A History of Christian Theology: Recent Episodes
Chad Kim
Dr. Charles Kim, Jr. offers interviews and conversations about the historic doctrines and theologians of the Christian faith. The podcast has grown over the last several years to include not only round table discussions of ancient theological texts, but also includes interviews of leading theologians on these topics.
In a monumental third interview, we venture into the fascinating world of Paul Hinlicky, a multifaceted individual who wears two significant hats: farmer and theologian. Join us as we explore the compelling narrative of how he embarked on this unique path, the intricacies of his agricultural endeavors, and the profound intersection between his Christian faith, particularly within the Lutheran tradition, and the art of farming. This conversation promises to be a captivating exploration of faith, agriculture, and the meaningful synergy between the two in Paul's life.
We have Scot McKnight on again to talk us through his new translation of the New Testament with IVPress called The Second Testament. We talk through translation choices, different methods of translation, and why it’s so important to read the bible in Greek.
Emily Dumler-Winkcler brings our conversation into the modern period with her book Modern Virtue: Mary Wollstonecraft and a Tradition of Dissent (Oxford University Press, 2022). Dr. Dumler-Winkcler has some insights into the nature of tradition and how Wollstonecraft fits into the virtue tradition. Also, we discuss Wollstonecraft’s lesser known theological convictions which are often overlooked in scholarship on the early feminist.
Dr. KJ Drake works through the history of the doctrine known as the Extra-Calvinisticum in his book The Flesh of the Word: The Extra Calvinisticum from Zwingli to Early Orthodoxy (Oxford University Press, 2021. Although this is not a popularly discussed doctrine it drives at the heart of what the Reformers were debating in the early years of the Protestant Reformation. Dr. Drake provides a window into how the Reformers answered the question: “where is Christ after the resurrection?”
Dr. Ruben Rosario Rodriguez gives his case for a new way of thinking about theology in his book Theological Fragments (Westminster John Knox Press, 2023). We talk about our experience teaching undergrads at a Jesuit university and how that has shaped Dr. Rosario’s approach to teaching and doing theology.
Grant Kaplan has been working on the relationship between Faith and Reason in the Christian tradition (Catholic University Press, 2022). We discuss differing Catholic and Protestant approaches to the question and why many of the ancient doctors of the church have the greatest insights.
Tom, Trevor, and Chad continue their conversation over the Christological Controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries. In this episode, we cover the question over the name “theotokos” for Mary and why this was such a hot topic for Nestorius and Cyril. This is the second of three in the series on this important topic of early Christianity.
Dr. Benjamin Wheaton comes on the podcast to explore his thesis in Suffering Not Power: Atonement in the Middle Ages (Lexham Press). Although many have thought since Gustav Aulen that a kind of Christus Victor was the predominate view, Wheaton explains why we should nuance that view and see other ways of viewing the atonement in Dante, and several other early preachers and commentators.
A technical issue occurred in the recording of this episode, but much of the content was able to be retained
Jordan Daniel Wood discusses his recently released monograph The Whole Mystery of Christ: Creation as Incarnation in Maximus the Confessor (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022). Dr. Wood talks us through some the controversial aspects of his thesis, but why it can still be understood as an orthodox perspective. We even cover a little bit of Hegel and his role in Dr. Wood’s work.
Ross McCullough comes on the show to discuss his new book Freedom and Sin: Evil in a World Created by God (Eerdmans Press). Although a bit more on the philosophical theology side, this podcast follows his argument of an asymmetrical approach to God's causality and human responsibility. I found his thesis very thought provoking. Thanks to Eerdmans Press for providing a copy of the book and suggesting such a great interview!
In this episode, Tom, Trevor, and Chad return to the format of earlier podcasts and discuss a few texts from early Christian thinkers. In this case, we are talking about Apollinaris of Laodicea and Theodore of Mopsuestia. They represent early christological thinking from an Alexandrian and Antiochene point of view. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy these episodes
In this episode, Tom, Trevor, and Chad return to the format of earlier podcasts and discuss a few texts from early Christian thinkers. In this case, we are talking about Apollinaris of Laodicea and Theodore of Mopsuestia. They represent early christological thinking from an Alexandrian and Antiochene point of view. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy these episodes
Dr. Jacob Wood returns with a more earthy description of nature and grace. In this episode, we have a brief discussion of the doctrine of analogy which then moves into a conversation about how farming has shaped Dr. Wood's academic research.
Thanks for listening!
Dr. Benjamin Quinn shares with us a little about the importance of Augustine in contemporary thought and education. We also learn more about how Augustine understood wisdom and how that fits with the wisdom tradition in the Old Testament. His new book Christ the Way is now out with Lexham Press.
Today's episode is a bucket-list episode. We interview Dr. Stanley Hauerwas! Dr. Hauerwas has recently published Fully Alive: the Apocalyptic Humanism of Karl Barth with the University of Virginia Press. We talk about this work and a little about how Hauerwas understands the task of theology.
We are pleased to welcome back Dr. Myk Habets. We discuss Dr. Habets books Heaven: An Inkling of What's To Come. Dr. Habets provides some insight into why we should look forward to heaven and how to talk about heaven with your family.
Is even the Devil redeemed? We talk through this question with Dr. Michael McClymond whose book The Devil's Redemption (Baker Academic) has received multiple awards, including the Gospel Coalition's Book of the Year.
Hannah Nation comes on to talk about Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church (Kirkdale Press). Our conversation gives some background to the Chinese house church pastors who preached these sermons and the history of the House Church movement in China. We have much to learn about how to suffer well from these Chinese brothers and sisters in the faith. As Hannah said in closing, "Our call is what to walk with Christ and reminds ourselves that he is our suffering Lord and he is with us.”
In today's episode we talk about Ambrose of Milan and his famous hymns. Music in church has not always been a given. We have Ambrose to thank for this great blessing.
It was a pleasure to speak with Dr. Jonathan Tran about his new book Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism. Dr. Tran begins with some fascinating engagement with political theory and a history of Delta Chinese, before moving into the metaphysical and theological underpinnings of his positive proposal in the latter chapters. Our conversation focuses on the more theological chapters, but the entire work is very thought provoking.
We are back with our old format in this episode. Tom, Trevor, and Chad discuss Basil of Caesarea's Against Eunomius Books 2 and 3. The conversation centers on how to speak about God given what we know from scripture. It is a conversation that includes philosophy of naming and language broadly. This touches on some of the most foundational issues in theology, how does one speak about God at all. Hope you enjoy this episode.
Dr. Hart comes on to discuss his new book Tradition and Apocalypse with Baker Academic Press. We discuss the theological nature of tradition, why analytics are destroying baseball, and his translation of the New Testament. Check out our Pattern at www.patreon.com/ahoct, Twitter @theologyxian, and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology.
Dr. Kelly Kapic comes on the show to discuss his new book You're Only Human with Brazos Press. We bring his work into conversation with historical theologians, like Tertullian and Augustine.
Greetings all! The conversations with Tom and Trevor are back. We begin with a discussion about why we think about the Trinity and difficult topics like this at all, and then launch into a conversation about the unbegotten Father and the begotten Son. We are grateful any and all support, whether it is a like on twitter or Facebook, or a donation: https://www.patreon.com/AHOCT.
Thanks for listening!
in this long overdue interview, Dr. Charles Kim interviews Dr. Myk Habets, head of the school of theology at Laidlaw College in New Zealand. Dr. Habets has done much of his academic work on T F Torrance, the great Scottish Reformed theologian and specifically on the doctrine of Thesis. The recording became corrupted after the conversation. Our apologies for the delay.
We continue our series of conversations on the overlap of philosophy and theology with Dr. Jonathan T. Pennington's book Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life (Brazos Press). Dr. Pennington brings the bible into conversation with the philosophies of ancient Greece and offers a constructive proposal for how the bible can be read philosophically. Thanks for listening!
Continuing in our conversations over the overlap between philosophy and theology, we welcome Dr. Dru Johnson to discuss his recent book Biblical Philosophy: A Hebraic Approach to the Old and New Testaments (Cambridge University Press). Dr. Johnson's challenge in the book is to consider the bible as a philosophical text, not just a religious or theological one.
Continuing in our conversations over the overlap between philosophy and theology, we welcome Dr. Dru Johnson to discuss his recent book Biblical Philosophy: A Hebraic Approach to the Old and New Testaments (Cambridge University Press). Dr. Johnson's challenge in the book is to consider the bible as a philosophical text, not just a religious or theological one.
We return to Aquinas and the nature of grace in this interview with Jacob W. Wood. Dr. Wood is the author of To Stir a Restless Heartwith Catholic University Press (2019) which was just released in paperback. Among many topics, we touch on what it means to bring Aristotelian philosophy into conversation with Christian theology. We have been having a continual conversation about philosophical influences in Christian thought and Dr. Wood warns against an overly simplistic understanding of these influences.
Tom and Trevor are back! In this episode, we welcome back Tom and Trevor to discuss our theme question for guests, what are various ideas we have changed our minds about. I hope you enjoy it!
Dr. Houck talks with us about original sin, original justice, and how St. Thomas can help us think through these critical doctrines. His book Aquinas, Original Sin, and the Challenge of Evolution (Cambridge University Press) is the definitive treatment of the topic in addition to incorporating conversations on evolution. Dr. Houck discusses the univocity of language, why original sin is a humane doctrine, and much more.
We are pleased to welcome our friend and historical theologian, Dr. Ben Heidgerken. Dr. Heidgerken recently published Salvation through Temptation: Maximus the Confessor and Thomas Aquinas on Christ's Victory over the Devil with Catholic University Press. We discuss his work, comparing the Western emphasis on grace in anthropology and salvation to the Eastern with writings of Maximus the Confessor. We hope yo uwill enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Thanks for listening!
In this episode, we discuss Mysteries of the Lord's Prayer: Wisdom from the Early Church (Catholic University Press) with Fr. Gavin. Our conversation covers the origins of the prayer, some difficult translations, and its power in prayer. Fr. Gavin also describes the 'strangeness' of the prayer after much study.
Dr. Boersma of the Nashatoah House comes on the show to talk about his book Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition. In the episode, Dr. Boersma explores Christian Platonism (if that is the right term), Sacramental Theology, and the Creator-Creation Distinction. It was a pleasure to have Dr. Boersma on and we hope you enjoy this episode.
Dr. Wittman studies the doctrine of God and teaches at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. We discuss baptists in theology, the role of theology in seminary education, and how to choose a college. Dr. Wittman's first book was published with Cambridge University Press, God and Creation in the Theology of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth, published with Cambridge University Press in 2018.
Despite the fact that this podcast has been around for 6 years, we have never discussed St. Bonaventure. We rectify that today in our conversation with Dr. Benjamin Winter. Dr. Winter wrote on Bonaventure for his dissertation at St. Louis University. He is Assistant Professor of Theology at Divine Word College and Editor-in-Chief at Conciliar Post.
We discuss faith and reason, a little history of St. Bonaventure, freedom and responsibility, and the medieval transcendentals. Thanks for listening!
We are back with a discussion of Divine Humility with Dr. Matthew Wilcoxen. Dr. Wilcoxen's book Divine Humility was published with Baylor University Press. Dr. Wilcoxen was kind enough to talk with me for an hour about all things humility. He even has some advice for pastors on discussing deep theology with parishioners. Hope you enjoy it!
Today's guest is Dr. Emerson who is the Dean of the Hobbes College of Theology and Ministry at my alma mater Oklahoma Baptist University. He discusses with us his interest in the Great Tradition, the Doctrine of the Descent, hermeneutics and much more.
He is also the founder of the Center for Baptist Renewal so check that out if you are Baptist and interested in the Great Tradition of the church.
How did a fragment of a text dubbed "the Gospel of Jesus Wife" make it past peer review and into the public conversation as possibly debunking the myth that Jesus was single? We discuss this, philosophies of history, and much more on this podcast.
This podcast continues two recent initiatives in the our work. We interview a scholar on the history of a particular location in the ancient world. Ross Twele, a doctoral student at Catholic University of America, gives the history of Christianity in Gaul, modern day France. Ross and I also talk about the shared history of protestant and Catholic Christians. Being looking out for future episodes on the Evangelical and Baptist retrieval of the Great Tradition.
This week's episode looks at something brand new for the podcast, the emergence of Islam from a Christian perspective. Laura Estes studies the period at Saint Louis University and is our guest. We focus on how Christians understood this new religious movement and what that meant for Syriac Christians in the 7th and 8th centuries. It is not exhaustive, but it is an important part of the history of the two major world religions.
Today's show is an interview Dr. Cary about his new book, "The Meaning of Protestant Theology: Augustine, Luther, and the Gospel which gives us Christ." This is a long awaited discussion after I first read this book over Christmas. We get into some deep theology and philosophy, but all in service of helping Christians understand the surety of their salvation.
Today we talk about the doctrine of creation in St. Augustine with Dr. Ortlund. Dr. Ortlund writes about theological retrieval for evangelicals and this work is a work of retrieval for the doctrine of creation. Our conversation sticks mostly to Augustine, his method of interpretation and understanding of humility. For more on how he can help us think about evolution, see https://www.ivpress.com/retrieving-augustine-s-doctrine-of-creation
Dr. Samantha Miller is our guest today. She recently published Chrysostom's Devil, Demons, the Will, and Virtue in Patristic Soteriology with InterVarsity Press. She gives us an introduction to John Chrysostom, how to say his name among other things. We then discuss his connection to Stoicism, virtue, demons, and death. Dr. Miller also gives us a preview of an upcoming book towards the end.
Thanks for listening!
We have a packed show. We move from a discussion of the Hagia Sophia becoming a mosque, to the importance of almsgiving in Chrysostom, and end with a discussion of Chrysostom's understanding of repentance in light of Hebrews 6.
Dr. Wickes is the Associate Professor of Ancient Christianity at Saint Louis University. In this podcast, Dr. Wickes gives some background on Syriac Christianity; explores the import of poetry in this tradition; and even liken Ephrem the Syrian to DC Talk and Reliant K. He also goes into his own journey of how he came to love Ephrem and studying early Christian history.
This episode explores Gregory Nyssen's condemnation of slavery in his homily on Ecclesiastes 2. It is not super well known, in part because it was not translated into English in the NPNF series. We discuss why Nyssa rejects slavery and what makes his outlook so significant in the current climate of American Christianity.
In the second half of our conversation about On Duties, we talk about how Ambrose's notion of virtue matches ancient virtue theory. At the end of the podcast, we also talk about his proposal to buyback the captives and even his opposition to slavery.
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This interview with Dr. Miller includes information about his background, how he came to study Barth and Augustine, and how he responds pastorally to COVID and Black Lives Matter. It was a pleasure talking with Dr. Miller and we hope you will check out his new book Seeing by the Light: Illumination in Augustine's and Barth's Readings of John.
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In this interview, Fr. Meconi talks about Augustine's role in his own academic studies, CS Lewis as an expositor of the Christian tradition, and why Augustine is not too "other-worldly." We hope you enjoy this conversation. It was one of the few times when I, Chad, just had a free flowing conversation with my doctoral advisor. I for one greatly enjoyed this conversation.
Greetings Listeners,
This week I am pleased to offer to you a conversation I had with church historian and missiologist Dr. Vince Bantu. Our conversation ranges from discussing Dr. Bantu's academic background to his passion for the Gospel and evangelism for people who reject the Gospel as too Western. I hope you enjoy this is as much as I did.
We return to my Africans Against the World series this week. I will be finishing up some discussion about monasticism and acedia and then move on to Cyril of Alexandria. Cyril is an extremely important figure in the elucidation of what we mean when we say that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. Almost any contemporary Christian uses this terminology and it would not exist without Cyril.
This episode brings in a new voice: Dr. Drew Harmon. Drew is a friend of Chad's from seminary and did his doctorate on virtue and the Trinity at Marquette University. This episode will mainly be discussing how Ambrose understands virtue and some interesting information about his life. We hope you enjoy it.
In this episode, my class continues with monasticism and one lesser known monk from Ethiopia, Abba Moses the Black. I also discuss how history can give us confidence of God's work in history.
Join us for this episode on a fascinating text which gives us a first hand account of what martyrdom was like for early Christians. Although there was some teaching on this text in the AAW series, we go much more in depth here. I hope you enjoy hearing about the first female writer in Christian history.
This podcast summarizes some of the major movements of the 4th Century and their affect on St. Athanasius and the African church. St. Athanasius was "against the world" and stood up for what he believed against many emperors who did not want him to lead the church in Alexandria. I forgot to record this live at my church, so I just recorded a version of it at home. Hope you enjoy!
Hey Listeners!
We are recording new podcasts as a trio and our first one is On the Perpetual Virginity of Mary by St. Jerome. We are going to look at this one aspect of early Christianity that is not talked about as much in Protestant circles. At least some of the early Christians said Mary was a virgin for her whole life. We will talk about why Jerome believes this and whether we find his argument convincing. I hope you enjoy it.
We are talking about Tertullian's resolve in the face of persecution through his writings. Tertullian wrote in defense of Christians against the government. He also wrote about the Rule of Faith and what Christians believed against those who thought differently. I hope you enjoy this episode. Let me know if you want more info on this class!
We are back with the second week of the class entitled Africans Against the World. I hope you are enjoying it. We will look at two of the first female martyrs of Christian history and the first writing known to be written by a woman. I hope you enjoy it.
Greetings Friends of the Podcast,
We are going to add a new stream to this podcast feed. This is Chad Kim's class on early Christian theology from Africa. Its called Africans Against the World: How the Resolve of African Christian Shaped the Church's Story. We will be releasing it every week or two. This first week is on Mark who African tradition holds comes from Libya. Let us know what you think!
This is the end! We have finished the Confessions. In this episode we discuss Augustine's reading of Genesis, how he interprets scripture, his possibly bad allegory, and much more.
This is our second to last episode on the Confessions. We will be discussing the nature of time as Augustine sees it.
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This episode is a recording of Chad's lecture given at the Evangelical Theological Society in November of 2019.
We discuss memory in Book 10 as well as hear Chad's defense of Augustine against the charge of being gnostic or simply a Platonist.
This is the 2nd lecture Chad Kim gave at Covenant Presbyterian Church. The first couple of minutes are cut off, but it was only a few introductory comments.
This episode actually comes from a talk which Chad Kim gave at Covenant Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, MO. It was a privilege for him to share what he studies at the university with the local church. If you would like Chad to talk to your church, please get into contact on the AHOCT Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology/
Thanks!
This episode begins with a discussion of the nature of prayer and how we pray. We discuss why Augustine uses prayer as his format for this book and a little bit about our own prayer habits. This conversation ends at about 30 minutes when we veer off into a conversation about the nature of makes an action free or good. The podcast ends with a thorough discussion of book 10 from about 1 hour 10 minutes in until the end.
In our first podcast in quite some time, we are releasing the second half of our conversation on book 9. We discuss the relationship between men and women in late ancient North Africa and the final Ostian Mystical Ascent. We hope you enjoy it!
In a little bit of a departure for us, Tom, Trevor, and Chad discuss some personal responses to the idea of a Christian transformation. Augustine discusses how he and his mother have changed as a result of grace. We discuss addiction and change in the Christian life in this episode.
"Tolle Lege, Tolle Lege. (Take up and Read)." "Lord give me chastity but not yet." These are some of the most famous lines from the Confessions and they come from book 8. This critical book gets a full hour and a half treatment from Trevor and Chad. We discuss what happens to the will when God unleashes it from sin and other really thorny topics. Hope you enjoy it!
Here's the second hour for all you crazy folks who love Augustine and Neoplatonism.
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Sorry for the long delay. We thought we uploaded this episode last month and we totally forgot. In this episode, Trevor and Chad discuss Augustine's exploration of the Neoplatonic doctrine that evil is the privation of the good. https://www.patreon.com/AHOCT
Today we discuss curiosity in book 6. This is an important concept for Augustine as he sees the human person through the lens of desire as much as through pure intellect. Sorry for the delay in uploading this.
Hey everyone, we are back with more from the Confessions. Today, we talk about Augustine's spiritual mentor Ambrose and his mother Monica. We also delve deep into Augustine's view of scripture which I think will be interesting to many. Hope you enjoy it.
We keep plodding along through the first quarter of Augustine's Confessions in this episode. We begin with a joke from one of Chad's favorite theologians, Stanley Hauerwas, and move to discuss the universal appeal of Augustine's more emotional sections. I hope you enjoy the episode!
With Trevor back, the hosts continue on in their discussion of St. Augustine. This conversation includes insights from Stanley Hauerwas, as well as discussions of cultural custom and natural law.
We hope you all are enjoying our deep dive into the Confessions. We move into Augustine's love of Cicero and philosophy in this episode. Please visit http://www.patreon.com/ahoct if you have the means to support our podcast. We appreciate it!
In this long episode, Tom, Trevor, and Chad discuss probably the most famous book from the early Christian church outside the New Testament. It is a welcome departure from the minutiae of Trinitarian theology. It is a prayer. It is a story. Most of all, it is brilliant. Let us know what you think of the longer episode and whether you would prefer us break it up. http://www.facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology
This week only Tom and Chad could get together for the conversation on the letter to Ablabius from Gregory of Nyssa. It is our last podcast for some time which will be devoted to the Trinity. Starting next week, we will begin with the Confessions.
Tom, Trevor, and Chad discuss the Trinity in Scripture as well as Gregory of Nyssa's Life of Moses. Thank you for listening and if you have a moment give us a rating or review on iTunes. It will really help us and other people find this podcast!
The podcast is back! Tom, Trevor, and Chad have begun recording new episodes. On this particular episode, we discuss Gregory of Nyssa's, "Life of Moses." This episode was recorded in October of 2016, but has only recently been edited. We will begin releasing brand new episodes some time later next month. We hope you enjoy this in depth discussion of Gregory of Nyssa.
In this episode, Chad, Tom and Trevor respond to several questions posted on our Facebook page and then move into discussing the theology of Gregory Nazianzen. Sorry for the delay in updating our podcast, but we are back with more content!
In our last episode from the vault, we discuss On the Holy Spirit. We will be recording new episodes starting tomorrow when we will respond to some of the comments on the Facebook page. We appreciate all of our listeners and feedback. If you would like to leave some feedback, please do so on www.facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology
This week we finish our study of Athanasius and look at this theology of the Trinity as articulated against the Arians heretics. Please check out our Facebook page at Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology.
In this short episode, we respond to two questions from our listeners. Please write in any comments you have on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology.
We spend a good deal of time this week look at Athansius unique view of the atonement which is known as deification or theosis. In the episode, we compare his views to those of the John Calvin, Martin Luther and Anselm of Cantebury, who have all made significant contributions to the idea of justification, which most of our audience will be familiar with. Although the view of deification is not unheard of in the West, it is primarily known as the view of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Please stick around for this great discussion. Also, it would really help us out if you would rate us and review us on iTunes. Just search for A History of Christian Theology, pull up our podcast and give us a quick click for how you like the podcast. Also, we’ve had questions slowly trickling in and will continue to air our responses to those questions.
Now on to Athanasius.
Tom, Trevor and Chad ended up discussing our first question from a listener for nearly 20 minutes. So, we decided to upload it as a single podcast episode. We will be responding to the next two questions when we record this week. They should be up some time next week, probably with the next podcast. Thanks for listening.
In this episode we turn from academic debates to the life of prayer. Athanasius tell the story of the father of desert monasticism in Antony. Please review us on iTunes and put a comment on our Facebook page if you have questions at www.facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology
Today's podcast is many ways an unintended imitation of the first council of the Church the Council of Nicaea in 325. We invite Benjamin Brandon on to discuss this critical council in the life of the Church and Christian theology. Please check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology. Also, please like us an review us on iTunes.
Chad, Tom and Trevor invite their friend Ben back on the podcast to discuss the political theology of Eusebius of Caesarea and the first Christian emperor of Rome, Constantine the Great. Please check out our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology. We would love to hear from you!
Just for a bit of fun, I uploaded this short digression on pronunciation. We will have a full length episode either later today or tomorrow.
In this episode, Ben, Trevor and I discuss Eusebius view of politics and history. We compare it to St. Augustine's views in the City of God. Please check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology. Tom will be back next week with Tom Velasco.
Chad and Trevor discuss the idea of what should be included in the Canon. In addition, they discuss a lesser known doctrine to Protestants, the deposit of faith given to Peter.
We are back after a several week hiatus. This episode was lost in my computer for a few weeks, but I wanted to get it out there. We should be recording again soon. In this podcast, we discuss the intersection of theology and history among other theological issues presented in Book 1. Check out our Facebook page at Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology for more updates.
We will spend one week on a lesser known theologian who spans the time from before and after the Edict of Milan when Christianity becomes a legal religion under the reign of Constantine. He does a nice job of summing up much of what we've discussed thus far on the podcast. Lactantius was also the favored theologian of the first Christian emperor Constantine.
In this shorter podcast, we have a conversation on how Methodius views the resurrection in distinction from Origen. We also look at few other topics as they arise in the treatise.
In this episode, Tom, Trevor and Chad discuss early Christian theology of sexuality. This dialogue by Methodius is a Christian version of Plato's symposium.
For the first time on the podcast, Tom, Trevor, and Chad discuss prayer. We're reading Cyprian of Carthage's On the Lord's Prayer which was written for people wishing to become Christians called "catechumens." We hope you enjoy it.
In this episode, Tom, Trevor, and Chad discuss for what unity means for the Church. We also look at the way martyrdom divided the early Christians. Thanks for listening and check us out at Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology
In this episode, Tom and Chad scratch the surface of major upcoming debates on the nature of the Trinity in the writing of a Greek speaking Christian in Rome, Hippolytus. Check out Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology to follow our updates.
How's that for a long title? We finish up our study of Origen this week. We talk at length about his interpretation of Scripture and then end with a discussion of Trinitarian theology that leads right in to our next podcast on Hippolytus' Contra Noetum. Please like our Facebook page at Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology.
To begin this week's podcast, Chad begins with a synopsis of the relationship between Origen's thought and Reformed theology. Chad apologizes on the part of the whole AHOCT team. It is never the intention of the podcasters to belittle or demean perspectives that they do not hold. The introduction will be posted on our blog at www.ahistoryofchristiantheology.com. Please post a comment there or on Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology. Thanks for all the interaction! It is great to hear from the listeners.
Continuing in Origen of Alexandria, we discuss On First Principles, the first systematic theology, particularly Book 3. In this book, Origen has a long discussion of free will, the temptation of the Devil, and the question of universal salvation. Hope you enjoy it.
This week, we work our way through Book 2 of On First Principles with our guest Ben Brandon. Hope you enjoy it!
Moving back to Eastern Christianity, we will look this week at Origen's On First Principles Book 1. Did he believe in universalism? What was his view of Scripture? These and more on this week's episode.
In this episode, Tom, Trevor and I discuss a text from Rome just after Tertullian. It is a dialogue written in the style of Cicero that contains a debate about the truth of Christianity vs. Roman Paganism. Hope you enjoy!
This is our final week in Tertullian. We will look at how he defines the "rule of faith," or regula fidei. Tom and I have a bit of a heated discussion at the end on the importance of the rule of faith to the early theologians whom we have studied. Hope you enjoy it. Check us out at: Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology.
In this week's episode, we discuss the late 2nd, early 3rd century theologian, Tertullian of Carthage. We look at what he calls the "absurd" position that God became man. We also note the uniqueness of his position amongst theologians of his period. Thanks for listening.
This is our live broadcast from The District Coffeehouse in Boise, ID. Sorry that the audio is a bit quiet, but I think it should still be listenable. We do a discussion of Against Praxeas for 45 minutes and then a Q/A for 45 minutes. Thanks for listening.
Here is a rundown of what we discuss in today's episode.
Tertullian De Spectaculis
3 - 11 (minutes) - Montanist Background of Tertullian
11 - 24: arguments against going to “shows” - pagan origin 20
24 - 33: passions as the problem with going to the shows
33 - 40: I spliced together two recordings because of poor audio quality.
40 - End: Discussion of movies - American Sniper and what Tertullian would say about it
We have finally finished with Clement of Alexandria and our moving across the Mediterranean to Carthage in North Africa. We have a special guest, Caleb Friz on this week to assess Tertullian's defense of the Christian faith. Our topics will range from what religion looked like in the pagan world, to how Tertullian sounds like a contemporary atheist, to whether or not he is a trustworthy source and finally discuss his attempts at form of Pascal's wager. I hope you enjoy this podcast. Check out our page at http://www.Facebook.com/AHistoryofChristianTheology
Its just Tom and Chad for this shorter episode on the last two Stromata for our study. Here is a quick break down of themes and times if you would like to skip ahead:
2 minutes - Preparation for the Gospel in diverse cultures
9 minutes - Notion of Justice in Clement's writings
16 minutes - The Concept of Social Justice in popular speech and mercy
23 minutes - Habits of Virtue
32 minutes - John Wesley and Clement of Alexandria on Perfection
In this episode, we cover topics ranging from the problem of evil and divine foreknowledge (at about minute 17) to Clement's view of women (about minute 27) and finish with a discussion of perfection and heaven (at about minute 48). Sorry this is late in coming.
Greetings listeners. In this special issue podcast, Tom, Trevor, and Chad talk with Caleb Friz about the Syrian refugee crisis and Chad Kim's piece on Conciliar Post: http://www.conciliarpost.com/politics-current-affairs/citizenship-in-heaven/
Please check back with us on Tuesday when we will return to Clement of Alexandria's Stromata.
We are happy to welcome Benjamin Brandon to this week's episode. We will discuss the Christian Platonist, Clement of Alexandria and his Stromata (or miscellanies). Please visit our website at http://www.ahistoryofchristiantheology.com where we have a map of the philosophical schools of Athens and other great content.
Sorry about the shortness of this episode. We will be back with a full length episode next week.
With Tom back on the show, we turn to Clement of Alexandria, one of the greatest thinkers of the Christian tradition, but largely neglected due to the complexity of his thought. We will look at the relationship between humans and the divine in both pagan and Christian thought.
Trever and Chad discuss two early theologians from the great centers of Early Christianity, Antioch and Alexandria. Please go to our website at ahistoryofchristiantheology.com where we will be updating a map showing where are theologians are located in the ancient world. It will give you a sense of where we are talking about when going through our history. Thanks for listening.
In this somewhat short episode, we look at Athenagoras. A little known theologian writing in the 2nd century, as an apologist, somewhat like Justin Martyr, only better.
Changing things up a bit, we are not discussing a theologian, but the Apostles' Creed. We discuss what it means to have faith and whether or not there is a conflict between faith and reason, as well as other important ideas. Thanks for listening.
Finishing up Irenaeus of Lyons, Tom, Trevor and Chad work their way through Apostolic succession, "doing history," the Eucharist, justification, and much more. Please let us know what kind of questions you have from what we are discussing at Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology or www.ahistoryofchristiantheology.com.
Starting this week, we will begin 2 hour long episodes on the great 2nd century theologian Irenaeus. Irenaeus is one of the first to explain what Gnosticism truly taught and how it was different from comes to be known as Orthodox Christianity. He is a wealth of information, and should be read, in his own right, for his clever thought. Please check out our blog at www.ahistoryofchristiantheology.com and tell us what you think.
We continue our conversation on Dialogue with Trypho. Please check us out at Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology. Let us know what you think about the length and if you would like it if we went to an hour.
Continuing our time in Justin, Tom, Trevor and I (Chad) discuss Justin's "hermeneutic" of reading Scripture, his early Trinitarian theology and why this matters before the Council of Nicaea. Check out our blog for more thoughts on hermeneutics at www.ahistoryofchristiantheology.com.
We dig deep in this 2nd episode on Justin Martyr's Second Apology, into the ancient world of philosophy, contemporary conversations on morality and why heaven matters. Hope you enjoy it. Check out our blog at www.ahistoryofchristiantheology.com. Thanks!
Moving on to the 2nd great work from Justin, we look at the Martyr's 2nd, and smaller apology. Tom, Trevor and I will continue to work in the Divine Philosophy of Justin Martyr. We discuss the language of the empire, demonology, and heaven and hell in Justin's thought.
We welcome back Caleb Friz in this second installment of our discussion over Justin Martyr's First Apology. Much of the conversation will center around how convincing are Justin's arguments and what is the nature of apologetics.
We welcome Caleb Friz to stand up for the true atheists in this first podcast on Justin Martyr's First Apology. We discuss who the letter was written to, what persecution looked like in the ancient world, and what Justin knew about the age of various Mediterranean religions. Check out our blog at ahistoryofchristiantheology.com and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheology.
In this podcast, Tom, Trevor and Chad try and ferret out the various theological issues and assumptions of the Gospel of Thomas. We also take a stab at trying to figure out if it is fair to call this a Gnostic Text.
For the next two weeks, Tom, Trevor and Chad will discuss the Gospel of Thomas, beginning with questions about its dating and location. We also provide a fairly thorough summary of scholarly debate concerning the Gospels and there order and date, as it relates to the writing of the Gospel of Thomas. Please visit our blog at ahistoryofchristiantheology.com for more information.
Welcome to this week’s episode of A History of Christian Theology. Getting back into the standard format, Chad Tom and Trevor take a look at the Shepherd of Hermas. Given the tedium of most of the book, the three of us, in a few rabbit trails, primarily take on what is the task of theology, is there Christian perfection and what does it mean for the church to change and grow. I’ll tease this a bit, by saying that we do give all of our opinion of whether or not this text fits within historic orthodoxy at the end of the podcast, but let’s just say you’ll want to listen to the summary, so you don’t have to read it for yourself. Please check out our blog at ahistoryofchristiantheology.com
Tom, Chad and Trevor welcome Ben Horseman to discuss this Epistle to Diogentus from an unknown author. While not widely known, this writing gives one of the earliest known defenses, or apologies, of the Christian faith.
Today, Ben Horseman joins Chad Kim, Tom Velasco and Trevor Adams to discuss the short fragments of Papias. We touch on eschatology and the reliability of the Gospel accounts. Check back next week for our conversation on the Epistle to Diogentus.
In the second half our conversation from last week, Tom and Chad discuss early Christian liturgy and the nature of true and false prophets.
In this episode, Tom and Chad begin down the road of understanding a key part of early Scriptural interpretation, allegory. They also look at the question of whether Gnosticism should be considered "all bad" or whether there is a degree to which Gnosticism can still stand in the fold of orthodox Christianity.
In this episode, Chad, Tom and Trevor discuss the disciple of John the Evangelist, Ignatius of Antioch. They look at the 7 epistle that most scholars agree were written by Ignatius. They look at the place of suffering in Ignatius writing and what that means for his understanding of orthodoxy.
Chad, Tom and Trevor break down Polycarp of Smyrna and his martyrdom story. They look at divisions, development of Scripture, Anti-Christs, and whether Paul knew he was writing Scripture.
Please check out our blog at:
http://ahistoryofchristiantheology.com.
In this podcast, Chad Kim, Tom Velasco and Trevor Adams discuss the theology of Clement of Rome and his epistle to the Corinthians. Topics include: a short intro to the letter, authority, canonization, female roles and Harry Potter.
In this podcast, Chad, Tom and Trevor introduce themselves, their backgrounds and the scope of the podcast. We look at the differences between philosophy and theology as well as why we are choosing to start after Paul. Finally, we tease future podcast themes, like authority, Scripture and Gnosticism.