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Introduction to Patristics: Learning from the Church Fathers
Publisher's Summary
Award-winning professor Fr. David Meconi transports you to the world of the early Christians, where you will meet the great theologians who indelibly shaped Christianity.
To understand Christian today - faith, traditions, scriptures, and theology - we must first understand its past. An Oxford-trained professor, David Meconi, S.J., examines the formative centuries of the Church (100 - 800 C.E.) and the great figures whose lives and writings inspired generations of later thinkers and believers.
One of the recurring lessons of Church history emerges from the way in which Christians have historically responded to both internal and external challenges and developments. From these lectures, you will gain insight into pivotal ecumenical councils, theological debates, and the lives of Eastern and Western Fathers of the Church.
Fr. Meconi’s scholarly meditation on moments within the life of the Church takes on the delicacy and precision of a well-executed portrait - proving that the pulse of the ancient faith still throbs inside the hearts of Christians today.
©2018 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2018 Now You Know Media Inc.
Award-winning professor Fr. David Meconi transports you to the world of the early Christians, where you will meet the great theologians who indelibly shaped Christianity.
To understand Christian today - faith, traditions, scriptures, and theology - we must first understand its past. An Oxford-trained professor, David Meconi, S.J., examines the formative centuries of the Church (100 - 800 C.E.) and the great figures whose lives and writings inspired generations of later thinkers and believers.
One of the recurring lessons of Church history emerges from the way in which Christians have historically responded to both internal and external challenges and developments. From these lectures, you will gain insight into pivotal ecumenical councils, theological debates, and the lives of Eastern and Western Fathers of the Church.
Fr. Meconi’s scholarly meditation on moments within the life of the Church takes on the delicacy and precision of a well-executed portrait - proving that the pulse of the ancient faith still throbs inside the hearts of Christians today.
©2018 Now You Know Media Inc. (P)2018 Now You Know Media Inc.
Audiobook
Published January 1, 2018
11 people want to read
About the author
David Vincent Meconi
25 books6 followersIn 1992, David Meconi entered the Jesuit novitiate. He was sent to Xavier University to teach Classics and Philosophy, and then to the University of Innsbruck to obtain a pontifical license in Patrology. There he wrote a thesis on the apologetic nature of the Christian cento.
He was missioned to Oxford, studying Augustine under one of Henry Chadwick's last students. His dissertation was on Augustine’s use of deification and the Christian’s call to become Christ.
He was missioned to Oxford, studying Augustine under one of Henry Chadwick's last students. His dissertation was on Augustine’s use of deification and the Christian’s call to become Christ.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 22, 2019
Good overview of the timeline, context, and some of the major church fathers (Polycarp, Ignatius, Origen, Augustine, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzen, a bit of Tertullian, Cyril, and I'm probably missing someone). Too brief at certain parts.
December 13, 2020
Don't agree with every assessment or framing, but this was immensely helpful an introduction to the church fathers. High time I dig more deeply into each of these. Didn't mention church mothers, which is an issue for me...
August 9, 2019
2 Parts Filler, 1 Part Fathers
AT A GLANCE:
The title is misleading. This would better be called "Popular Doctrine, with Occasional Reference to the Church Fathers".
CONTENT:
This is largely direct Catholic apologetic and catechesis. It works to this end; the content is well-presented and highly accessible. However, it is not a treatment of the Church Fathers, and it is not a functional introduction to Patristics. It starts out strong with the lives and teachings of Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement and others. We are given a decent overview of the Cappodocians and Athanasius, then Jerome, Ambrose and Augustine.
Unfortunately the structure falls apart at this point. We are given a selection of Catholic doctrine, expounded at length and in Sunday-school fashion. We hear much about the development of the canon, the nature of the Church and the worship of the early Christians, but only indirectly or occasionally relating these ideas back to the Fathers themselves. The author seems more concerned with the official doctrines on heresies and the physical nature of Christ than with what the Fathers thought about these things. He spends far too much time on Origen (who is here identified as not being a Father) while not even mentioning others such as John of Damascus, Gregory the Great, Ephraim the Syrian and John Cassian. For instance, Leo the Great is quoted at substantial length to support the primacy of the papacy, while John Chrysostom is quoted twice, with hardly any introduction, as a prooftext for infant baptism. This presentation is most interesting when it stays on-topic, which is disappointingly infrequent in the last hours.
NARRATOR:
Fr Meconi is a suitable narrator of his own work. His voice is pleasant and easy listening. It needs to be mentioned, however, that the editing is sub-par. There are places where a previous recording is repeated, even whole paragraphs read twice back-to-back. This is the only audiobook I have found from Now You Know Media where it was obviously not reviewed for quality before release.
CONCLUSION:
Recommended to those who are just beginning an inquiry into Catholic history and ideas. If you are looking for an academic or in-depth look at the Church Fathers this will not be satisfactory.
AT A GLANCE:
The title is misleading. This would better be called "Popular Doctrine, with Occasional Reference to the Church Fathers".
CONTENT:
This is largely direct Catholic apologetic and catechesis. It works to this end; the content is well-presented and highly accessible. However, it is not a treatment of the Church Fathers, and it is not a functional introduction to Patristics. It starts out strong with the lives and teachings of Ignatius, Polycarp, Clement and others. We are given a decent overview of the Cappodocians and Athanasius, then Jerome, Ambrose and Augustine.
Unfortunately the structure falls apart at this point. We are given a selection of Catholic doctrine, expounded at length and in Sunday-school fashion. We hear much about the development of the canon, the nature of the Church and the worship of the early Christians, but only indirectly or occasionally relating these ideas back to the Fathers themselves. The author seems more concerned with the official doctrines on heresies and the physical nature of Christ than with what the Fathers thought about these things. He spends far too much time on Origen (who is here identified as not being a Father) while not even mentioning others such as John of Damascus, Gregory the Great, Ephraim the Syrian and John Cassian. For instance, Leo the Great is quoted at substantial length to support the primacy of the papacy, while John Chrysostom is quoted twice, with hardly any introduction, as a prooftext for infant baptism. This presentation is most interesting when it stays on-topic, which is disappointingly infrequent in the last hours.
NARRATOR:
Fr Meconi is a suitable narrator of his own work. His voice is pleasant and easy listening. It needs to be mentioned, however, that the editing is sub-par. There are places where a previous recording is repeated, even whole paragraphs read twice back-to-back. This is the only audiobook I have found from Now You Know Media where it was obviously not reviewed for quality before release.
CONCLUSION:
Recommended to those who are just beginning an inquiry into Catholic history and ideas. If you are looking for an academic or in-depth look at the Church Fathers this will not be satisfactory.
July 11, 2023
This was a good introduction to the writings, controversies, and practices of the first four centuries of the church. None of the sections are particularly in-depth, but they cover enough to familiarize the reader with each major figure and their most important contributions. Some of his Tridentine/Counter-Reformation polemics were annoying here and there--all of which were addressed by Chemnitz centuries ago--but I expected as much going into the lectures.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews