Dead Theologians Society: St. John of the Cross

It's been a while since we've done one of these posts, but ... here we go!

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December 14 is the feast day of St John of the Cross, born in Spain as Juan de Yepes y Álvarez. At the age of 21, he joined the Carmelite order, following the example of St Teresa of Avila, with whom he corresponded.

He is most known for his mystical writings, especially The Dark Night of the Soul. His writings are considered landmarks both in the realm of spiritual writings, and also of all Spanish literature. The impacts of this work and others led to his being named a Doctor of Church in 1926.

Dead Theologians Society: St John Chrysostom

An early church father who was later declared a Doctor of the Church, John was born in 349. Ordained a deacon in 381, he became known as a compelling and insightful public speaker, earning the nickname "Golden Mouth" (Chrystotom). He became the Archbishop of Constantinople in 397, and died a decade later.

Many of his teachings and sermons survive, and many of these writing are worth revisiting. This is a quote from him, about how to best deal with sinner.

"For Christians above all men are forbidden to correct the stumblings of sinners by force...it is necessary to make a man better not by force but by persuasion. We neither have authority granted us by law to restrain sinners, nor, if it were, should we know how to use it, since God gives the crown to those who are kept from evil, not by force, but by choice."

Happy St. Francis Day!

St. Francis lived from approximately 1181 to 1226. His legend was such that he was canonized just a few years after his death. In his 44 years of life, Francis accomplished quite a bit. He founded multiple religious orders that still go strong today. He was a skilled poet, and a great teacher about the value of God's creation. He witnessed to the world the value of poverty, and is credited with creating the first Nativity scene.

In addition to penning the famous Canticle featuring "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon," he was known as a lover of animals. He once left a group of traveling companions, asking them to "wait for me while I preach to my sisters the birds."

Many Catholic churches recognize Francis' commitment to God's world by offering a "blessing of the animals" service. Mostly that's for dogs, but I've heard of more exotic animals coming being brought to these services, as well. My pets have always been cats, and I wonder how many well-meaning cat owners have been clawed and scratched attempting to have their felines blessed.

The current Pope took inspiration from this saint in selecting his name upon being raised to the Papacy. This is reflective of both men's commitment to the cause and care of the poor.

Dead Theologians Society: St. Irenaeus

An important early voice against the heresy of Gnosticism, Irenaeus’ writings are among the most important documents produced by the church fathers. He was influenced in his thoughts by St Polycarp, who himself had known some of the apostles and their immediate disciples.

Born in approximately 125 in or near Smyrna, a city on the Aegean Sea in what is now Turkey. He was raised in a Christian home, and may have heard Polycarp teach as young man. He became a priest in Lyon, eventually rising to the position of bishop, replacing the martyred Saint Pothinius.

His theological works, collectedas “Against the Heresies,” were originally written in Greek but quickly translated into Latin. This allowed for the works to be widely circulated, and are credited with dealing a death-blow to Gnosticism. He also wrote again Montanism and other debatable teachings of the age.

Details of the end of his life are scarce, as he seems to have thrown himself into his work as Bishop of Lyon. He is thought to have died in 202, of natural causes.

Dead Theologians Society: St Athanasius

Today is the Feast Day of St. Atahanasius of Alexandria. 

One of the great Greek Fathers of the Church, Athanasius was a fierce defender of Trinitarianism, and an opponent of Ariansim. He was born near Alexandria, Egypt in the late 290s, and was writing theological treatises by the time he was in his mid-twenties.

Athanasius attended the Council of Nicea in 325, assisting his bishop in his role as a deacon. He was raised to the bishopric himself a few years later, and served in that position for most of his life. He spent much of his life defending the "homoousian" position on the Trinity, which became the standard orthodox view.

He was exiled 5 separate times during his 45 years as Bishop, as different Emperors had varying positions on the Church, and of the Arian heresy. He became known as the "Father of Orthodoxy" and the "Father of the Canon."

He died in 373, at approximately 75 years of age.

Dead Theologians Society: St. Polycarp

If you study the early church, I mean the really early church, you quickly run into St. Polycarp. A disciple of the Apostle John, Polycarp lived from 69 to 155, becoming the bishop of Smyrna – some accounts indicate that John nay have ordained him to that position.

Polycarp is an important link in the theological and leadership chain of the church, mentoring Irenaeus, who heard him speak in his youth, as well as Tertullian. Serving in an area led by a government opposed to the new religion, he led his flock for decades. At the age of 86, Polycarp was led into a stadium in Smyrna to be burned alive. After that attempt failed, he was finally killed by a dagger.

Only one of the many letters written by Polycarp is still extant, one written to the Church of Philippi. One passage instructs believers on the proper attitude to maintain. “Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord, ‘firm and unchangeable in faith, lovers of the brotherhood, loving each other, united in truth,’ helping each other with the mildness of the Lord, despising no man.”

Along with Clement and Ignatius, Polycarp is considered on the Apostolic Fathers of the 2^nd Century church.

Dead Theologians Society: St. Anthony of Egypt

Today is the feast day of St. Anthony of Egypt, one of the "Desert Fathers" of the church. In 271, at the age of 20, Anthony took seriously Jesus' words regarding the selling of possessions. Anthony gave all his wealth to the poor and moved to the desert to live the ascetic life of a monk, but was continually sought out by pilgrims for spiritual direction and advice.

In the early 300s, Anthony created a loosely-organized group of cells, which can be considered the world's first monastery. The story of Anthony's life (compiled by St. Athanasius later in the fourth century) greatly influenced St. Augustine, who was a toddler when Anthony died. Augustine went on to serve the church himself and leave many of his own writings behind, including his "Rule" for monastic life, written in 400, which led to great growth and vitality of the monastic vocation within the church over the next thousand years. These men helped to "normalize" the ascetic life of the hermit within Christianity.

In 311, in a renewed time of persecution, Anthony preached and taught throughout Alexandria, willing to accept martyrdom should it come his way. His life was spared, and he continued as a church leader, active in the fight against the Arian heresy, which denied the deity of Christ and thus the Trinity. At this point, Anthony was nearly 90. He died at 105.

Dead Theologians Society: St. Jerome

Happy Feast Day of Saint Jerome.

Jerome (331 - 420) was one of the great scholars of the early church, a man who strove to gather great literary and scholarly works into one place. He even translated or copied out many of these works himself. By virtue of surrounding himself with such great works, he was able to create produce impressive theological works himself. His view of studying Scripture is summed up is his maxim:: "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."

Jerome is best known for spearheading a new translation of the Bible into Latin, which came to be known as the Vulgate. This translation became the most influential text in Western Europe for more than a millennia, dominating its era more fully and for longer than the King James Version did.

As a result of his scholarly accomplishments in terms of Bible translation and other scholarly work, St. Jerome is considered the patron of librarians, archivists, and encyclopedists.

And that makes him pretty much the unofficial patron saint of Dorkness to Light.

Dead Theologians Society: St. Augustine of Hippo

This is the first of an occasional series of posts with no connection to pop culture. Not every one of these will be tied to the church calendar, but this one is. Which reminds me, I should write about the concept of the church calendar some time.

August 28 is the feast day of Saint Augustine of Hippo, one of the most influential theologians of the Patristic Era, meaning the church fathers that came after the close of the Apostolic Age. Augustine led a life of sin and drunkenness until his conversion at the age of 31. His mother Monica is a saintly example of the faithful praying parent. He spent the remainder of his long life writing, preaching, and serving the church.

His Confessions is considered one of the West's earliest examples of a memoir, and represents the most complete record of any person from the 4th or 5th century. In terms of theology, his City of God continues to resonate as an example of how to respond to earthly disasters, such as (in his case) the sack of Rome by Visigoths. His On Christian Doctrine and On the Trinity are also valuable resources. There is a free St. Augustine app that contains that contains some of his major works, and many of his works are available elsewhere electronically free of charge.

His influence on theology is still widely felt. Important doctrines that he developed include original sin, just war theory, free will and predestination, and Maryology. For his contributions to theology, he is considered one the few "Doctors of the Church."

Although the majority of his works were theological, Confessions contains some of his most passionate and personal writings: "“Too late have I loved you, O Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new! Too late I loved you! And behold, you were within, and I abroad, and there I searched for you; I was deformed, plunging amid those fair forms, which you had made. You were with me, but I was not with you."