Search Results
The Monastery Of The Heart - 26 Epilogue
The Monastery Of The Heart - 26 Epilogue
by SPCK - Joan Chittister
Epilogue As we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.” Benedictine spirituality is not a spiritual practice that waxes and wanes, comes and goes, as we grow and chan…
Great Christian Thinkers - 18 St. Eusebius of Vercelli
Great Christian Thinkers - 18 St. Eusebius of Vercelli
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Eusebius of Vercelli I invite you to reflect on St. Eusebius of Vercelli, the first bishop of northern Italy of whom we have reliable information. Born in Sardinia at the beginning of the fourth century, he moved to Rome with his family at a tender age. Later, he was institut…
Great Christian Thinkers - 31 St. Gregory The Great
Great Christian Thinkers - 31 St. Gregory The Great
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Gregory The Great A Life during Crisis One of the greatest Fathers in the history of the Church, one of four Doctors of the West, Pope St. Gregory was bishop of Rome from 590 to 604. He earned the traditional title of Magnus, the Great… Taken from Great Christian Thinkers by …
Great Christian Thinkers - 30 St. Romanus The Melodist
Great Christian Thinkers - 30 St. Romanus The Melodist
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Romanus The Melodist A little-known figure, Romanus the Melodist, was born in about 490 in Emesa (today Homs), in Syria. Theologian, poet, and composer, he belonged to the great ranks of theologians who transformed theology into poetry. Let us think of his compatriot, St. Eph…
Great Christian Thinkers - 40 St Theodore The Studite
Great Christian Thinkers - 40 St Theodore The Studite
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St Theodore The Studite The saint we meet now, St. Theodore the Studite, brings us to the middle of the medieval Byzantine period, in a somewhat turbulent period from the religious and political perspectives… Taken from Great Christian Thinkers by Pope Benedict XVI
Great Christian Thinkers - 45 St. Peter Damian
Great Christian Thinkers - 45 St. Peter Damian
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Peter Damian One of the most significant figures of the eleventh century, St. Peter Damian, was a monk, a lover of solitude, and at the same time a fearless man of the Church. He was also committed personally to the task of reform, initiated by the popes of the time… Taken fr…
Great Christian Thinkers - 50 Bernard and Peter Abelard: Two Contrasting Theological Models
Great Christian Thinkers - 50 Bernard and Peter Abelard: Two Contrasting Theological Models
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
Bernard and Peter Abelard:Two Contrasting Theological Models In my last chapter, I presented the main features of twelfth-century monastic theology and scholastic theology which, in a certain sense, we might call respectively “theology of the heart” and “theology of reason.” Amon…
Great Christian Thinkers - 65 St. Thomas Aquinas
Great Christian Thinkers - 65 St. Thomas Aquinas
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Thomas Aquinas His Life and Context We continue our meditation on some of the great thinkers of the Middle Ages. We recently looked at the great figure of St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, and here I discuss the one whom the Church calls the Doctor Communis, namely, St. Thomas A…
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 1e What are the Gospels?
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 1e What are the Gospels?
by SPCK - Edward Adams
What are the Gospels? We have not yet addressed the question, What kind of texts are the Gospels? To what genre do they belong? A genre is a specific category or type of literature, such as romance, science fiction, or detective story. Knowing the genre of a piece of literature c…
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 2c The Shared Story in the Four Gospels
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 2c The Shared Story in the Four Gospels
by SPCK - Edward Adams
The Shared Story in the Four Gospels Using the elements of story listed earlier, we can identify a core story embodied in all four Gospels. There is a common series of events: the appearance and ministry of John the Baptist, the descent of the Spirit upon Jesus, the call of the f…
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 3 The Gospel according to Mark
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 3 The Gospel according to Mark
by SPCK - Edward Adams
The Gospel according to Mark Of the four New Testament Gospels, Mark is the one that most obviously manifests the shared story we have identified. It is also the Gospel that most closely corresponds to the outline of the gospel message given in Acts 10:36–43:1 Mark’s Gospel begin…
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 3d The Characterization of the Disciples
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 3d The Characterization of the Disciples
by SPCK - Edward Adams
The Characterization of the Disciples As noted in chapter 2, all the evangelists portray the disciples with conflicting traits. While Mark acknowledges the positive features of the disciples (they are called, commissioned, made privy to the mystery of the kingdom, etc.), he accen…
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 7 Selected Parallel Episodes
Parallel Lives of Jesus - 7 Selected Parallel Episodes
by SPCK - Edward Adams
Selected Parallel Episodes Having considered each Gospel separately, we now bring the “parallel lives” of Jesus into contact with each other as we look at selected common episodes. The exercise will allow us to explore the unity and plurality of the Gospels in a more focused way,…
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 4 Prelude
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 4 Prelude
by SPCK-Kenneth E. Bailey
Prelude To begin this topic, a brief overview of the history of “rhetorical criticism” may be helpful. In 1969, in his presidential address to the Society of Biblical Literature, James Muilenburg issued a call for moving beyond form criticism to what he titled “rhetorical critici…
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 7 The Wisdom and Power of God
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 7 The Wisdom and Power of God
by SPCK-Kenneth E. Bailey
The Wisdom and Power of God In the early centuries of the Christian church, as the Greek world became Christian, a group of scholars now called “the apologists” arose and took up the daunting task of relating the new Christian faith to their Greek intellectual heritage. Their tas…
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 5 (0.1) Greeting and Prayer of Thanksgiving
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - 5 (0.1) Greeting and Prayer of Thanksgiving
by SPCK-Kenneth E. Bailey
Greeting and Prayer of Thanksgiving Paul’s letter opens with an identification of the senders (Paul and Sosthenes) and the receivers (the Corinthians, and all Christians). He then offers his introductory prayer. These two sections are tied together by their rhetorical form and by…
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - Christian Unity Paul, Apollos and Cephas as One (2) cntd.
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes - Christian Unity Paul, Apollos and Cephas as One (2) cntd.
by SPCK-Kenneth E. Bailey
Christian Unity Paul, Apollos and Cephas as One Paul now describes himself as a “master builder.” A good master builder can exercise his or her authority by becoming a servant. In fact, that authority, when exercised through servanthood, is in a marvellous way profoundly attracti…
the historical character of Jesus - 2e Jesus the Baptist?