5.18 St. Albert the Great: The Miracle of His Time
Way of the Fathers
St. Albert the Great (1206-1280) mastered every field of study available to him, from astronomy to zoology. He was called the “miracle of his time,” not because he performed miracles, but because he was considered an authority - on the level of St. Augustine and Peter Lombard - even within his own lifetime. He was the mentor and teacher of a more famous doctor of the Church: St. Thomas Aquinas. Links For a great conversation about Peter Lombard’s Sentences, check out this article, The Most Influential Theology Book Nobody Reads: For the background on Pseudo-Dionysius, listen to...
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5.17 St. Albert the Great: Universal Doctor
Way of the Fathers
St. Albert the Great (1206-1280) was one of the real geniuses of the middle ages, and was the teacher and mentor of St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Albert had mastered virtually every field of study available to him, and he is one of the most important bridges between ancient and medieval philosophy. Links For a complete, unbiased, and very accessible overview of the Crusades, see the book God’s Battalions by Rodney Stark: SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: DONATE at: Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: Dr. Papandrea’s book on ROME is revised and updated for the...
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5.16 St. Anthony of Padua: Hammer of Heresy
Way of the Fathers
St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) is actually called the Hammer of Heretics, but the truth is that even in his uncompromising critiques of heresy, he had compassion for those who were led astray by the heresies, and he refused to engage in the personal attacks and name-calling that are so prevalent in apologetics, even among some other saints. So his homiletical hammer, as it were, was aimed more at the heresies than at the heretics. Listen in to find out why he's also the patron of people who have lost something. Links For more on how the Church fathers interpreted Scripture, see Reading...
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5.15 St. Anthony of Padua: Doctor of the Gospel
Way of the Fathers
St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) is called the Doctor of the Gospel, or the Evangelical Doctor, because he is known as both an expert in biblical interpretation, as well as one of the greatest preachers the Church has ever produced. Links SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: DONATE at: Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage: Dr. Papandrea’s YouTube channel, The Original Church: Dr. Papandrea’s book on ROME is revised and updated for the Jubilee year: ROME: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Eternal City - Second Edition: Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of...
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5.14 The Music of St. Hildegard of Bingen w/ Margot Fassler
Way of the Fathers
St. Hildegard of Bingen, 12th-century abbess, mystic, polymath, and Doctor of the Church, is best known to non-Catholics for something else – her music. We have more pieces of music by Hildegard than by any other medieval composer whose name we know. Her chants are beautiful, otherworldly, virtuosic and ahead of their time. Some of them were written for her morality play, the Ordo virtutum, which is also the first of its kind. Thomas Mirus (producer of Way of the Fathers and host of the Catholic Culture Podcast) interviews musicologist Margot Fassler about what makes St. Hildegard’s music...
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5.13 St. Hildegard of Bingen: Teutonic Prophetess
Way of the Fathers
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a mystic, an anointed prophet, a reformer, theologian, poet, teacher, and preacher. Over eight centuries ago, she wrote, “Today the Catholic faith is in a state of agitation, on a global scale. The gospel limps its way around the world; the early Church fathers, who wrote so well, are ignored; people are apathetic; they refuse to read and taste the nourishment in the Scriptures.” Links To get a sense of what the Cathars were all about, here’s the Way of the Fathers episode on gnosticism: Carmen Acevedo Butcher’s Hildegard of Bingen: A Spiritual...
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5.12 St. Hildegard of Bingen: Multimedia Visionary
Way of the Fathers
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a visionary, teacher, Abbess, composer, theologian, painter, and the first woman in history to be given papal approval to preach in public. Four centuries before the emergence of the “Renaissance Man,” there was Hildegard of Bingen. Usually known mostly for her music (and rightfully so) there is so much more to this medieval mystic. Links To get a sense of what the Cathars were all about, here’s the Way of the Fathers episode on gnosticism: Playlist of Hildegard’s Music on YouTube: Margot Fassler’s Cosmos, Liturgy, and the Arts in the Twelfth...
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5.11 St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Arbiter of Christendom
Way of the Fathers
St. Bernard of Claivaux (1090 - 1153 AD) was the founder of the Cistercians, a reform order of the Benedictines, and was one of the Church’s true mystics. He opposed the “intentionalism” of the heretic Peter Abelard with his quip: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” He also opposed an anti-pope, corrected a king, brokered peace in Europe, and had to nuance the doctrine of “just war” in the face of Christian losses in the Crusades. Links Check out this article on St. Barnard of Clairvaux and the Active Life: Here’s the Classics of Western Spirituality volume...
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5.10 St. Bernard of Clairvaux: The Mellifluous Doctor
Way of the Fathers
St. Bernard of Claivaux (1090 - 1153 AD) was born to be a knight, and grew up in a castle, but he chose to be a different kind of knight - a true prayer warrior - and he supported the invention of the Christian knight by endorsing the Knights Templar. He would be the founder of the Cistercians, a reform order of the Benedictines. He was a strong advocate of devotion to Our Lady, and of orthodox doctrine, and he would turn down the office of bishop in six different cities. Listen in to find out what “mellifluous” means! Links SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter: DONATE...
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5.9 St. Anselm of Canterbury: Father of Scholasticism
Way of the Fathers
St. Anselm (1033 - 1109 AD) was Abbot of the monastery of Bec, and later, Archbishop of Canterbury. He was the first of the medieval scholastics, and the first real systematic theologian. His treatise, Cur Deus Homo brought together biblical and patristic themes related to salvation and the atonement to provide the Church with a comprehensive (up to that point) teaching on the Incarnation and the Atonement, known as the Satisfaction Theory of Atonement. Links To read Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo online: To read several of the most important works of St. Anselm, get the book Anselm of...
info_outlineThe 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: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1656&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2421225
To read Athenagoras’ On the Resurrection of the Dead: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1657&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2421225
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on Justin Martyr: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/justin-martyr-everything-good-is-ours/
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on Melito of Sardis: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-11-melito-and-parting-ways/
To listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode on Minucius Felix: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-11-minucius-felix-and-great-novel-antiquity/
For a short explanation of the word “consubstantial,” see the video: “What Does Consubstantial Mean?”: https://youtu.be/P9SGuaN-xjU?si=VaB4U3n6pZVdxsHp
For more on Athenagoras and the other apologists in the context of the history of the early Church, 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 more on the doctrine of the Trinity in the early Church, see the book: Trinity 101: Father, Son, Holy Spirit: https://www.liguori.org/trinity-101.html
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 conversation in 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/