Most Helpful Customer Reviews
68 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Introduction to Twenty-Six Remarkable Lives, September 15, 2008
This review is from: The Fathers (Hardcover)
Pope Benedict's "The Fathers" is a collection of the texts from his Wednesday audiences, delivered between March of 2007 and February of 2008. During these weekly audiences, the Pope introduces us to the lives and works of twenty-six different Fathers of the Church, from the Apostolic Fathers to Saint Augustine. The audiences were orgionally given in Italian, while this edition is the official Vatican publication of the English translation.
In "The Fathers" Pope Benedict introduces us to what is most noble, holy and edifying in the lives and works of these Fathers of the Church. He begins with the early Apostolic Fathers, such as Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome and Saint Ignatius of Antioch, who lived soon after the apostles. He devoted two audiences to several third, fourth and fifth century Fathers, including Origen of Alexandria, Saint Basil, Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Jerome. He also introduces two Syriac Fathers, Aphraates the Sage and Saint Ephrem the Syrian. Finally, he finishes with five seperate audiences on the life and works of Saint Augustine. These are not intended to be critical biographies but rather edifying and interest sparking introductions, each one lasting several pages.
Other fathers included in this book are St. Justin Martyr, St. Irenaeus, St. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, St. Cyrian, Eusebius, St. Athanasius, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Hilary of Poitiers, St. Eusebius of Vercelli, St. Ambrose, St. Maximus of Turin, St. Chromatius, and St. Paulinus.
If you are inerested in church history, the lives of saints or just are curious to learn more, I highly recommend this book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible History of the Church Fathers, October 5, 2008
This review is from: The Fathers (Hardcover)
A couple of years ago, I picked up a book on the Church Fathers, those leaders of the early Church who came within the first few generations after the Apostles. It was a heavy tome with small print; it seemed very intimidating and I never did get around to reading it. That is why I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of "The Fathers" by Pope Benedict XVI (Our Sunday Visitor, 2008). The material in this book is a slightly edited record of the weekly general audiences Pope Benedict gave on this topic from March 7, 2007 to February 27, 2008. It is incredibly readable and very interesting.
The Church Fathers are fascinating to learn about. Many were converts to the faith and arrived at the Church through a variety of spiritual journeys. They were highly educated and several worked to integrate Greek philosophy with the Christian faith. They also struggled with many of the theological questions that now form the foundation of our faith: Christ as both God and man; the Trinity, and what it means to be a baptized Christian.
Pope Benedict began his treatment of this subject with St. Clement, the third successor of St. Peter who led the Church in the last years of the first century. He intervened in the Church of Corinth in what was the first exercise of Roman Primacy after St. Peter's death. In his letter to Corinth, "he clearly explains the doctrine of Apostolic Succession. . .The Father sent Jesus Christ, who in turn sent the Apostles. They then sent the first heads of communities and established that they would be succeeded by other worthy men. . . .The Church is above all a gift of God and not something we ourselves created."
Pope Benedict then devotes his attention to St. Ignatius of Antioch who was "the first person in Christian literature to attribute to the Church the adjective 'catholic' or 'universal'." St. Justin did his best to both defend the faith and explain it. He believed that both the Old Testament and Greek philosophy were two paths that led to Christ. St. Irenaeus of Lyons wrote the first catechism of the Catholic Church. Origen of Alexandria preached a message of love, as he was convinced that "the best way to become acquainted with God is through love." Tertullian would eventually join the Montanist sect but he gave the Church the terms "one substance" and "three persons" for help in explaining the mystery of the Trinity. Cyprian reflected on the communal message of the "Our Father": "Our prayer is public and common; and when we pray, we pray not for one, but for the whole people, because we, the whole people, are one."
Other Church Fathers Pope Benedict invites us to spend time with include St. Cyril of Jerusalem who emphasized the Christian's rebirth through baptism. St. Basil was one of the Fathers of the Church's social doctrine and encouraged interaction with the culture at large. St. Gregory of Nyssa reflected on the beauty of man as being created in the image of God. St. Hilary of Poitiers defended the divinity of Christ by quoting from both the Old and New Testament. St. Jerome translated the Bible into the Latin vernacular. St. Paulinus of Nola wrote beautiful poetry and made use of religious art to instruct pilgrims. Lastly, Pope Benedict focuses on St. Augustine of Hippo, perhaps the most famous Father of them all, who maintained that "faith and reason . . . must always go hand in hand."
Pope Benedict is a gifted teacher, speaker, and writer, and "The Fathers" is more evidence of this. He is able to take a complicated history and make it accessible to all. "The Fathers" provides a great introduction into the lives and works of many of the great men who helped to form the early Church. It is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn more about Church history.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pope Benedict's Continues His Excellent Teaching!, September 13, 2008
This review is from: The Fathers (Hardcover)
The papacy of Pope Benedict XVI continues to be a great blessing for all of us. First, the Pope released his book Jesus of Nazareth(and we anxiously await the follow-up to it--correcting and recalling who Jesus is in this excellent book, next The Apostleswas released where Pope Benedict connect Jesus to the founding of the Church, the establishment of the Apostles and showed how the succession of the Apostles is something we find within the Bible. Now the Pope releases The Fatherswhich shows how the early Church continued to grow through the early thinkers who continued to unpack the deep meaning of Christ found in the Bible and expressed in the Church's spiritual practice. Our Sunday Visitor has done another excellent job in presenting the Pope's teaching in the same way that they previously did with The Apostles.
The book is peppered throughout with great sayings of the fathers of the Church, such as "The man without Christ is dust and shadow," (p.170) spoken by Paulinus of Nola or the words of Ambrose "Omnia Christus est nobis! "To us Christ is all!" (p.133).
Those looking to learn more about Jesus Christ can do no better than the encounter with the early Fathers who unpacked the meaning of the Bible and everything that the Word of God pointed to--Jesus.
I am the author of The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
