Through the Church Fathers

Through the Church Fathers

di C. Michael Patton

Storia Cristianità

Stagione 2

Through the Church Fathers: January 2

Repentance, humility, resurrection, and ordered love form the backbone of the Christian life—and they are not learned all at once. Today’s readings press deeper into the moral and spiritual logic of the early church, revealing how God patiently calls His people back to unity, how the soul longs to be gathered into God Himself, and how sacred doctrine stands as a true science grounded in divine light. Readings: Clement of Rome, 1 Clement, Sections 8–15 Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 1 (3–4) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 1, Article 2 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 #ChurchFathers #1Clement #Augustine #Confessions #ThomasAquinas #SummaTheologica #ChristianTradition #TheologicalFormation

Through the Church Fathers: January 1

From division and disorder to earnest pursuit of holiness, today’s readings trace the early Church’s struggle and hope in Christ, beginning with Clement of Rome, 1 Clement, Sections 1–7, where Clement appeals to the Corinthians to repent, restore unity, and fix their gaze on the blood of Christ that makes mercy available to the whole world. Then we turn to Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 1 (1), where Augustine opens his soul to God in prayer, confessing our restless hearts and the gracious mercy that draws us into true praise. We conclude with Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 1, Article 1, where Aquinas teaches that sacred doctrine is necessary because salvation depends on truths about God that human reason alone cannot fully grasp. These readings together call us to profound humility, deep reflection, and steadfast faith as we begin this journey through the Church Fathers. Readings: Clement of Rome, 1 Clement, Sections 1–7 Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 1 (1) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 1, Article 1 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 #ThroughTheChurchFathers #ClementOfRome #Augustine #ThomasAquinas #EarlyChurch #HistoricalTheology #Confessions #SummaTheologica #ChristianFormation

Introduction to Thomas Aquinas

What happens when faith refuses to fear reason? In this episode, we introduce Thomas Aquinas and his Summa Theologica, one of the most ambitious and demanding works in the history of Christian thought. Aquinas asks the questions many of us are afraid to articulate—about God, existence, evil, angels, freedom, and the soul—and then patiently works through every possible objection with relentless clarity. This is the most intellectually challenging portion of Through the Church Fathers, but it is also one of the most rewarding. Take it slowly. Over time, Aquinas begins to teach you how to think, not just what to think. 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 #ThroughTheChurchFathers #ThomasAquinas #SummaTheologica #FaithAndReason #ChristianPhilosophy #ChurchHistory #Theology

Introduction to Saint Augustine

Augustine’s Confessions is not a theological textbook—it is a soul laid bare before God. In this episode, we introduce one of the most honest spiritual works ever written, where Augustine speaks directly to God about sin, memory, desire, grace, and mercy. This daily reading functions as the devotional heartbeat of Through the Church Fathers, reminding us that theology begins not with mastery, but with repentance. Augustine does not confess to impress us; he confesses because he cannot stand before God without mercy—and neither can we. 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 #ThroughTheChurchFathers #Augustine #TheConfessions #ChristianDevotion #Grace #ChurchHistory #SpiritualFormation

Introduction to Clement of Rome

Before creeds were settled and councils convened, the Church learned how to survive conflict, persecution, and division through faithful shepherds who stood close to the apostles themselves. In this introduction to 1 Clement, we step into the late first century—only decades after the resurrection—and meet a church leader writing not theory but urgent pastoral counsel. Clement’s letter to Corinth shows us what authority, unity, and humility looked like before Christianity had power, buildings, or legal standing. This opening reading sets the tone for our journey through the Church Fathers: grounded in history, saturated with Scripture, and centered on the living Christ who was confessed, preached, and obeyed long before Christianity became an institution. 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 #ThroughTheChurchFathers #1Clement #ChurchFathers #EarlyChurch #ApostolicChristianity #ChristianHistory #HistoricalTheology #UnityOfTheChurch

Stagione 2

What to Expect this Year

What does it mean to read Christianity as history, not theory? In this opening episode, we lay out what to expect in the year ahead as we journey through the Church Fathers together. Each day follows a simple rhythm: a primary reading from an early Church Father, a short devotional passage from Augustine’s Confessions, and a carefully chosen theological reading from Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologica. Whether you read or listen, this project is designed for the whole Church—Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox alike—grounded in our shared confession that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again. This is an invitation to slow down, think deeply, and walk together with the saints who handed us the faith. 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

