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Lent Day 37: Leo the Great: Letter XXVIII (called the "Tome")

...al of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Leo goes through many instances in the New Testament, from the Gospels to Paul's letters, to Old Testament prophecies, to really point out that Jesus was the Word made flesh – and truly flesh, not some deception. If Eutyches had read all these things closely, “then he would not speak so erroneously as to say that the Word became flesh in such a way that Christ, born of the Virgin's womb, had the form of man, but had not the reality of His mother's body”, which sounds a lot like Docetism, the heresy which was around much more a couple of centuries earlier. Instead, and in contrast to this, the commonly accepte...

Melchizedek to Jesus: The Divine Thread of Bread and Wine

...with the Holy Spirit!   Further Reading How was Jesus a sacrifice? | The Sacred Faith: Timeless Truths for Modern Minds What is the significance of the four cups of wine? — Chabad.org Docetism | Theopedia Ignatius of Antioch: Letter to the Smyrnaeans | Patristics.info Ignatius of Antioch: Letter to the Ephesians | Patristics.info Justin Martyr: First Apology | Patristics.info Early Church Fathers Upholding Transubstantiation in Their Own Words — Ascension Press Media Early Church Fathers on the Real Presence in the Eucharist | Bread. (breadtobody.com) The Real Presence — Church Fathers Fathers of the Church on the Eucharist (t...

The Resurrection as a historical event

...Table of Contents Jesus was raised bodily – and historically The resurrection is what makes Christianity unique! Evidence from Paul The mystery of the resurrection The nature of the resurrection The resurrection is more than physical What with Easter still ringing in our ears, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the topic of resurrection, but from a historical standpoint and why we can trust it as a real, world-changing event. So, what really is the resurrection? How will we be resurrected, and what does it mean for us that Jesus rose again? Let’s explore what this means for us as Christians, and see what the Scriptures say. Jesus wa...

Lent: Day 9 - Ignatius to the Philadelphians

...Day Nine: St. Ignatius of Antioch: Letter to the Philadelphians (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: As usual, a general call to remain in unity and heed their bishop. Also to avoid listening to Judaizers who would have them follow the Law. 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 As with the re...

Lent Day 18: Cyprian: On the Unity of the Church: 1-9

...nd of the Holy Spirit, ‘And these three are one’”. Using these verses, he argues that if this unity is “divine strength and coheres in celestial sacraments” can the Church then be separated by opposition? “He who does not hold this unity does not hold God's law, does not hold the faith of the Father and the Son, does not hold life and salvation.” Who, then, is so wicked and faithless, who is so insane with the madness of discord, that either he should believe that the unity of God can be divided, or should dare to rend it--the garment of the Lord-- the Church of Christ? This argument about the garment comes from the robe which Jesus wore at...

Are There Levels of Sin?

..."All sins are equal." "Sin is sin." "All sin is the same in God's eyes." You may have heard these phrases said before (you may even have said them before!). But is all sin really equal? I do, and don't, think so. Let me clarify: All sin is equal in the sense that all illegal activities are crimes; but even crimes have degrees of severity and punishment, and it would seem to me that the New Testament also supports this concept in regards to sin. Lets look at a few examples: If you can blaspheme the Holy Spirit and never be forgiven (Matt 12:31), then it's a sin definitely not on par with others. If being sexually immoral is seen as something to shun more...