Three More Reasons to Read the Fathers
May 1, 2007
In addition to Carl's excellent points, I offer the following:
1. The Church Fathers have a more constant concern for the poor -- an emphasis sometimes lacking in contemporary evangelicalism.
2. The Church Fathers placed a prominent emphasis on the resurrection -- not just Good Friday, but also Easter -- not just the cross, but also the empty tomb. This too is is sometimes missing in the church today.
3. The Church Fathers remind us how far the church has come in some areas of theology and exegesis. Their frequent flights of allegorical fancy (with some notable exceptions, including Cyril of Alexandria and John Chrysostom) make us more than grateful for a more method that is more rooted in the best traditions of grammatical-historical exegesis.
I typically try to read at least one patristic source for any sermon series I am preaching, a practice greatly helped, I must say by the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture.
And say, does anyone know a good patristic source on 1 Kings . . .
1. The Church Fathers have a more constant concern for the poor -- an emphasis sometimes lacking in contemporary evangelicalism.
2. The Church Fathers placed a prominent emphasis on the resurrection -- not just Good Friday, but also Easter -- not just the cross, but also the empty tomb. This too is is sometimes missing in the church today.
3. The Church Fathers remind us how far the church has come in some areas of theology and exegesis. Their frequent flights of allegorical fancy (with some notable exceptions, including Cyril of Alexandria and John Chrysostom) make us more than grateful for a more method that is more rooted in the best traditions of grammatical-historical exegesis.
I typically try to read at least one patristic source for any sermon series I am preaching, a practice greatly helped, I must say by the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture.
And say, does anyone know a good patristic source on 1 Kings . . .
