Through the Church Fathers

Through the Church Fathers

por C. Michael Patton

Historia Cristianismo

Temporada 2

Through the Church Fathers: May 19

Podcast Description In today’s reading Theophilus of Antioch gives a personal testimony of his own conversion, explaining how the fulfilled prophecies of Scripture overcame his former skepticism and led him to believe in the resurrection and final judgment. We then hear Augustine recount the dramatic conversion of Victorinus, the celebrated Roman rhetorician, who, though advanced in years and honored by the world, publicly humbled himself before the Church and confessed Christ despite the scorn of his pagan friends. We close with Thomas Aquinas clarifying that the goodness of the will depends not on sincere intention alone, but on whether it wills what is truly good according to right reason and God’s law. Today’s Readings: Theophilus of Antioch — To Autolycus, Book I, Chapter 14 Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 8, Chapter 2 (Sections 3–5) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 19 (Articles 1–10 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

Through the Church Fathers: May 18

Podcast Description In today’s reading we continue with Theophilus of Antioch as he boldly exposes the absurdities of pagan idolatry, distinguishes between the honor due to earthly kings and the worship due to God alone, explains why followers of Jesus are called Christians, and offers vivid, everyday examples—from seeds and seasons to the moon itself—to strengthen faith in the resurrection of the dead. Alongside this we hear Augustine in the Confessions candidly describing the tension in his own soul: drawn to the beauty of God’s house yet still tightly bound by the pull of secular life and the desire for marriage. We conclude with Thomas Aquinas laying out the foundational principles for moral theology, showing that a human act is truly good only when its object, its end, and its circumstances are all rightly ordered. Today’s Readings: Theophilus of Antioch — To Autolycus, Book I, Chapters 10–13 Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 8, Chapter 1 (Section 2) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 18 (Articles 1–11 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

Through the Church Fathers: May 17

Podcast Description In this episode we hear Theophilus of Antioch invite his pagan friend Autolycus to behold the one true God through the order and beauty of creation. He points to the regular seasons, the movement of the stars, the provision for all living things, and the instinct given to animals, showing that these works reveal God’s wisdom and providence. He then explains that we shall see God when we put on immortality and that faith is the foundation for all true knowledge. Theophilus contrasts this with the immoral myths of the pagan gods, exposing the emptiness of idolatry. Alongside Augustine’s account of consulting Simplicianus as he wrestled with how to live the Christian life, and Thomas Aquinas’s teaching on command as the act of reason that directs the will toward execution, these readings call us to move from admiration of God’s works to personal faith, cleansing, and obedient action. Today’s Readings: Theophilus of Antioch — To Autolycus, Book I (Chapters 6–9) Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 8, Chapter 1 Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 17 (Articles 1–9 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

Through the Church Fathers: May 16

Podcast Description In this episode we listen to one of the earliest Christian voices speaking directly to a skeptical pagan friend. Theophilus of Antioch, bishop of Antioch in the late second century, writes to Autolycus with patience and clarity, answering his mockery of the Christian faith. He shows that the one true God cannot be seen with physical eyes until the soul is cleansed from sin, describes the invisible God through His works and providence, and sets forth the divine attributes in language that is both simple and profound. Together with Augustine’s testimony of finding in the Scriptures what he could not find in the Platonists, and Thomas Aquinas’s teaching on consent as the will’s approval of the means proposed by reason, these readings invite us to consider how the human heart must be purified before it can truly behold God and how the will moves toward the good through counsel, consent, and choice. Today’s Readings: Theophilus of Antioch — To Autolycus, Book I Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 21 (Section 27) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 15 (Articles 1–4 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

Introduction to Athanagoras: A Plea for the Christians

Podcast Description In this episode we step into the late second century with Theophilus of Antioch as he writes a personal and reasoned defense of the Christian faith to his pagan friend Autolycus. Theophilus shows that Moses and the Hebrew prophets are far older than Homer and the Greek poets, contrasts the absurdities of pagan mythology with the coherent account of creation in Scripture, and demonstrates the moral and historical superiority of Christian teaching. Alongside Augustine’s account of moving from proud philosophical speculation to humble embrace of Christ the Mediator, and Thomas Aquinas’s explanation of consent as the will’s approval of the means proposed by reason, these readings invite us to consider the reliability of God’s Word and the ordered freedom of the human will in responding to truth. Today’s Readings: Theophilus of Antioch — To Autolycus, Books 1–3 (excerpts from the full work) Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 20 (Section 26) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 15 (Articles 1–4 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