Stagione 1

Voices of Proclaiming the Incarnation: A Christmas Liturgy of Readings

Voices Proclaiming the Incarnation is a communal Christmas liturgy designed to be read aloud—together. Drawing from Scripture, the early Church Fathers, and the great creeds of the Church, this reading traces the mystery of the Incarnation from prophecy to fulfillment, from the manger to the cross, and from history to hope. Twenty readings are shared among the group, with a congregational refrain spoken together between each proclamation, allowing many voices to bear witness to one Christ. This is not a performance or a lecture, but an act of shared confession: the Word has become flesh, and God is with us. Whether used in a small group, family gathering, or quiet devotional setting, this liturgy invites listeners to slow down, listen carefully, and join the Church across the ages in proclaiming the wonder of Christmas. 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 #ChristmasLiturgy #Incarnation #WordMadeFlesh #ChurchFathers #Advent #ChristmasDay #HistoricChristianity #Creeds #Scripture #ThroughTheChurchFathers

Through the Church Fathers: December 25

Final Broadcast of the Year In today’s reading from On the Incarnation (Sections 53–57), Athanasius brings his great work to a close by pointing to the most astonishing evidence of all: the quiet but total overthrow of the pagan world from within the human conscience itself. Without armies, force, or spectacle, Christ has dismantled idolatry, silenced oracles, exposed demons, emptied magic of its power, and eclipsed the wisdom of the Greeks—not by argument alone, but by transforming lives. Those who once mocked the Cross now worship the Crucified as God; magicians burn their books; philosophers give way to the Gospels; and ordinary men and women live lives of chastity, courage, and hope in immortality. Athanasius insists that no mere man, demon, or magician could accomplish this. Only the Word of God made flesh could conquer the world by suffering, defeat death by dying, and reveal the invisible Father through visible works. He ends by urging us not only to search the Scriptures, but to live pure and disciplined lives, for only a cleansed soul can truly comprehend divine truth. As we celebrate Christmas, we are reminded that the Child born in humility is the eternal King who has silenced every false ruler, illumined the whole world, and will one day return in glory to judge the living and the dead. Merry Christmas. 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 If this journey through Athanasius has strengthened you, invite others to join us. Our updated and expanded programs now include Early Church Fathers, Early Church Discipleship, and new tracks launching soon. The Church has always grown by invitation—bring as many with you as you can.

Through the Church Fathers: December 24

In today’s Christmas Eve reading from On the Incarnation (Sections 46–52), Athanasius draws the final lines of his argument by pointing not merely to Scripture, but to the visible collapse of the old world and the undeniable rise of the new. Since the coming of Christ, idolatry has withered, oracles have fallen silent, demons have been driven out, magic has been exposed, and the proud claims of Greek philosophy have been eclipsed. What was once local, divided, and powerless has given way to a single, universal worship of Christ across every nation. Athanasius presses the point with force: no mere man, magician, or spirit could have accomplished this. The Cross itself—mocked by the world—has proven stronger than demons, stronger than death, and stronger than every false god. He contrasts Christ with Asclepius, Heracles, and Dionysus, showing that none healed human nature, none destroyed death, none transformed the passions of mankind, and none conquered the world through suffering. Even Christ’s death stands alone, marked by cosmic signs, followed by a resurrection unparalleled in any pagan myth. For Athanasius, the conclusion is unavoidable and fitting for Christmas: the One born of the Virgin, who sanctified a body, silenced the powers, and filled the earth with His teaching, is no other than the eternal Word, the Son of God, who became man for our salvation. 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: December 22

From now until Christmas, our Early Church Fathers Track is turning all our attention to Athanasius’s On the Incarnation, letting his voice prepare us for the mystery of the Word becoming flesh (John 1:14). Today we hear him dismantle every objection—Jewish, pagan, philosophical—showing that Christ’s coming is the hinge of history, the end of prophecy, the downfall of idols, and the dawning of light for the nations (Isaiah 9:2). As we enter Advent, we’re walking slowly and reverently through this single work to let its truth settle deep. After December 22, we will take one week away from podcast releases so we can reset, reorganize, and gear up to begin a fresh year of the Fathers with renewed clarity and strength. 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

32 di 70