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Lent: Day 5 - Ignatius to the Ephesians

Day Five: St. Ignatius of Antioch: Letter to the Ephesians (full text) Who: Ignatius converted at a young age and later became Bishop of Antioch. A friend of Polycarp and fellow disciple of John, there is a long standing tradition that Ignatius was the child that Jesus held in his arms and blessed in Mark 10:13-16 What: The letter has a strong call to and for unity within the church, along with respect for their bishop. Why: Ignatius wrote a series of letters to the churches in Asia Minor whilst en route to Rome to face martyrdom by wild beasts in the Colosseum around 108 AD. When: Around 107-108 AD There is a strong theme to this letter from the outset, an...

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...

Creedal christians: The Apostle's Creed

...ns-creeds-christian-theology/history-authority-of-the-apostles-creed/ https://blog.faithlife.com/blog/2015/04/the-apostles-creed-its-history-and-origins/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communion_of_saints https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/i-believe-inthe-communion-of-the-saints Tyrannius Rufinus’ Commentary – http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2711.htm Ignatius, Epistle to the Trallians, Chapter 9 – http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.iv.ix.html cf. Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 1 – http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.vii.i.html Justin Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 13 – http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.vii...

The Relationship Between Jesus and Sophia

...log (earlychristiantexts.com) Notes to Elizabeth A. Johnson, She Who Is, The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse, Introduction Proverbs 8:22 and the early Church Fathers Sophia and the Johannine Jesus, Scott, James Martin Clark — Durham e-Theses https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=prov+8%3A22-31%3B+Sirach+24%3A1-22%3B+Wisdom+7%3A21-27&version=NRSV Matthew J. Ramage, Dark Passages of the Bible: Engaging Scripture with Benedict XVI & Thomas Aquinas; (The Catholic University of America Press 2013), p. 30 [Footnotes 14 and 15]...

The Gospel of Jeffrey Dahmer

...There’s a new Netflix documentary out at the moment which has hit the news recently about the infamous serial killer Jeffery Dahmer. I haven’t watched it, but I knew of him as a serial killer though I didn’t realise just how horrific his crimes were until I read the Wikipedia article about him! Not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. But this post isn’t really about Dahmer, not entirely, but rather the reactions to some recent social media posts about him and the (often vitriol) responses they’ve got. Here’s one example: Dahmer is probably in heaven and experiencing eternal joy. If this bothers you, you don’t know the depths of your o...

Is The Rapture Biblical?

...Most people have some idea about what the rapture is – or do they? Generally there is an idea or concept of a form of escapism from the world when Jesus returns, which happens pre, mid or post tribulation and in some connection to the millenium. Now, if you understood any of those terms, you are most likely on, or aware of, the Dispensationalism side of things. There’s a lot of doctrine all bundled together in “end times” beliefs, and a fair bit of speculation around “the rapture” with its timing and logistics etc. which makes the whole thing a but murky, but nonetheless, it’s pretty much taken for granted as a staple belief within the Evangelical...