Through the Church Fathers: May 15

Podcast Description In this episode Tatian presses his argument to its climax. He uses Egyptian, Chaldean, and Phoenician records to prove that Moses lived centuries before Homer and the Trojan War, making Christian teaching far older than Greek philosophy or literature. He catalogs the Argive kings to demonstrate the timeline and concludes with a personal testimony of his own conversion from Greek learning to the “barbaric philosophy” of the Scriptures. Augustine rejoices that God allowed him to encounter the Platonists first so that the contrast with Holy Scripture would humble him and teach him the difference between proud speculation and humble confession. Thomas Aquinas explains that consent is the act of the will by which it approves the means proposed by reason, standing between counsel and choice and preparing the way for decisive action. Today’s Readings: Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 38–42 Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 20 (Section 26) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 15 (Articles 1–4 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org (The three primary readings are already formatted per the 2026 rules and ready for the main content of the episode.)

Through the Church Fathers: May 14

Podcast Description In this episode Tatian continues his unsparing critique of Greek culture. He ridicules the statues erected to tyrants, adulterers, and prostitutes, exposing the moral bankruptcy behind pagan art and the hypocrisy of those who slander Christian women while honoring far worse figures. He speaks as an eyewitness who has examined these things firsthand, then turns to the antiquity of Moses, using Chaldean, Phoenician, and Egyptian records to prove that Christian teaching predates Greek philosophy and literature by centuries. Augustine describes how he initially viewed Christ merely as an exemplary wise man and struggled to grasp the mystery of the Word made flesh, until he saw in the Mediator the humble way that lifts the proud by first becoming low. Thomas Aquinas explains that counsel is the act of reason by which we deliberate about the means to an end, preparing the way for free and rational choice. Today’s Readings: Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 34–37 Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 19 (Section 25) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 14 (Articles 1–6 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org (The three primary readings are already formatted per the 2026 rules and ready for the main content of the episode. Let me know if you want the full combined document or any adjustments to the podcast description.)

Through the Church Fathers: May 13

Podcast Description In this episode we see the bold confidence of early Christian apologetics. Tatian demonstrates that Christian teaching predates Greek philosophy and literature by comparing timelines with Moses and Homer, condemns the divisive and immoral nature of Greek laws and customs, and vigorously defends the dignity and chastity of Christian women against pagan mockery and the worship of shameful statues. Augustine recounts his soul’s longing for God and the moment he embraced Christ the Mediator as the humble way to the unchangeable Truth. Thomas Aquinas explains that choice is an act of the will guided by reason, whereby we select the means ordered to an intended end. Today’s Readings: Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 31–33 Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 18 (Section 24) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 13 (Articles 1–6 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org (The three primary readings are already formatted per the 2026 rules and ready for the main content of the episode. Let me know if you want the full combined document or any adjustments.)

Through the Church Fathers: May 12

Podcast Description In this episode we witness the sharp contrast between empty human wisdom and the power of divine truth. Tatian boldly condemns the unjust hatred shown toward Christians, rejects the contradictory and immoral laws of the Greeks, recounts his own conversion through the simple yet divine writings of the barbarians, and resolves to resist the devil by embracing the one true God. Augustine describes his soul’s ascent from changeable bodies and phantasms to a trembling glimpse of the unchangeable Truth above his mind, only to be pulled back by the weight of carnal habit. Thomas Aquinas explains that intention is an act of the will directed toward an end, ordering all means under that single purpose while remaining free and rational. Today’s Readings: Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 27–30 Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 17 (Section 23) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 12 (Articles 1–5 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

Through the Church Fathers: May 11

Podcast Description In this episode we confront the emptiness of pagan culture and philosophy. Tatian exposes the absurdity of Greek theater, the contradictions and vanities of the philosophers, and the futility of their borrowed wisdom, calling Greeks to abandon empty traditions and follow the Word of God. Augustine shows that evil is not a substance but a perversion of the will turned away from the Supreme Good. Thomas Aquinas explains how the will naturally inclines toward the good yet remains free in its choice among particular goods, never forced or necessitated to any single option. Today’s Readings: Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 24–26 Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 16 (Section 22) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 10 (Articles 1–3 Combined) Explore the Project: Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org (The three primary readings are already formatted per the 2026 rules and ready for the main content of the episode. Let me know if you want the full combined document or any adjustments.)

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