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The Quotable Eastern Church Fathers: Distinctively Catholic Elements in Their Theology

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The Quotable Eastern Church Fathers: Distinctively Catholic Elements in Their Theology

Dave Armstrong

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ABOUT THIS BOOK

The Four Great Eastern Doctors — Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory Nazianzen, Athanasius — joined by Cyril of Alexandria, Ephraim of Syria, Cyril of Jerusalem, and John Damascene. Dave Armstrong’s topical collection of where the Eastern Fathers teach what historic Catholicism has always taught.

More from Dave about this book

Discussion and Justification of Some “Western” Terminology Used in the Book (Particularly “Sacrifice of the Mass”) [Facebook]

This collection is devoted to documentation of examples of “distinctively Catholic” theological beliefs or doctrines in the Eastern Church fathers; that is (very broadly speaking, or generalizing), ones in harmony with historic Catholic teaching but differing in some way from one or more strains of Protestant theology (including liberal theology) or Eastern Orthodox views.

Quotations will be drawn from the “Three Holy Hierarchs” of Eastern Christian Tradition: St. Basil the Great (c. 330-379, abbreviated as “B”), St. John Chrysostom (c. 345-407, “JC”), and St. Gregory Nazianzen (c. 330-c. 390, “G”). St. Athanasius (c. 297-373, “A”) is usually added to this list, and these are the Four Great Eastern Doctors of the Church.

Additionally, the following four fathers are included: St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376-444, “CA”), St. Ephraim [or, Ephrem] of Syria (c. 306-373, “E”), St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315-387, “CJ”), and St. John Damascene [or, John of Damascus] (c. 676-749, “JD”). All eight men are designated as “Doctors” of the Catholic Church.

Quotations are drawn from the public domain works listed below; using the abbreviations in quotation marks, as a quick reference. All of these sources are found online at the magnificent Christian Classics Ethereal Library website. I am greatly indebted to it for making the compilation of this book far easier than it would have been, prior to the Internet.

Early Church Fathers: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Series 1 [“NPNF1-”] (Philip Schaff, editor, Edinburgh, 1889, 14 volumes).

Early Church Fathers: Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers Series 2 [“NPNF2-”] (Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, editors, Edinburgh, 1900, 14 volumes).

A Library of Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church, Anterior to the Division of the East and West, Translated by Members of the English Church [“LFC43” / “LFC47” / “LFC48”] (Oxford: James Parker & Co. / Rivingtons, 1881; Volumes 43, 47, and 48).

EXCERPTS

✦ [all on Facebook unless otherwise specified]

✦ St. John Chrysostom

✦ On Oral Tradition

✦ On Faith and Works

✦ On the Contralife Will (and by Logical Extension, Contraception)

✦ On Salvation and Works

✦ On Infused Justification (Sanctification)

✦ On Jesus’ Real and Substantial Presence in the Eucharist

✦ On Synergy: Cooperation with God’s Grace as “Co-Laborers”

✦ Citation of Ecclesiasticus [Sirach] as Scripture

✦ On the Spiritual Benefits of Baptism

✦ On the Falsity of “Faith Alone”

✦ On the Moral Assurance of Salvation

✦ On Free Will and God’s Foreknowledge (Romans 9)

✦ On Masses for the Dead

✦ On Crucifixes

✦ On the Veneration of the Saints

✦ On the Sacrifice of the Mass

✦ On Purgatory

✦ On the Definition of the “Gospel”

✦ On Free Will

✦ On Closed Communion

✦ St. Athanasius

✦ On God as the Sustainer of Creation

✦ On the Omnipresence of Jesus

✦ On Apostolic Succession

✦ On the Power of the Sign of the Cross

✦ On the Falsity of Caesaropapism

✦ On the Deuterocanon

✦ On Theosis; Deification; Divinization

✦ On the Holy Spirit

✦ On the Rule of Faith (“Three-Legged Stool” of Bible | Tradition | Church)

✦ On Mary, Mother of God (Theotokos)

✦ St. Basil the Great

✦
On Oral Tradition as Authoritative, Even Concerning the Doctrine of God

✦ On the Falsity of Instant Salvation

✦ To St. Athanasius, Suggesting That the Pope Should Suppress Heresies and Schism in the Eastern Church

✦ On Faith and Reason

On the Supposed “Ignorance” of Jesus Christ (The Last Days)

✦ On Faith and Works

✦ On Mary, Mother of God (Theotokos)

✦ St. Gregory Nazianzen

✦ On the Perspicuity of Scripture and the “Me, My Bible, and the Holy Spirit” Mentality

✦ On the Development of Doctrine

✦ On Baptism and Salvation

✦ On Mary, Mother of God (Theotokos)

✦ References to the Deuterocanon

✦ St. Cyril of Jerusalem

✦ References to the Deuterocanon

✦ On the Falsehood of the Calvinist “TULIP”

✦ On Faith and Works

✦ On the Complete Harmony of the Old Testament with the New

✦ On Transubstantiation

✦ St. Cyril of Alexandria

✦ Fabulous Defense of Mother of God and Searing Critique of Nestorian / Protestant Denigrations of It

✦ On the Procession of the Holy Spirit

✦ On Transubstantiation

✦ St. John Damascene

✦ On the Monarchia / Principatus of God the Father

✦ On Crucifixes

✦ On the Catholic Rule of Faith

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