Join Through the Church Fathers, a year-long journey into the writings of the early Church Fathers, thoughtfully curated by C. Michael Patton. Each episode features daily readings from key figures like Clement, Augustine, and Aquinas, accompanied by insightful commentary to help you engage with the foundational truths of the Christian faith.
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Do angels have free will? In today's episode, we turn to Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 59, Article 3, to explore this very question. While it might seem that perfect knowledge would eliminate the need for choice, Aquinas explains why angels—despite their intuitive and immediate understanding—still possess free will. We walk through Aquinas's reasoning, showing how freedom arises from the will responding to perceived goods, and how angels choose rationally, even more perfectly than humans. The episode concludes with a one-sentence Quick Summa for clarity and retention. 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
Today’s readings take us deep into the inner struggle of Augustine, the theological insight of Aquinas, and the interpretive dialogue of Justin Martyr. In Dialogue with Trypho, Chapters 65–66, Justin explains how God gives His glory only to Christ and not to idols, and he argues from Isaiah that Christ was born of a virgin. Augustine’s Confessions, Book VIII, Chapters 19–20, gives us a powerful look at the breaking point of his conversion—his anguish in the garden, torn between two wills. Finally, in Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 58, Article 5, Aquinas considers whether angels can be mistaken in their understanding—and answers with a careful distinction between natural knowledge and fallen misuse. 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
In today’s episode, Justin Martyr responds to Trypho’s bold claim that Jews have no need to confess or worship Christ. Justin gently but firmly demonstrates from the Psalms that the Messiah is both eternal and divine—preexistent before the sun, ruling from heaven, and returning in glory. He urges that salvation comes only through this One, even for those of Israel who are saved. Thomas Aquinas then explores whether angels can know the future or the secrets of human hearts. His answers help us reflect on the limits of created intellects—even angelic ones—while deepening our awe at God’s unique, infinite knowledge. Angels may be mighty, but only God sees perfectly into time and the soul. Finally, in Confessions, Augustine is pierced by conviction as he listens to the story of Antony the monk. He sees the depth of his own spiritual sickness and laments how long he has delayed surrender. The inner battle intensifies, and Augustine comes face to face with himself—and with the call of grace he’s been resisting. 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
In today’s episode, we hear Justin Martyr present a powerful case for Christ’s preexistence and incarnation, showing how the phrase “Let Us make man” reveals a plurality within God and pointing to Proverbs’ personified Wisdom as the pre-incarnate Christ. He also draws from Joshua’s encounter with the “Captain of the Lord’s army” to show the divine nature of the Son and walks Trypho through Old Testament prophecies pointing to the virgin birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. From there, we join Augustine in Confessions as he listens in awe to the story of Antony the monk and watches two men radically change their lives after reading about him. And finally, Thomas Aquinas addresses whether angels can truly know God, concluding that they do perceive Him, though not in His infinite essence. 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
Today, we explore a deceptively simple but theologically loaded question: Do angels gain knowledge by observing the world? In this short but powerful entry, Aquinas explains that angels, unlike humans, don’t come to know things through the senses or experience. Their knowledge is infused at creation, not acquired through learning. This frames a fascinating pre-modern answer to a modern debate: rationalism vs. empiricism. Do we come to know by looking outward or by having something already within us? Aquinas places angels squarely in the “born knowing” camp—pure intellects whose minds are shaped not by the world, but by God Himself. 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