Quote of the Week

God doth not need

Either man's work or his own gifts; who best

Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best; his state

Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed

And post o'er land and ocean without rest;

They also serve who only stand and wait.

- John Milton

A Prayer from Gregory of Nyssa

Show me the place of peace,

lead me to the good grass that will nourish me.

Call me by name

so that I, your sheep, hear your voice,

and by your speech give me eternal life.

Answer me, you whom my soul loves.

Church History: Monasticism & the West (4th-6th centuries)

(Click here for the church history series page)

Lecture audio: Monasticism & the West

(click here to listen or right-click to download)

Lecture Notes Outline

Monasticism & the Desert Fathers

Early developments in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, leading to four models:
   1. Antony and eremitic monasticism (solo hermits)
   2. Pachomius and cenobitic monasticism (communal monasteries)
            - The dominant model in the West, following Benedict (6th century)
   3. Chariton and the laura/lavra (blended solo/communal)
   4. Wandering monks (prevalent in Persian & Celtic Christianity)

The Rise of Western Christendom
Western theology – Augustine of Hippo
          - Atonement theology focusing on sin’s legal effects
          - Individual and experiential spirituality
          - Emphasis on God’s sovereignty over against human free will
Western language – Jerome and the rise of Latin
Western church – development of papal supremacy

Photo of the Week

O my soul, on wings ascending,

On the holy mount seek rest,

Let thy fervent praise and prayer

Come before thy Maker there:

Praise the Father, Son, and Spirit,

Praise him, all that life inherit.

- from a hymn by J. O. Wallis

Quote of the Week

"A Christian's freedom from anxiety is not due to some guaranteed freedom from trouble, but to the folly of worry and especially to the confidence that God is our Father, that even permitted suffering is within the orbit of His care."

- John Stott

Podcast Interview

 Hi, folks--I've fallen a bit behind on a few things while preparing for some work as a camp pastor at a local Christian summer camp, so in the meantime here's another podcast conversation about my recent book, Missionary Motivations. It's the "Raw Mission Podcast," produced by the UK branch of Frontiers, which specializes in ministry to the Muslim world. Click on the picture below to be directed to the episode page.

Photo of the Week

Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy.

When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.

Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem,

for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.

- Isaiah 52:8-9

Quote of the Week

"In order to begin living a life that benefits from being lived in accordance with God, you ought to begin here: You should, with indelible memory, and ever mindful of giving it your unceasing attention, recollect for yourself all the things that God, in his love for humanity, has done for you, and all the special dispensations and benefits he is giving you now for the salvation of your soul."

- Mark the Monk (fifth century)

A Prayer from John Donne

Wilt thou forgive that sin, where I begun

which is my sin, though it were done before?

Wilt thou forgive those sins through which I run,

and do run still, though still I do deplore?

When thou hast done, thou hast not done, for I have more.

Wilt thou forgive that sin, by which I won

others to sin, and made my sin their door?

Wilt thou forgive that sin I did shun

a year or two, but wallowed in a score?

When thou hast done, thou hast not done, for I have more.

I have a sin of fear that when I’ve spun

my last thread, I shall perish on the shore;

swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son

shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore.

And having done that, thou hast done, I fear no more.

Church History: Of Heresies and Councils (4th-5th centuries)

(Click here for the church history series page)

Lecture audio: Of Heresies and Councils

(click here to listen or right-click to download)

Lecture Notes Outline:

Arianism’s Assault on the West
     - Imperial-backed Arianism resurgent in Italy in the 380s
     - Ambrose of Milan defends the orthodox faith
     - Arianism continues to spread through invading Goths

Alexandria, Antioch, and the Nature of Christ
     -  Alexandria – spiritually-oriented Christianity, emphasizing Christ’s divine nature
               - Alexandria’s major orthodox influence - Athanasius
     - Antioch – practically-oriented Christianity, emphasizing Christ’s human nature
               - Antioch’s major orthodox influence – John Chrysostom
     - An Alexandrian heresy – Apollinarianism (late 4th century)
               - Christ has a divine soul in a human body
     - An Antiochian heresy – Nestorianism (early 5th century)
               - Christ has completely separate divine and human natures, without union (two natures in two hypostases)
     - Council of Ephesus (431) – the Third Ecumenical Council
               - Cyril of Alexandria
               - The first great schism: the Antioch-influenced Church of the East
     - An Alexandrian heresy – Eutychianism (mid-5th century)
               - Christ has a united nature in which the human is subsumed in the divine (one nature in one hypostasis)
               - The “Robber Council” of Ephesus (449)
     - Council of Chalcedon (451) – the Fourth Ecumenical Council
               - Chalcedonian definition: Christ has two complete natures—divine and human—not mixed in any way, but inseparably united in one person (two natures in one hypostasis)
               - Monophysite/Miaphysite rejection
               - The second great schism: the Alexandria-influenced Oriental Orthodox Churches (Coptic, Ethiopian, Syriac/Jacobite, and Armenian)

Photo of the Week

Lead me through the fields of sunshine and the pastures green;

On Thy arms of love and mercy, let me ever lean.

Lead me, lead me, O Thou blessèd One;

Lead me, lead me, lead me gently on.

- from a hymn by Henry H. Tilson

Quote of the Week

"Be constantly committed to prayer or to reading [Scripture]; by praying, you speak to God, in reading, God speaks to you."

- Cyprian of Carthage