Learning Theology with the Church Fathers: The Clarity of Scripture

The early church fathers were great theologians--though they did not think of themselves as such. They were working pastors, involved in the daily life and leadership of their congregations. Yet they were wrestling with many of the great and formative questions of the Christian faith, such as the Trinity, the incarnation, the providence of God and the nature of the church. These beliefs were defined in the crucible of spiritual leadership, pastoral care and theological conflict, all set against the background of the great cultural movements and events of their day. For the church fathers, theology was a spiritual exercise woven into the texture of life. What would it be like to sit under the preaching and instruction of these great men, to look over their shoulders as they thought and wrote, or to hear them debate theological issues? Learning Theology with the Church Fathers offers us that experience. With the same insight and love of his subject that he brought to Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, Christopher A. Hall opens the door on patristic theology. Focusing on the great questions, we view these issues in their settings and find greater appreciation for the foundations and architecture of our Christian faith. -- Publisher's description The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture does what very few of today's students of the Bible could do for themselves. With the aid of computer technology, the vast array of writings from the church fathers--including many that are available only in the ancient languages--have been combed for their comment on Scripture. From these results, scholars with a deep knowledge of the fathers and a heart for the church have hand selected material for each volume, shaping, annotating and introducing it to today's readers. Each portion of commentary has been chosen for its salient insight, its rhetorical power and its faithful representation of the consensual exegesis of the early church. Included on this CD-ROM from series editor Tom C. Oden is the full text of all twenty-nine commentaries from the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Arranged canonically, each volume allows the living voices of the church in its formative centuries to speak as they engage the sacred page of Scripture. Now even more accessible in digital format, this series will prove an uncommon companion for theological interpretation, spiritual reading, and wholesome teaching and preaching. Inside you'll find all twenty-nine volumes of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture commentary by the church fathers on all sixty-six books of the Bible and the Apocrypha introductions by world-renowned patristics scholars a money-saving package the new revolutionary Libronix Digital Library System (TM) a free KJV Bible unlockable versions of the Bible, including NASB, NRSV, NLT, RSV and The Message The Essential IVP Reference Collection (unlockable for a fee) a complete user's manual on the CD System requirements: Windows 98 and beyond, Pentium II 350MHz (Pentium III 700MHz recommended), 64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended), CD-ROM drive, 800 x 600 display (1024 x 768 recommended), Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later. For Technical Support, contact LOGOS Tech Support by e-mail at tech@logos.com, by phone (toll-free in the USA) at 1-800-875-6467 or by visiting online at (http://www.logos.com/support) www.logos.com/support . Preface .............................................................................................................................. 9 1 Preparing to Learn Theology with the Church Fathers............................15 2 Christ the Son, Begotten and Not Made....................................................35 3 The Mystery and Wonder of the Trinity ....................................................53 4 Christ Divine and Human............................................................................83 5 On the Holy Spirit ..................................................................................... 101 6 Sin, Grace and the Human Condition ..................................................... 123 7 God’s Transcendent Providence................................................................ 159 8 God’s Wise and Loving Providence.......................................................... 183 9 The Sacred Scriptures................................................................................ 207 10 One Holy, Apostolic Church..................................................................... 225 11 The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting ......................... 249 Notes............................................................................................................................274 General Index ..............................................................................................................305 Scripture Index.............................................................................................................308 Many Christians today long to become reacquainted with their ancient ancestors in the faith. They see a deeper worship and devotion in the prayers and hymns of the early church. And they believe that the writings of the early church can shed new light on their understanding of Scripture. But where and how do we begin? Our first encounter with the writings of the church fathers may seem like visiting a far country where the language, assumptions, concerns and conclusions are completely unfamiliar to us. In Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers Christopher Hall helps us through this cultural confusion, introducing us to the early church, its unique world, and the sights and sounds of Scripture that are highlighted for them. As Hall points out, the ancient fathers hear music in Scripture where we remain tone-deaf. Despite their occasional eccentricities, theirs is a hearing refined through long listening in song, worship, teaching, meditation and oral reading. And like true masters they challenge and correct our modern assumptions as they invite us to tune our ears to hear the divine melodies of the Bible. Reading Scriptue with the Church Fathers is an exceptional guide. Hall provides a warm, winsome, informative and indispensable introcution to who these leaders and scholars were, how they read and interpreted Scripture, and how we might read Scripture with them for all its worth. Note: Because this ebook is file is large, please allow a little extra time to download after purchase. Criticism of myth in the Bible is not a modern problem. Its roots go back to the earliest Christian theologians, and before them, to ancient Greek and Jewish thinkers. The dilemma posed by texts that ascribe human characteristics and emotions to the divine is a perennial problem, and we have much to learn from the ancient attempts to address it. Mark Sheridan provides a theological and historical analysis of the patristic interpretation of Scripture?s anthropomorphic and anthropopathic language for God. Rather than reject the Bible as mere stories, ancient Jewish and Christian theologians read these texts allegorically or theologically in order to discover the truth contained within them. They recognized that an edifying and appropriate interpretation of these stories required that one start from the understanding that "God is not a human being" (Num 23:19). Sheridan brings the patristic tradition into conversation with modern interpreters to show the abiding significance of its theological interpretation for today. Language for God in Patristic Tradition is a landmark resource for students of ancient Christian theology. Wide-ranging in scope and accessible in its analysis, it demonstrates that those engaged in theological interpretation of Scripture have much to gain from studying their forebears in the faith. In Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, Christopher Hall introduces us to the fathers, their world, and the sights and sounds they perceive in the Bible. As Hall points out, the fathers hear music in Scripture where we remain tone-deaf. Despite their occasional eccentricities, theirs is a hearing refined through long listening to the music of Scripture in song, worship, teaching, meditation and oral reading. And like true masters they challenge and correct our modern assumptions as they invite us to tune our ears to hear the divine melodies "Language for God in Patristic Tradition is a landmark resource for students of ancient Christian theology. Wide-ranging in scope and accessible in its analysis, it demonstrates that those engaged in theological interpretation of Scripture have much to gain from studying their forebears in the faith." -- Publisher's website Christopher Hall shows that studying the writings of the leaders of the early church reveals how the Bible was understood in the centuries closest to its writing. He also lays out how modern Christians can benefit from patristic interpretation of Scripture Examines the studies of such Christian concepts and topics as the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, Scripture, and sin and salvation by Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Augustine, Jerome, and other early pastor/theologians. Mark Sheridan, an expert in early Christianity, explores how ancient Christian theologians interpreted Scripture in order to address the problem of attributing human characteristics and emotions to God. Christopher A. Hall offers you the opportunity to study theology and church history under the preaching and instruction of the early church fathers.