The Epistle to Diognetus: A Book Review
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
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Shawn reviews The Epistle to Diognetus which may be the earliest church apologetic writing. This excellent letter is short to ease, helpful with an example on how to share the Gospel. This would be a wonderful read for just about every Christian.
This is awesome. Happy to have found you. TY 🙏🏻
I’m busy being a total nerd today. I actually bought the same Apostolic Fathers book the other day, I looked up the Didache earlier to hear other perspectives on it and found myself falling down the rabbit hole of your videos. I appreciate your perspective and fairness when you review, I can see this being very valuable being a self taught theology student (hopefully until I die) and I always desire to go deeper. Thanks for these meaningful reviews. I’m excited to read this account in its entirety.
Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed going through that book. It was the second time reading through those apostolic fathers. Something I should do once a decade.
@@RevReads sounds wise!
Really enjoy your reviews!
Thanks! Means a lot.
I am new to this channel and as a reader of theology books I am looking forward to looking at more reviews. This review of Diognetus who I have heard of gave me an impetus to look into it more.
That's how I am hoping viewers will respond. Thanks for the positive feedback.
I agree that the early church definitely was not Roman Catholic, but it was, according to Ignatius of Antioch, catholic, with a small c.
I love how St Ignatius writes that how a church without a bishop is not a church at all. I also love how he writes about the blessed Eucharist. Truly one can see the churches he wrote to were One.
And apparently according to Ignatius Rome presided in love whatever that would mean. Here are a few of my favourite quotes from this totally not Catholic
See that you all follow the bishop, even *as Jesus Christ does the Father* (heavy obedience I never encountered in Protestantism), and the presbytery as you would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the *institution of God* . Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is administered either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there, let the multitude of the people also be; even as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. ((Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 8).
They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not *confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, Flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father* , in His goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 6)
Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the Church that has found mercy in the greatness of the Most High Father and in Jesus Christ, his only son; to the Church beloved and enlightened after the love of Jesus Christ, our God, by the will of him that has willed everything which is; to the Church which also holds the *presidency* in the place of the country of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy of sanctification, and because you hold the *presidency of love* , named after Christ and named after the Father; here therefore do I salute in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father. Introduction (Letter to the Romans).
. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is administered either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 8).
Those indeed, who belong to God and to Jesus Christ-they are with the bishop. And those who repent and come *to the unity of the Church* -they too shall be of God. . . . Do not err my brethren: if *anyone follow a schismatic, he will not inherit the Kingdom of God* . . . . Take care, then, to use *one Eucharist* , so that whatever you do, you do according to God: for there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup in the union of His Blood; *one altar* as there is one bishop with the presbytery and my fellow servants, the deacons (Letter to the Philadelphians, Chapter 3).
In like manner let everyone respect the deacons as they would respect Jesus Christ, and just as they respect the bishop as a type of the Father, and the presbyters [priests] as the council of God and college of Apostles. Without these, it cannot be called a church (Letter to the Trallians, Chapter 2).
Indeed, when you submit to the bishop as you would to Jesus Christ, it is clear to me that you are living not in the manner of men but as Jesus Christ, who died for us, that through faith in his death you might escape dying. It is necessary, therefore-and such is your practice-that you do nothing without the bishop, and that you be subject also to the presbytery, as to the Apostles of Jesus Christ our hope, in whom we shall be found, if we live in Him (Letter to the Magnesians, Chapter 13).
The early church looks like a cross between Mennonite and Cathloic. That church doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Checkout David Bercot’s work. He’s a Mennonite trying to restore the Eucharistic teachings as well as baptismal regeneration. I don’t think he can get to succession of Bishops which was also an important aspect of early Christianity.
Chapter 10 in the epistle does look like loving God, and being an imitator of him is necessary for salvation.
"to whom He has promised a kingdom in heaven, and *will give it to those who have loved Him* . And when you have attained this knowledge, with what joy do you think you will be filled? Or, how will you love Him who has first so loved you? *And if you love Him, you will be an imitator of His kindness* . And do not wonder that a man may become an imitator of God. *He can, if he is willing* ."
The last sentence even puts an onus on man's willingness to be an imitator of God.
A passage from James 1 comes to mind
"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has *promised to those who love Him* . 13 No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death."
James is teaching that a man needs to persevere under trial to receive the crown of life, which is promised to those who love Him - what trials is James speaking - he describes temptation of sin. So a man must persevere in holiness James teaches, to receive the crown of life - this constitutes loving God.
Is this works-salvation to Paul? no, he contrasted works-salvation with 'faith working through love' . "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love." Galatians 5:6 . Paul was condemning the work of circumcision , by contrasting it with the new salvific paradigm of 'faith working through love'
No one became “Roman Catholic” in that period of time by Saint Gregory the Great. They were fully Catholic by doctrine, and fully Orthodox by liturgical tradition. However, you are referring to the pre conciliar period before
The First Ecumenical Council which was not a Roman peculiarity, but a unified exercise of ecclesiological authority by the entire Church both East and West against Gnosticism… history will tell you about the rest of the councils.
The ‘Roman Catholic’ institutional allusion you make is closer to the 11th century as the church begins to fracture due to Frankish influence among other competing factors …
We cannot deny the fact that until the unfortunate Roman Schism and then the Protestant schism, the church has was conciliar.
Also, the apostolic fathers were read frequently for 500 years, some churches even read these writings “publicly” or at least in their non liturgical catechetical settings