Way of the Fathers

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In this bonus episode originally from the Catholic Culture Podcast, CatholicCulture.org’s director of podcasts, Thomas V. Mirus, interviews voice actor James T. Majewski (Catholic Culture Audiobooks) and author Mike Aquilina (Way of the Fathers) about how they make their shows and the effect reading and studying the Church Fathers has had on them personally. Contents [2:15] James’s training in philosophy and acting as preparation for narrating the Fathers [7:00] How Mike meandered into a career writing about the Fathers [9:27] The original idea for audiobooks and podcasts at The Catholic Culture [15:33] How Mike distills scholarship into an accessible and edifying presentation of early Church history [21:20] The accessibility and affordability of creating a good-sounding podcast [24:16] James’s process for preparing nuanced readings of the Fathers at a rapid pace [33:03] Mike’s and James’s recourse to the intercession of the holy authors they study [37:38] St. John Henry Newman and the early Fathers as masters of media [42:40] The mastery of the Fathers’ work and its relevance today [45:55] The spiritual effects of narrating the writings of saints Links Support CatholicCulture.org’s podcasting efforts https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Catholic Culture Podcast https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/catholic-culture-podcast/ Catholic Culture Audiobooks https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/category/audiobooks James T. Majewski https://www.jamestmajewski.com/ Mike Aquilina https://fathersofthechurch.com/

The Empire faced a crisis in the year 9 A.D. Romans were not reproducing. They weren’t even marrying. Caesar Augustus recognized that this posed a dire threat to the Roman way of life—the empire’s cultural and intellectual heritage, and its homeland security. He made new laws to encourage fertility. He even proposed a pagan “theology of the body.” His successors made more laws. All failed, and eventually it was Christianity that restored and revived the Roman family and Roman world. Here’s the fascinating story of how it happened. LINKS Mike Aquilina, The Christian family’s radical roots https://angelusnews.com/faith/the-christian-familys-radical-roots/ Mike Aquilina, How young people shaped Christianity https://angelusnews.com/faith/how-young-people-shaped-christianity/ Mike Aquilina, The Church’s original social justice struggle https://angelusnews.com/faith/the-churchs-long-fight-against-abortion/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

The hospital arose as a Christian institution, dependent on the Christian principles of charity and hospitality. There were no pre-Christian hospitals. This episode tells the story of how it happened—how the early Church changed the practice of medicine forever. LINKS Mike Aquilina, The Healing Imperative: The Early Church and the Invention of Medicine as We Know It https://catholicbooksdirect.com/products/mike-aquilina-the-healing-imperative Gary B. Ferngren, Medicine and Health Care in Early Christianity https://www.amazon.com/Medicine-Health-Care-Early-Christianity/dp/1421420066/ Timothy S. Miller, The Birth of the Hospital in the Byzantine Empire https://www.amazon.com/Hospital-Byzantine-Supplement-Bulletin-Medicine/dp/0801856574/ Andrew T. Crislip, From Monastery to Hospital: Christian Monasticism and the Transformation of Health Care in Late Antiquity https://www.amazon.com/Monastery-Hospital-Christian-Monasticism-Transformation/dp/0472114743/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

When asked what’s wrong with the Church, commentators from Pope Francis to Russell Shaw will blame an elusive beast named “clericalism.” But what is clericalism, and where did it come from? In this episode we track the beast to its birthplace, the Church of the fourth century. Our native guides are Augustine, John Chrysostom, and others—who offer us good counsel for defeating it in our own time. LINKS Anonymous, The Epistle to Diognetus https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0101.htm Minucius Felix, Octavius https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0410.htm Joseph Carola, S.J., Augustine of Hippo: The Role of the Laity in Ecclesial Reconciliation https://www.amazon.com/Augustine-Hippo-Ecclesial-Reconciliation-Gregoriana/dp/8878390232/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Ever wonder how Bible study was done in the early Church? It was done with chains. The CATENA did the work that Bible software does for us today. It did the work of concordances and even entire shelves of commentaries. Catena is Latin for chain, and the links in these long-ago chains were extracts from the sermons and letters of earlier interpreters of Scripture. LINKS Roger Pearse’s blog entries on ancient catenae https://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/category/catena/ St. Thomas Aquinas, Catena Aurea https://www.ecatholic2000.com/catena/untitled-111.shtml Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Most lowly and most loved, deacons played supremely important roles in the early Church. Think Lawrence of Rome. Think Ephrem of Syria. They were consistently voted most likely to be pope. Jerome wryly observed that when a bishop wanted to demote a deacon, he ordained him to the priesthood. LINKS Ignatius of Antioch, The Epistle to the Trallians https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1630 Ignatius of Antioch, The Epistle to the Philadelphians https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1632 Jerome, Letter 146 https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2403 Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio  

Why is it big news when someone claims to find a fragment of a lost "gospel"? Why do people say that these ancient apocrypha threaten to overturn everything Christians believe? In the second century, some of these pseudonymous books appeared and quickly landed in the remainder bin, called into question by giants such as Irenaeus and Tertullian. They're news today because of a modern myth, crafted by one of the renowned literary critics of the 20th century — and sustained by ivy-league celebrities.   Paul Mankowski, S.J., "The Pagels Imposture," Catholic Culture https://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=43736   Amy Weiss-Meyer, "What Ever Happened to the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife?" The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/08/ariel-sabar-what-happened-to-the-gospel-of-jesus-wife/615160/   Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com   Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/   Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org   Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Music formed the early Christians in faith. It catechized them. Inspired them. Unified them. Healed them. The Fathers — from Ignatius of Antioch to John of Damascus — testify to this fact. Many of them wrote music. Augustine wrote a book about music. At a time when most people could not read, music was the most effective delivery system for doctrine. The decisions of the councils would have been dead letters apart from their placement in musical settings. In this episode, early Christian music finally gets its due recognition. LINKS Mike Aquilina, How the Choir Converted the World: Through Hymns, With Hymns, and In Hymns https://catholicbooksdirect.com/products/how-the-choir-converted-the-world-through-hymns-with-hymns-and-in-hymns Mike Aquilina, How the Choir Converted the World: Through Hymns, With Hymns, and In Hymns (audio book) https://catholicbooksdirect.com/products/audio-cd-how-the-choir-converted-the-world-through-hymns-with-hymns-and-in-hymns Ephrem the Syrian, The Nisibene Hymns https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3702.htm Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns for the Feast of Epiphany https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3704.htm Ephrem the Syrian, The Pearl -- Seven Hymns on the Faith https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3705.htm Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

In the first three centuries of Christian history, the practice of the faith was a capital crime, and many gave their lives as the ultimate testimony. The Church called them “witnesses”—in Greek, martures, whence we get the English word martyr. To speak of martyrdom, the early Fathers employed language usually reserved only for the Eucharist. So what does martyrdom have to do with the Mass? LINKS Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, “Eucharist and Mission,” in Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith: The Church as Communion, pp. 112-120 https://ignatius.com/pilgrim-fellowship-of-faith-pffp/ Finbarr G. Clancy, "Imitating the Mysteries That You Celebrate: Martyrdom and Eucharist in the Early Patristic Period,” in Vincent Twomey, ed., The Great Persecution: The Proceedings of the Fifth Patristic Conference, Maynooth https://www.fourcourtspress.ie/books/archives/the-great-persecution/ Robin Darling Young, In Procession before the World: Martyrdom as Public Liturgy in Early Christianity https://www.marquette.edu/mupress/Young.shtml Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0107.htm Anonymous, The Martyrdom of Polycarp https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0102.htm Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

The early Church initiated many struggles for the cause of social justice: opposition to slavery, capital punishment, and other institutions of pagan society. But the condemnation of abortion was singular in its consistency and vehemence, from the very beginning of the Gospel proclamation. LINKS The Church’s original social justice struggle https://angelusnews.com/faith/the-churchs-long-fight-against-abortion/ Abortion and the Early Church: Christian, Jewish and Pagan Attitudes in the Greco-Roman World by Michael J. Gorman https://www.amazon.com/Abortion-Early-Church-Christian-Greco-Roman/dp/1579101828/ Eve's Herbs: A History of Contraception and Abortion in the West by John M. Riddle https://www.amazon.com/Eves-Herbs-History-Contraception-Abortion/dp/0674270266/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

