Revised Schedule Following Easter Break

UPDATE: The schedule is pushed back one week. We will begin again not on the 8th as planned but on the 15th. I simply have too much on my plate this week to do things properly. Please see the revised schedule below. Happy Easter to all!

Holy Week is here! We've read the Apostolic Fathers. After a brief break, we’ll get into some exciting but rather dense material; namely, the central writings of St. Justin Martyr and St. Irenaeus of Lyons. Our Easter schedule will have us finishing these fathers on June 3rd. As the 3rd is the feast day of Corpus Christi and many of us will be attending Mass in the evening, we'll take that week off and finish on the 10th, the feast day of St. Margaret of Scotland.

St. Justin

First Apology, 15th April

Second Apology and Martyrdom, 22nd April

Dialogue with Trypho, 29th April

St. Irenaeus

Against Heresies I, 6th May

Against Heresies II, 13th May

Against Heresies III, 20th May

Against Heresies IV, 27th May

Against Heresies V, 10th June

 

Reflecting on the sin of Valens and his wife

Following up on my recollection last night of my tenure at Air Canada, I  suspect that growing up in an economically upper-tier situation would have precluded salvation for me. All of us should be careful to remember our place before God and to appreciate what we've been given and not given. In humility, we should heed St. Polycarp's admonition, "do not count [your fallen] as enemies, but call them back as suffering and straying members, that you may save your whole body" (Epistle to the Philippians, 11).

Report on St. Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians

My report on the Epistle of St. Polycarp to the Philippians.

Recalling recent events, Polycarp points to Ignatius as an exemplar of faith…

I have greatly rejoiced with you in our Lord Jesus Christ, because you… have accompanied… those who were bound in chains, the fitting ornaments of saints, and which are indeed the diadems of the true elect of God… (1)

The events are very recent. Polycarp does not yet know of the martyrdom of his friend.

The Epistles of Ignatius written by him to us, and all the rest [of his Epistles]… we have sent to you, as you requested… Any more certain information you may have obtained respecting both Ignatius himself, and those that were with him, have the goodness to make known to us. (13)

The letter gets interesting. Polycarp grieves for a fallen presbyter and his wife.

I am greatly grieved for Valens, who was once a presbyter among you, because he so little understands the place that was given him [in the Church]. If a man does not keep himself from covetousness, he shall be defiled by idolatry, and shall be judged as one of the heathen… But who of us are ignorant of the judgment of the Lord? Do we not know that the saints shall judge the world?... may the Lord grant true repentance! And… do not count such as enemies, but call them back as suffering and straying members, that you may save your whole body. (11)

Valens did not understand “the place that was given to him”… he did not “keep from covetousness” and fell into idolatry… He has exchanged his future glory for that of the heathen! He cashed in the role of judge for that of the judged! He has not appreciated the immense gravity of the exchange.

More on this…

The Father glorified the Son, placed all under His feet…

Him who raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory, and a throne at His right hand. To Him all things in heaven and on earth are subject. Him every spirit serves. He comes as the Judge of the living and the dead… (2)

He will do the same for those who do his will… They shall be raised with him and reign with him.

He who raised Him up from the dead will raise us up also, if we do His will … (2)

He has promised to us that He will raise us again from the dead, and that if we live worthily of Him, we shall also reign together with Him, provided only we believe.. (5)

We have a contrast, and so Valens made an exchange, of cosmic proportions.

How did this happen? Partly ignorance… partly a failure of the will… and pride.

What is the background situation? Be not of the world…

Harry O. Maier describes a built in tension…

The importance of relatively well-to-do Christians in the foundation, organization, leadership and consolidation of the earliest Christian communities (especially Pauline churches) has been repeatedly asserted by scholars in recent years. Because of the willingness of householders to welcome Christian travellers, to welcome the local community of faith into their homes, and their ability to manage their households well, apostles and teachers like Paul found in their well-to-do hosts not only a source for the financial patronage necessary for the continuation of the church, but also a pool of leaders well-qualified to provide a secure venue for meetings and to lead the community in their absence. (Maier, 233)

(Harry O. Maier, “Purity and Danger in Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians: The Sin of Valens in Social Perspective,”  Journal of Early Christian Studies, Volume 1, Number 3, Fall 1993, pp. 229-247)

Maier cites 1 Timothy 3: 2-5 (and Titus 1: 5-9) in support of this reality in Apostolic times. The characteristics worthy of a bishop are those associated with the wealthy householder. 

It behoveth therefore a bishop to be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, prudent, of good behaviour, chaste, given to hospitality, a teacher, not given to wine, no striker, but modest, not quarrelsome, not covetous, but one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all chastity. But if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?

The responsibilities of the presbyter imply means.

let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful… bringing back those that wander, visiting all the sick… not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always providing for that which is becoming in the sight of God and man… (6)

Again, Maier…

… wealth, while signifying a status necessary for presbyter-bishops, also may have served to undermine allegiance to the community's ideals. (Maier, 235)

One who has such means will have a tendency to look down on those who do not.

Stand fast, therefore, in these things, and follow the example of the Lord, being firm and unchangeable in the faith, loving the brotherhood… despising no one… (10)

Moreover, they will have depend on connections with the outside world… attachments… one foot in the church and another in the world. The temptation will be compromise.

Polycarp exhorts all to follow the example of the saints.

I exhort you all, therefore, to yield obedience… such as you have seen [set] before your   eyes, not only in the case of the blessed Ignatius, and Zosimus, and Rufus… and in Paul himself, and the rest of the apostles… For they loved not this present world, but Him who died for us, and for our sakes was raised again by God from the dead. (9)

There are many kinds of wealth. The issue is pride.

A relevant anecdote...

While an employee of Air Canada my wife and I enjoyed the benefit of free flights. We’d put our names in and if a seat was available, we’d get it. On one flight from Toronto to Vancouver, my wife and I were put in first class on a then-new Airbus A340. It was amazing. I couldn’t believe our good fortune. We had never flown anything but economy before—we could never afford it—but there we were, and we were treated like royalty. I got used to it—and fast. About an hour into the flight an announcement was made: If anyone from economy class would like to visit the cockpit, they should come to the front of the plane. (This was before 911). In moments a stream of eager economy classers began to file by our first class seats. I was indignant. “Why were they letting these dirties up here with us.” It took an hour—an hour! I had forgotten who I was. 

DSMW

Meeting of 18th March

Last night’s meeting was thought provoking. There is a tension that has been felt while reading these early Church texts. How is one to cleave to a spiritual father when convinced that the father has broken faith? Again, this does not appear to be something that the earliest Fathers foresaw. Let’s pray for each other this week. I think that the life of Athanasius is very relevant to this question. God bless.

DSMW

Some Thoughts from the Meeting

Posted by KMH

Hello everyone. I wanted to share some thoughts I had from reading the letters of St. Ignatius as well as our conversations about them.

Ghosts or Demons?

One thing that I found quite interesting was the use of the word "demon" instead of "ghost" when referring to what the disciples thought Christ was during his post-resurrection appearance. This sort of puts a whole new spin on the story. I had often wondered why the apostles would find Christ scary as a ghost but not as a body with a soul. But translating the term as "demon" instead gives a great answer to this. Perhaps the disciples thought that he was a deceiving spirit. And that it was not until He proved He was in the flesh that they truly believed it was Him. Maybe they thought He would never appear to them as a spirit so it could not have been Him? Those are just some thoughts I had on it.

Strange Herbage

Posted by KMH

In completing the letters of St. Ignatius, there is something that stood out to me which was separate from the main theme. Weird herbs were mentioned twice - once as "strange herbage" and then again as "noxious herbs." I wish to explore this a little in relation to the threat that the promoting of drug use has on Christian culture.

Report on the Martyrdom of St. Ignatius

Ignatius eagerness for martyrdom is contrasted heavily with his eagerness for the safety of his flock.

He rejoiced for their sake when persecutions ceased (under Domitian)...

‘Ignatius, like a good pilot… by his spiritual labor… took great care to protect his flock from the persecutions under Domitian, lest he would loose any of the less courageous…”

but grieved for his own sake, for he saw martyrdom as the completion of his own discipleship.

St. Ignatius’s Epistle to the Smyrnæans

In his letter to the Smyrnaeans, St. Ignatius tells us that salvation is a corporal affair: 

Believing in the corporality of Christ goes hand in hand with believing in the corporality of the applicatory means of our salvation, viz. death with Christ and the Eucharist. The denial of one implies the denial of the other.

St. Justin and St. Irenaeus

Alright, it’s time to start thinking about this.

After our Easter break, we’ll get into some exciting but rather dense material, the central writings of St. Justin and St. Irenaeus. This schedule will have us finishing these fathers on 27th May, the feast day of St. Bede the Venerable.

St. Justin

First Apology, 8th April

Second Apology and Martyrdom, 15th April

Dialogue with Trypho, 22nd April

St. Irenaeus

Against Heresies I, 29th April

Against Heresies II, 6th May

Against Heresies III, 13th May

Against Heresies IV, 20th May

Against Heresies V, 27th May

Letter to the Ephesians, 19, and Correspondence with Our Lady

Fantastic presentation Arthur! Thank you. And to Ovi, thank you for drawing our attention to the correspondence with Our Lady. I have some thoughts that I wasn't able to express to my own satisfaction regarding Chapter 19 of St. Ignatius's Epistle to the Ephesians. I wax philosophically. Forgive me.

The most profound piece in all of the Smyrnæan letters ... A great and beautiful sign; a symbol of the whole of the redemption; a stunning declaration of unrequited but unconquered love toward an adulteress.

Novena to St. Joseph

Hi all,

Keith and I are doing the Novena to St. Joseph which begins this Wednesday (10th) and concludes on the feast (29th). We'll do it by zoom. It'll take about fifteen minutes to pray each evening. I'm thinking maybe 7:30. Keith will send the link out to all interested. We'll get the link of the text out as well.

DSMW

We're following the EWTN Novena to St. Joseph. Email for the zoom link.

Having now read all of St. Ignatius, I'd recommend reading the Martyrdom before reading the letters. It gives plenty of context for the letters. A great audio version is here, with the text.

DSMW

Third Meeting

We may have hit the sweet spot tonight. Good job Keith. I'm looking forward to getting into St. Ignatius of Antioch. 

After hearing back, it's settled. We'll extend Ignatius by a week.

We'll read the first four letters of Ignatius this week. Arthur will report on these on Thursday, 12th March. 

The week after, we'll finish reading Ignatius. Elmar will report on the letters to Philadelphia, Smyrna, and to St. Polycarp on Thursday, 19th March. I'll report on the Martyrdom unless a volunteer comes forward.

The week after that, we'll read and discuss St. Polycarp, his letter, and his martyrdom. Polycarp will make for a blazing ending to our Lenten readings. I'll need a set of volunteers to report on these last readings on Thursday 26th March. 

Preference will go to those who have not yet given reports. 

This extension of one week will have us going until the Thursday before Palm Sunday. At that point we'll take an Easter break and begin again with St. Justin on Thursday, 15th April, the second week of Easter. 

DSMW

Report on the Letter to Diognetus

Here is my report for the night. For a more detailed treatment, see here.

The Letter to Diognetus is the first extant apology—communication with non Christians in defense of the faith. (Credited to one Mathetes (meaning disciple))

In Chapter 1 we’re introduced to four questions of Diognetus.

1. What God do the Christians trust in?
2. What is their religion that they despise death  and do not esteem the pagan gods?
3. Why do Christians not hold to the superstitions of the Jews?
4. Why has their for form has not come into the world before now?

St. Ignatius of Antioch, an introduction

I here summarize from Catholic Encyclopedia.

Ignaitus was born in Syria circa 50 and died in Rome 98-117. 

He was believed to have been the child held by Jesus (Mark 9: 35).

With St. Polycarp, he was an auditor of St. John.

He was the third Bishop of Antioch after Evodius and St. Peter. Appointed by St. Peter himself, says St. John Chrysostom.

He was vigilant in protecting, inspiring his flock during persecutions, but wished himself to receive the fullness of discipleship by martyrdom.

His letters and martyrdom...

The Didache, a Quick Sketch

In 1873 Philotheos Bryennios, then Head Master of the higher Greek school at Constantinople… discovered a remarkable collection of manuscripts in the library of the Jerusalem Monastery of the Most Holy Sepulchre at Constantinople. This collection is bound in one volume, and written by the same hand. It is signed “Leon, notary and sinner,” and bears the Greek date of 6564 = a.d. 1056.” (Riddle’s introductory notice, Ante-Nicene Fathers (1885)) 

Included in this collection, among other works from the apostolic period and beyond, was the Didache, short for The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, short for The Lord’s Teaching through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations, a work to which Eusebius and Athanasius made reference but which, until its discovery in 1873, had been thought lost to history. The work is thought to be a late first century compilation. A first translation from Greek to English was made available in 1884, just one year before the publication of the Ante-Nicene Fathers series.

Some Ideas

I’ve received ideas as to how to structure our conversation to get the most from it.

One gentleman has found it helpful to understand the readings in terms of three questions:

1. What apologetic vindication or push back does the writing provide?
2. What can the writing tell us about the state of our Church today?
3. What is this spiritual father saying to me right now?

Nice! Let’s structure our discourse around these questions.

Another has suggested that a willing member give a short report on the reading at the beginning of the meeting (a different member for each meeting (and for each reading where there are more than one)). I think it would be a good idea to create a rotation of the willing.

DSMW