athenagoras’ On the Resurrection of the Dead: To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on Justin Martyr: To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on Melito of Sardis: To listen...
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Papias of Hierapolis and the Book of Revelation
Way of the Fathers
In the first episode of an interim series on lesser known fathers, Dr. Papandrea introduces one of the “apostolic fathers,” Papias of Hierapolis. We only have fragments of his writings, but those fragments started a controversy over the authorship of the book of Revelation and the Johannine letters. Papias is a good example of how the Church fathers, as individuals, were not right about everything - Papias was wrong in his methodology for interpreting the Book of Revelation, among other things, but he gives us some important clues into the authorship and writing of the Gospels. Links To...
info_outlineIn the aftermath of the persecutions, controversies arose over the sacraments, which required clarification of the Church’s sacramental theology. Out of those controversies, new schisms emerged which had a correct understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity, but incorrect understandings of ecclesiology (the doctrine of the Church) and incorrect understandings of what makes a sacrament valid and effective. The significance of these schisms cannot be overstated, since it is still true to this day that the practice of rebaptism is one of the most prevalent acts of schism against the universal Church, and one of the greatest barriers to unity.
Links
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 18 on Cyprian of Carthage: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-18-short-happy-life-cyprian-carthage/
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode 39 (the 2nd of 3) on Augustine of Hippo & the controversies: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/39augustine-part-2-mob-made-bishop-makes-his-mark/
To read the anonymous document On Rebaptism: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1729&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2390688
To read St. Augustine’s treatise, On Baptism, Against the Donatists: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3294&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2390773
To read St. Augustine’s letter, The Correction of the Donatists: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3296&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2390689
For more on the controversy surrounding the third and fourth century schisms and the implications for the Sacraments, see the book:
Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/
For all the details on Novatian, see the book: Novatian of Rome and the Culmination of Pre-Nicene Orthodoxy: https://wipfandstock.com/9781606087800/novatian-of-rome-and-the-culmination-of-pre-nicene-orthodoxy/
SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/
DONATE at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio
To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube - The Original Church: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch
Join the Original Church Community on Locals: https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/
Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: http://www.jimpapandrea.com
Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed: https://www.ccwatershed.org/