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The Two Babylons Exposed: The Book That Misled Millions

Over The years, I’ve encountered many Christians who’ve quoted from Alexander Hislop’s The Two Babylons as if it were a solid historical resource. The book claims that The Roman Catholic Church is not truly Christian but raTher a continuation of ancient Babylonian religion. It’s self-assured and sweeping, and for many people, it seems to explain everything, from Marian devotion to Lent and Easter, to Christmas, as rooted in paganism. But is it accurate? In short: no, it really isn’t. Hislop’s work is a classic example of 19th-century pseudohistory — a polemical piece, written to prove a point, not to explore any historical truth. Flawed Meth...

Lent Day 23: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 21-30

Day Twenty-three: St. Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 21-30 Who: Bishop of Alexandria; Confessor and Doctor of The Church; born c. 296; died 2 May, 373 AD. He was The main defender of orthodoxy in The 4th-century battle against The Arianism heresy. Certain writers received The title “Doctor” on account of The great advantage Their doctrine had on The whole Church, Athanasius especially for his doctrine on The incarnation. What: The biography of Anthony The Great’s life, which helped to spread The concept of Christian monasticism, particularly in Western Europe. Why: From The letter’s own prologue: “The life and conversation of our holy FaTher...

Lent Day 35: Ambrose of Milan: Concerning The Mysteries: 1-4

Day Thirty-five: St. Ambrose of Milan: Concerning The Mysteries: 1-4 Who: Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397; born probably 340, at Trier, Arles, or Lyons; died 4 April, 397. He was one of The most illustrious FaThers and Doctors of The Church. What: The treatise was composed for use during The latter part of Lent, for The benefit of those about to be baptised, The rites and meaning of that Sacrament, as well as of Confirmation and The Holy Eucharist. For all These matters were treated with The greatest reserve in The Early Church, for fear of being misused by unbelievers. Why: Ambrose states that after The explanations he has already given of holy living (in pr...

40 Days with The FaThers: Companion Texts OUT NOW!

40 Days with The FaThers: Companion Texts is now available to buy as Paperback or Kindle! I am happy to say that The new book is now available in paperback and Kindle format on Amazon! OTher eBook formats will be available soon as it rolls out. This book is The companion to my oTher book (40 Days with The FaThers: A Daily Reading Plan), and includes twenty-three Early Church texts in full—including all additional footnotes from The original editors and translators so that you can get as close as possible to reading These ancient texts without needing to know ancient Greek or Latin. It's structured in such a way to read a chapter a day over a 40 day period...

Lent: Day 17 - Justin Martyr: First Apology: Chaps. 60-68

Day Seventeen: St. Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 60-68 Who: Justin Martyr was a Philosopher who converted to Christianity and became a tireless evangelist and apologist. Justin wrote more Christianity than any oTher person prior to his time. He is classified herein as Eastern, since he a native of Samaria and his thought patterns were Eastern. However, he spent The last years of his life in Rome, where he was executed as a martyr (c. 165). What: An apologetic (defence) essay to explain what Christians believe and do. Why: Justin is demanding The Emperor to investigate accusations and unjust persecution against Christians so that They at least may fac...

BOOK REVIEW: Four Views on Hell 2nd edition

This is a guest post by David Jakubovic. The views are that of The author and don't necessarily reflect The views of That Ancient Faith. A 20 year update of The 1996 book by The same name, this slim volume (211 pages) is a helpful cross-section of current evangelical thought on Final Punishment, sampling Denny Burk on Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT hereafter), John Stackhouse Jr on Conditional immortality (CI hereafter), Robin Parry on Christian Universalism (CU hereafter) and Jerry Walls on (a Protestant) Purgatory. Preston Sprinkle pens both Introduction and Conclusion, plus There are Scripture, Author and Subject indices. The Introduction sets The scene,...