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Lent Day 19: Cyprian: On the Unity of the Church: 10-18

...this, to ensure full unity within the Church body, Cyprian then says that when Jesus “gave the law of prayer”, he made sure to add a prerequisite, so that everyone who asks of God, may be required to live in unity with one another if they expect to be heard. This is why in Mark 11:25, Jesus says, when “you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone” because then God “calls back from the altar one who comes to the sacrifice in strife, and bids him first agree with his brother, and then return with peace and offer his gift to God”, therefore requiring unity and peace with one another at all times. Stronger still, Cyprian goes further...

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

...faith to ensure sound teaching is passed on and understood by all to affirm that Christ has two natures, human and divine, united in the one divine Person of the Son of God. When 3 June, 449 AD You can find today’s reading on page 182 here: lentfatherscomplete.pdf   Today's reading is a defence of the faith against certain things that a priest called Eutyches was teaching, written by Pope Leo I. Eutyches was speaking against the teaching of the Archbishop of Constantinople, Nestorius, who said that the human experiences of Christ were only part of the ‘the man’ which was distinct from the ‘God the Word’ part of Jesus. To combat this, Eutyches w...

Why Read The Early Church Fathers?

...formed to ensure that the truth of God doesn't get lost, diluted or warped for selfish gain. We owe much to these men of God and can still learn a great deal from them, as they still speak to us today as part of that great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us (Heb 12:1). This is an excerpt from the introduction to my new book. You can read more from the Early Church Fathers in my new book, 40 Days with the Fathers: A Journey Through Church History, which is available now on Amazon. See lukejwilson.com for more details and to begin your journey through the first four centuries of the Church!  ...

Jesus, Mithras and Ancient Roman Cults: Separating Fact from Fiction

...rces that ensure the Earth’s fertility. The name comes from the Greek word tauroktonos (ταυροκτόνος) meaning “bull killing”. This act represents Mithras’ divine intervention in the natural world as the blood from the bull was believed to release life-giving forces, ensuring the Earth’s fertility and the continuation of life. Jesus, in contrast, is known for his teachings of love, compassion, and forgiveness. His miracles, such as healing the sick, command over nature and turning water into wine, demonstrate his divine power and connection to God as Lord and creator of the world. Another key difference is the fact that women were excluded fr...

The Battle for the Trinity: Historical Heresies and Church Defences

...man. This ensures that Jesus is fully God and fully man, capable of bridging the gap between humanity and divinity. Patristic Quote: Cyril of Alexandria emphasised the unity of Christ: “Wherefore we confess one Christ, one Son, one Lord. According to this understanding of this unmixed union, we confess the holy Virgin to be Mother of God; because God the Word was incarnate and became Man, and from this conception he united the temple taken from her with himself.” (Cyril of Alexandria Letter to John of Antioch). Docetism What It Taught: Docetists believed that Jesus’ physical body was an illusion and that He only seemed to suffer and die on the cross...

The Temptations of Jesus: Pride

...o try and ensure that we are aware of the escape that God has given us, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 10:13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. What about Jesus in the desert then? You might think that he was beyond these things and temptation couldn’t touch him. In some ways that’s true; he was fully in tune and in the will of his Father that he sets the example for us, and what we can achieve. But at the same time, he has “in every respect has been...