Way of the Fathers

The last of the classic councils was, like so many of the others, a comic production worthy of the Marx Brothers—and simultaneously a tragedy worthy of Tolstoy. In the eighth-century run-up to the Second Council of Nicaea we encounter an emperor known as "Poopyhead," who summons a synod known as the "Headless Council"—all for the sake of forbidding the use of devotional images. That's where it started anyway. Eventually the emperor got around to condemning any honor paid to saints, and then he desecrated their relics, removing their bodies from tombs and casting them into the sea. He tried to ban celibacy, and he closed monasteries and turned them into hotels. Second Nicaea, in 787, was called to repair all that damage. LINKS Acts of the Second Council of Nicaea https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3819.htm Canons of the Second Council of Nicaea https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum07.htm St. John of Damascus, Apologia Against Those Who Decry Holy Images https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/johndamascus-images.asp Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Leave it to intellectuals (in any age) to "solve" the world's problems in ways that create bigger problems. Monothelitism was a religious idea concocted by policy wonks in boardrooms. It was supposed to remedy the doctrinal differences that divided Constantinople from Egypt. It failed to do that, and it also provoked a schism between Constantinople and all of western Christendom. The Third Council of Constantinople was called in 680 to clean up the mess. LINKS Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, God Sent His Son: A Contemporary Christology https://www.amazon.com/God-Sent-Christoph-Cardinal-Schonborn/dp/158617410X/ Maximus the Confessor, On the Cosmic Mystery of Jesus Christ (an anthology of his works) https://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Mystery-Jesus-Christ/dp/088141249X/ Maximus the Confessor: Selected Writings https://www.amazon.com/Maximus-Confessor-Selected-Writings-Spirituality/dp/0809126591/ Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Every council represents a crisis — often provoked by strong and eccentric personalities. But Constantinople II, in 553 AD, may have been the strangest of all. At the center of the drama were an imperial power couple, Justinian and Theodora, and a weak pope who vacillated between cowardice and duty. LINKS Extracts from the Acts https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3812.htm Biography of Justinian https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08578b.htm Biography of Pope Vigilius https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15427b.htm Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

What happened when God took flesh? A simple question roused hundreds of speculative answers, most concerning the "person" and "nature" (or natures) of Jesus Christ. But the philosophical terms themselves were slippery, and mistranslations only made matters worse. The wild speculation came to a stop at the Council of Chalcedon, thanks to a letter from Pope Leo the Great. His "Tome" defined terms with abundant clarity. Since then, in mainstream Christianity, Orthodox Christology has been Chalcedonian Christology. The Tome is a necessary point of reference for all subsequent doctrine of Jesus Christ. LINKS Leo the Great, Letter 28 https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2156 Leo the Great, Letter 93 (to the Council of Chalcedon) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2157 Letter 98 (From the Council of Chalcedon to Pope Leo) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2159 Leo the Great, Letter 162 ("The decrees of Chalcedon and Nicæa are identical and final") https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2145 Leo the Great, The Tome (text) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=5344 Leo the Great, The Tome (audiobook) https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-leo-great-tome-leo/ Acts of the Council of Chalcedon https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3811.htm Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

From the distance of more than a millennium and a half, Nestorius can seem a comic character. He was a verbally fussy man with an uncanny knack for alienating people. Within days of his installation as bishop of Constantinople, he had offended the imperial family, the monks, and the nobles, but also the common people. He also caused a major fire in the city. But when he tried to suppress devotion to Mary as "Mother of God," he invited all his enemies to join forces against him—because such a campaign affected not only the status of Mary, but also the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Nestorius forced a crisis that played out in grotesque (and humorous) ways at the Council of Ephesus in 431. LINKS Cyril of Alexandria, Five Tomes against Nestorius https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_against_nestorius_00_intro.htm Extracts from the Acts, Council of Ephesus https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=5347 Nestorius, The Bazaar of Heracleides https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/nestorius_bazaar_0_eintro.htm Nestorius, Letters to Pope Celestine https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/nestorius_two_letters_01.htm Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, Book VII https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2884 John A. McGuckin, Saint Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy https://www.amazon.com/Saint-Cyril-Alexandria-Christological-Controversy/dp/0881418633/ Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Nicaea didn't resolve the Arian crisis. In fact, it provoked a riot of reactions — endless variations on the Arian theme. Imperial force only made matters worse. For a half-century, conflict raged. The situation seemed hopeless until Theodosius summoned bishops to meet in 381. LINKS Socrates Scholasticus, Church History (Book V) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2884 Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History (Book VII) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2885 Theodoret, Ecclesiastical History (Book V) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2886 Gregory Nazianzen, "Oration XLII: The Last Farewell in the Presence of the One Hundred and Fifty Bishops" https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2452 John Henry Newman, Arians of the Fourth Century https://www.newmanreader.org/works/arians/index.html Lewis Ayres, Nicaea and Its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology https://www.amazon.com/Nicaea-Its-Legacy-Fourth-Century-Trinitarian/dp/0198755058/ Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Nicaea (325 A.D.) is the first of the ecumenical councils, not only in chronology, but also in importance. It occupies a certain primacy. The phrase "Nicene Faith" is sometimes used as an equivalent term for classic Christian doctrine. That's how we see it after centuries of development. But what did it mean to those who attended? LINKS Eusebius of Caesarea, Oration in Praise of the Emperor Constantine https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2883 Eusebius of Caesarea, The Life of the Blessed Emperor Constantine https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2881 Athanasius, De Synodis https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3086 John Henry Newman, Arians of the Fourth Century https://www.newmanreader.org/works/arians/index.html Lewis Ayres, Nicaea and Its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology https://www.amazon.com/Nicaea-Its-Legacy-Fourth-Century-Trinitarian/dp/0198755058/ Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

When the Church is in crisis, its bishops meet in council. Since the generation of the Apostles, this has been the customary way of settling major disputes over doctrine and discipline. In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15, the Twelve met with certain elders and chosen experts to exercise an authority that was different from the authority that any of them possessed individually. This established a practice for the ages to follow. The councils in the time of the Fathers—the first seven ecumenical councils—are considered authoritative by the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches. In this episode, we look at the pre-history of those councils and consider their definitions and authority. LINKS Cyprian of Carthage, On the Seventh Council of Carthage https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1719 Canons of the Council of Ancyra (A.D. 314) https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3802.htm Canons of the Council of Necaesarea (A.D. 315) https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3803.htm Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

In the first three centuries of Christian history, the practice of the faith was a capital crime, and many gave their lives as the ultimate testimony. The Church called them "witnesses"—in Greek, martures, whence we get the English word martyr. To speak of martyrdom, the early Fathers employed language usually reserved only for the Eucharist. So what does martyrdom have to do with the Mass? LINKS Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, "Eucharist and Mission," in Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith: The Church as Communion, pp. 112-120 https://ignatius.com/pilgrim-fellowship-of-faith-pffp/ Finbarr G. Clancy, "Imitating the Mysteries That You Celebrate: Martyrdom and Eucharist in the Early Patristic Period," in Vincent Twomey, ed., The Great Persecution: The Proceedings of the Fifth Patristic Conference, Maynooth https://www.fourcourtspress.ie/books/archives/the-great-persecution/ Robin Darling Young, In Procession before the World: Martyrdom as Public Liturgy in Early Christianity https://www.marquette.edu/mupress/Young.shtml Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0107.htm Anonymous, The Martyrdom of Polycarp https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0102.htm Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Music formed the early Christians in faith. It catechized them. Inspired them. Unified them. Healed them. The Fathers — from Ignatius of Antioch to John of Damascus — testify to this fact. Many of them wrote music. Augustine wrote a book about music. At a time when most people could not read, music was the most effective delivery system for doctrine. The decisions of the councils would have been dead letters apart from their placement in musical settings. In this episode, early Christian music finally gets its due recognition. LINKS Mike Aquilina, How the Choir Converted the World: Through Hymns, With Hymns, and In Hymns https://catholicbooksdirect.com/products/how-the-choir-converted-the-world-through-hymns-with-hymns-and-in-hymns Mike Aquilina, How the Choir Converted the World: Through Hymns, With Hymns, and In Hymns (audio book) https://catholicbooksdirect.com/products/audio-cd-how-the-choir-converted-the-world-through-hymns-with-hymns-and-in-hymns Ephrem the Syrian, The Nisibene Hymns https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3702.htm Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns for the Feast of Epiphany https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3704.htm Ephrem the Syrian, The Pearl -- Seven Hymns on the Faith https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3705.htm Mike Aquilina's website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina's books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio