48—Leo the Great: Who Roared with the Voice of Peter

Novatian of Rome is an extremely important, but conflicted, character in the early Church. On the one hand, he clarified and helped define the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity, preparing the Church for the ecumenical councils. On the other hand, he was the central figure of a schism in a controversy over the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. In this first part of a two-part series on Novatian, Dr. Papandrea discusses the positive contributions of Novatian, as a Church father, and as the subject of his doctoral dissertation. 

Links

To read Novatian’s letters to Cyprian (letters #29 and #30 from “the Roman clergy” were written by Novatian): https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1770&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2383234

For more information on Cyprian of Carthage, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 18: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-18-short-happy-life-cyprian-carthage/

For more information on those Church fathers who were significantly influenced by Novatian, listen to Mike Aquilina’s episodes 26 (Hilary of Poitiers), 23 (Alexander of Alexandria), 24 (Athanasius of Alexandria), and 33 (Ambrose of Milan). 

For more on the historical context of the third century and the sacraments, see the book: 
Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/

For all the details on Novatian, see the book: Novatian of Rome and the Culmination of Pre-Nicene Orthodoxy: https://wipfandstock.com/9781606087800/novatian-of-rome-and-the-culmination-of-pre-nicene-orthodoxy/

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DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube - The Original Church:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Join the Original Church Community on Locals:  https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/

Modalism denies the distinctions between the three Persons of the Trinity, so that God is presented as, not a Trinity at all, but rather a monad with three names. Modalism can be expressed chronologically (the Father became incarnate as the Son) or functionally (the names describe activities like Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer), but either way, in modalism the Son IS the Father in disguise, which ultimately denies the real humanity of Jesus Christ and the reality of his passion.

Links

For more information on Irenaeus of Lyons, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 10:  https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/irenaeus-lyon-putting-smack-down-on-heresy/

To read Irenaeus of Lyons’ Demonstration of the Apostolic Teaching: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/irenaeus_02_proof.htm

For more information on Tertullian, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 13: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/tertullian-and-theology-sarcasm/

and Episode 14: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/tertullian-man-who-forged-words-and-invented-freedoms/

To read Tertullian’s Against Praxeas: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1670&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2368544

For more information on Hippolytus, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 17: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-17the-long-strange-trip-hippolytus-rome/

To read Hippolytus’ Refutation of All Heresies: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1706&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2371969

and: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1717&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2371969

For more detail on the heresy of modalism, and an introduction to Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, and Novatian, see the books: 
Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/

and Trinity 101: Father, Son, Holy Spirit: https://www.liguori.org/trinity-101.html

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/

DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube - The Original Church:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Join the Original Church Community on Locals:  https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/

Whether Origen is considered a father of the Church, or a heretic, depends on whom you ask. But everyone agrees he may have been just a bit too smart for his own good. At best, he tried in vain to out-gnostic the gnostics, at worst, he was too influenced by gnosticism. In the end, the Fifth Ecumenical Council declared him a heretic. In this this episode, Dr. Papandrea gives evidence why Origen should not be considered a father of the Church, but should be considered a heretic, but in the end, you decide!

Links

Make sure to listen to Mike Aquilina’s episodes on Origen, Episode 19:  https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/life-origen-most-controversial-christian-ever/

and Episode 20: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/origen-part-2-hero-heretic-or-hybrid/

For more information on Epiphanius of Salamis, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 35:  https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/35epiphanius-salamis-passion-for-pure-doctrine/

To read Jerome’s Letter to Rufinus of Aquileia:  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2887&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2376957

To read the Canons of the Fifth Ecumenical Council (the Second Council of Constantinople) 553 AD: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3812.htm

Also check out this article by Thomas Mirus on Origen’s theology https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/church-fathers-origens-theology/

and this one on Pope Benedict XVI on Origen’s thought: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7548

For more detail on the controversy over Origen in context, and related topics, see the book: Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/

DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube - The Original Church:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Join the Original Church Community on Locals:  https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/

The heresy of docetism evolved into a complicated web of schools of mythology, which we lump together under the name of gnosticism. These all still denied the real humanity of Christ, though in two distinct ways. Docetic gnosticism continued the trend of seeing Christ as a phantom, with no real tangible body. “Hybrid” gnosticism made concessions to the accounts of a tangible body of Jesus, but called it an ethereal, or luminous, body - in other words, not a true material flesh and blood body.

Links

For more information on Clement of Alexandria, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 16: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/clement-alexandria-teacher-in-new-kind-school/

To read Clement of Alexandria’s Exhortation to the Heathen: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1658&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2371968

For more information on Irenaeus of Lyons, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 10: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/irenaeus-lyon-putting-smack-down-on-heresy/

To read Irenaeus of Lyons’ Demonstration of the Apostolic Teaching: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/irenaeus_02_proof.htm

For more information on Hippolytus, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 17: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/ep-17the-long-strange-trip-hippolytus-rome/

To read Hippolytus’ Refutation of All Heresies: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1706&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2371969

and: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1717&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2371969

For more information on the gnostic gospels, listen to Mike Aquilina’s episode “Apocrypha Now!…”: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/apocrypha-now-on-myth-lost-gospels/

To read some of the gnostic writings, see the Primary Sources tab on Dr. Papandrea’s home page (scroll down to Infancy Gospel of Thomas and following): https://jimpapandrea.wordpress.com/primary-sources-links/

For more detail on the heresy of gnosticism, see the books: Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/

and The Earliest Christologies: Five Images of Christ in the Post-Apostolic Age: https://www.ivpress.com/the-earliest-christologies

For more on gnosticism (and the other heresies) and Science Fiction, see the book: From Star Wars to Superman: Christ Figures in Science Fiction and Superhero Films: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/from-star-wars-to-superman/

For more on the doctrine of the Resurrection Body and its relationship to anthropology, see the book: What Really Happens After We Die?: There WILL Be Hugs in Heaven: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/what-really-happens-after-we-die/

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/

DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube - The Original Church:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Join the Original Church Community on Locals:  https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/

In the third century, the heresy of the Ebionites evolved into a more general form of adoptionism, still denying the divinity of Christ, and now emphasizing his status as an anointed, but adopted, son of God, much like the kings and prophets of the Old Testament. Adoptionism is also known as “dynamic monarchianism,” in part for its claim that it was preserving the oneness (monarchy) of God by denying the divinity of Christ.

Links

For more information on Justin Martyr, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 9: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/justin-martyr-everything-good-is-ours/

To read Justin Martyr’s First Apology: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1610&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2368540

For more information on Irenaeus of Lyons, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 10: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/irenaeus-lyon-putting-smack-down-on-heresy/

To read Irenaeus of Lyons’ Demonstration of the Apostolic Teaching: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/irenaeus_02_proof.htm

For more information on Tertullian, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 13: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/tertullian-and-theology-sarcasm/

and Episode 14: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/tertullian-man-who-forged-words-and-invented-freedoms/

To read Tertullian’s Against Praxeas: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1670&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2368544

Read the Vatican document, Instruction on Certain Aspects of the “Theology of Liberation”: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19840806_theology-liberation_en.html

For more detail on the heresy of adoptionism, see the books: 
Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/

and The Earliest Christologies: Five Images of Christ in the Post-Apostolic Age: https://www.ivpress.com/the-earliest-christologies

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/

DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube - The Original Church:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Join the Original Church Community on Locals:  https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/

For the second heresy, Dr. Papandrea examines the opposite extreme from the first: these are the Docetics, including the most famous docetic teacher, Marcion and his followers. They concluded that Christ was a god, not necessarily different from the many other gods or demigods in the Greco-Roman pantheon, but that he was not really a human. 

Links

For more information on Polycarp of Smyrna, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 5: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-5-st-polycarp-and-social-network/

To read Polycarp of Smyrna’s Letter to the Philippians: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1626&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2365055

To listen to Polycarp of Smyrna’s Letter to the Philippians: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-polycarp-letter-to-philippians/

For more information on Ignatius of Antioch, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 4: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-4-ignatius-antioch-to-know-jesus-christ-our-god/

To read Ignatius of Antioch’s Letter to the Smyrnaeans: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1633&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2365056

To listen to Ignatius of Antioch’s Letters to the Smyrnaeans: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-ignatius-antioch-letter-to-smyrnaeans/

For more information on Irenaeus of Lyons, listen to Mike Aquilina’s Episode 10: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/irenaeus-lyon-putting-smack-down-on-heresy/

For more detail on the heresy of docetism and the Marcionites, see the book: Reading the Early Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine: https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/

DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube - The Original Church:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Join the Original Church Community on Locals:  https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/

Is Jesus Christ God? Is he a man? Is he both? Spoiler alert: the mainstream Church answered with the both/and, but the factions on the fringes tended to choose one or the other. For our first heresy, we take a look at the Ebionites, and their New Testament-era predecessors, the so-called Judaizers. These concluded that Jesus Christ was a mere human. A human who became a prophet perhaps, but just a human.

Links

For more information on Ignatius of Antioch, see Mike Aquilina’s Episode 4: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-4-ignatius-antioch-to-know-jesus-christ-our-god/

To read Ignatius of Antioch’s Letter to the Magnesians: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1629&repos=8&subrepos=0&searchid=2351277

To listen to Ignatius of Antioch’s Letter to the Magnesians: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/st-ignatius-antioch-letter-to-magnesians/

For more information on Irenaeus of Lyons, see Mike Aquilina’s Episode 10: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/irenaeus-lyon-putting-smack-down-on-heresy/

For more detail on the Ebionite heresy, see the book: 
The Earliest Christologies: Five Images of Christ in the Post-Apostolic Age https://www.ivpress.com/the-earliest-christologies

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/

DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, On YouTube - The Original Church:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Join the Original Church Community on Locals:  https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/

I am honored to be picking up the Way of the Fathers podcast where my good friend, Mike Aquilina, left off. In season 4 of The Way of the Fathers, we’ll be looking at the heresies of the early Church, and how the Church fathers confronted and refuted them. This first episode is the introduction to the series, where I define some terms and tell you what you can expect as we trace through the early centuries of Christianity, tracking chronologically the alternatives to orthodoxy that were proposed, debated, and shown to be inconsistent with Scripture and prior tradition. 

Links

For more detail on the Church fathers and the heresies of the early Church, see my book: Reading the Church Fathers: A History of the Early Church and the Development of Doctrine, from Sophia Institute Press (2022)
https://sophiainstitute.com/product/reading-the-church-fathers/

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture’s Newsletter:  https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters/

DONATE at:  http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

To connect with Dr. James Papandrea, on YouTube - The Original Church:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginalChurch

Join the Original Church Community on Locals:  https://theoriginalchurch.locals.com/

Dr. Papandrea’s Homepage:  http://www.jimpapandrea.com

Theme Music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed:  https://www.ccwatershed.org/

After 99 wonderful episodes by Mike Aquilina, Way of the Fathers is getting a new host! We are sad to see Mike go, but excited about his hand-picked successor, Jim Papandrea. In this conversation, Mike introduces Jim to the listeners and these two friends and collaborators talk about their love for all things Patristic.

Please help CatholicCulture.org - and Way of the Fathers - to continue in the new year. Donate now and your gift will be matched! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Jim Papandrea's website https://jimpapandrea.wordpress.com/bio/

SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters

Christianity conquered cities one by one, not by arms or propaganda, but by the quiet witness of ordinary lives well lived. Worldly power yielded before the prayers of the saints and the blood of the martyrs. What can we learn from the first evangelization as we work our witness today?

Links

Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Christianity-Marginal-Religious-Centuries/dp/0060677015/

Rodney Stark, Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome https://www.amazon.com/Cities-God-Christianity-Movement-Conquered/dp/0061349887/

Wayne Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul https://www.amazon.com/First-Urban-Christians-Social-Apostle/dp/0300098618

Thomas A. Robinson, Who Were the First Christians? Dismantling the Urban Thesis https://global.oup.com/academic/product/who-were-the-first-christians-9780190620547

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/

Please donate to this podcast: http://www.CatholicCulture.org/donate/audio/