Church Fathers

The Contributions of St. Augustine and Brigid of Kildare to Christianity St. Augustine and Bridgid of Kildare were two very influential people in the church during the fourth and fifth centuries. St. Augustine and Bridgid of Kildare were most famous for the monasteries that they founded. Both St. Augustine and Bridgid were devout Christians who contributed greatly to the growth of Christianity. Both of these people encouraged the spread of Christianity, the belief in a life of solitude, and

There are a number of beliefs in Christianity that if altered would then also heavily impact many other doctrines; the doctrine of ‘creatio ex nihilo’ is one of these. The Latin phrase creatio ex nihilo meaning ‘created out of nothing’ is not an actual phrase found in the bible however it is heavily implied. While Genesis 1:1-3 can be read with the implication of creation out of nothing, further revelation given in later books of the bible provide more evidence to this doctrine (Proverbs 8:22-31

My knowledge and understanding of the Holy Spirit began later than would be expected for someone who was raised in the church since birth. I grew up in a tradition that, due to fears over the exaltation of emotionality in some charismatic movements, responded by practically ignoring the third part of the Trinity. While I knew the three names that made up the Trinity, the Holy Spirit was some forgotten concept that languished because revealing it might lead to excess. In some ways, I think that fear

parts of their writings, what are Tertullian and Justin Martyr saying about faith, reason, and philosophy in these passages? Are their positions in conflict? What are the implications of each perspective? Many believe that the writings of early Church Fathers were lectured to different sects. In fact, one may assume that there are Similarities and differences between Tertullian and Justin Martyr. Particularly, let’s compare Tertullian’s and Justin Martyr perspective of faith, reason, and philosophy

The connection between faith and reason has been a discussion since early Christianity. This discussion has always had people supporting each side with each having genuine thoughts on whether faith and reason can or cannot work together. However before tackling this faith and reason should be defined according to Scripture. Faith according to Scripture is, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, [NIV]) Now reason is a little less straight

Saint Jerome was born Eusebius Hieronymous Sophronius in the year 331 in Stridomius. His father was a Christian who instructed his son and sent him to Rome. Eusebius teachers were the famous pagan grammarians Donatus and Victorinus, a Christian rhetorician. Jerome became fluent in Latin and Greek, in Rome. He liked oratory so much that he may have considered law as a career. He acquired many worldly ideas and lost much of the piety that had instilled in him at home. He became a master of Latin, Greek

THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY: Instructor: Lisa Nichols Hickman – hickmanl@duq.edu Director: Father Radu Bordeianu, Ph.D. Course Description: At the center of the Christian faith is a mystery. This mystery has everything to do with the identity of God, the nature of Christian community, the salvation history and our understanding of Christology. This is the mystery of the Trinity – how is the Godhead fully three persons, and yet one nature? Theophilus was the first to name the ‘triad’ nature

The renaissance of the twelfth century was a revival of cultural and intellectual activity from 1050 to 1250. Guibert of Nogent’s autobiography, A Monk’s Confession: The Memoirs of Guibert of Nogent, and the prologue of Peter Abelard’s Sic et Non (“Yes and No”) are both products of this time period, having been written in 1115 and 1122, respectively. While Abelard’s text primarily focuses on applying reason to religious matters—a very renaissance thing to do—Guibert sheds light on a greater variety

A very influential and great philosopher and theologian of Late Antiquity, Saint Augustine of Hippo is the most important of the Latin Church Fathers. His works, especially his Confessions (a self-biography), On Christian Doctrine and City of God, helped distinguish the Church in Western Europe from the Church as it developed elsewhere. In Ancient Rome, the power of speech was appropriated from the Greeks and expanded upon and innovated. The classical master of rhetoric would be the work of St. Augustine

Many consider Saint Augustine of Hippo a main figure in the development of orthodox Christian doctrine during the early Christian Church. Augustine was born in Northern Africa in AD 354. His father was a pagan and his mother a Christian. Though his parents were not extremely well to do, they had enough money to allow Augustine to obtain an education in the liberal arts. This education will eventually affect how he sees Christianity, especially concerning the use of neo-Platonic ideas in Christian