The Fathers saw a profound connection between Eucharistic communion and social concerns — between liturgy and charity. It’s evident in the works of the great saints of antiquity, from Ignatius of Antioch and Justin Martyr to Tertullian and John Chrysostom. It's spelled out even in the ancient liturgical books. LINKS Tertullian, Apology XXXIX https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1662 Justin Martyr, First Apology LXVII https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1610 Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Many ideas that seem peculiarly modern actually have deep Christian roots. This is true of much of the terminology of addiction and recovery. Today we look for the roots of “intervention” in the Gospel and the works of the Fathers—and find applications for ordinarily life, even beyond the orbit of addiction. LINKS Joseph Carola, S.J., Augustine of Hippo: The Role of the Laity in Ecclesial Reconciliation https://www.amazon.com/Augustine-Hippo-Ecclesial-Reconciliation-Gregoriana/dp/8878390232/ “Fraternal Correction,” Catholic Encyclopedia https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04394a.htm Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org

The questions arise every few years, and each time they're news. Who were the "deaconesses" in the early Church? What was their role? Why did the role vanish in the first millennium? Should the role be revived? The questions are never answered to everyone's satisfaction. Why must that be so? "Divergent expectations in the deaconess debate: Interview with Sister Sara Butler" https://angelusnews.com/faith/divergent-expectations-in-the-deaconess-debate/ International Theological Commission, "From the Diakonia of Christ to the Diakonia of the Apostles" (2002) https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_pro_05072004_diaconate_en.html Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org

In Greek and Roman epics, the heroes are men who conquer by violence. But in early Christianity the epic heroes were often heroines — specifically those who had suffered violence rather than submit to a patriarchy that despised them for what they were. The virgin martyrs refused to conform to society’s idea of womanhood. In a time of demographic winter, they refused to marry and bear children for the good of the empire. They consecrated their lives to Christ instead. Thus they were seen as a threat to traditional family values. What would happen to the world if all women began to behave like Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, and Anastasia? LINKS St. Ambrose, Concerning Virginity https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/34071.htm St. Jerome, Letter 130 https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3001130.htm Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org  

The calendar is a catechism. Every feast is a lesson in doctrine. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, like Christmas, rose to prominence at a time of deep division in the Church, as some Christians disputed Jesus’ true divinity. Both celebrations served as a kind of credal statement—and they still do today. LINKS Kilian McDonnell, OSB, The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan: The Trinitarian and Cosmic Order of Salvation https://www.amazon.com/Baptism-Jesus-Jordan-Trinitarian-Salvation/dp/0814653073 Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Mike Aquilina, The Feasts: How the Church Year Forms Us as Catholics https://www.amazon.com/Feasts-Church-Year-Forms-Catholics/dp/080413992X/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org

Western Christianity is fundamentally African in the way that Eastern Christianity is fundamentally Greek. It was in Africa that a vigorous Christian Latin culture first developed. Carthage had a Latin liturgy for a full century before Rome switched over from Greek. Africa gave the Church great saints and Fathers such as Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Cyprian, Arnobius, Lactantius—and the greatest of all: Augustine. For a Western Christian, to know early African Christianity is to know one’s own roots. LINKS Mike Aquilina, Africa and the Early Church: The Almost-Forgotten Roots of Catholic Christianity https://www.amazon.com/Africa-Early-Church-Almost-Forgotten-Christianity/dp/1645852598/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org

Denis (aka Dionysius) the Great, in the years he was bishop, faced many of the terrors of the ancient world, all while the empire was persecuting Christians to the death. He saw his congregations reduced by death and defection. He saw the ranks of the clergy reduced to just a handful of priests. Yet he lived to see the day when the Church of Alexandria in Egypt revived to become a world leader once again. LINKS Eusebius, Church History Church History (Book VI) https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250106.htm Eusebius, Church History Church History (Book VII) https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250107.htm Kyle Harper The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire https://www.amazon.com/Fate-Rome-Climate-Disease-Empire/dp/0691192065/ William H. McNeill, Plagues and Peoples https://www.amazon.com/Plagues-Peoples-William-H-McNeill/dp/0385121229/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio