Desire and the Body in the Patristic Period

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew Kuefler
Keyword(s):  
Gender Difference ◽  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Family Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Marriage And Family ◽  
The Third ◽  
Private Lives ◽  
Public Lives ◽  
The Church

The period between the third and fifth centuries CE was crucial for the development of Christianity not least for ideas about desire and the body. Patristic writers hoped for the elimination of sex and sexual desire among Christians, encouraging the renunciation of sexual activity, marriage, and family life. Monasticism and men’s self-castration were among the varied means by which to achieve that renunciation, the former encouraged by the Church Fathers and the latter discouraged. Marriage was permissible if couples engaged only in procreative sex with each other, and married only once. Other types of sexual behaviour, including what we would call homosexuality, were condemned. Gender difference was also reinforced in this period and earlier notions of a genderless ideal in Christianity were mostly abandoned, through the strengthening of traditional public lives for men and private lives for women.

scholarly journals PERSEPSI TEOLOG MASA KINI DI INDONESIA TERHADAP PIKIRAN TEOLOGI BAPAK-BAPAK GEREJA ABAD PERTAMA SAMPAI KETIGA

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Detty Manongko
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Church History ◽  
Second Century ◽  
First Century ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Church

The research of exploring the Church History have not been many studies done in Indonesia. Though this field is related to the theology, especially the development of Christian Theology for centuries. One area of Church History that needs to be examined are the Christian Thought of the Church Fathers from first to third centuries. The field is often called “Patrology” which is the study of Church Fathers from first to third centuries. Who are they, what are the results of their work, why they have produced such theological thoughts, and what they thoughts are still influencing to the contemporary theologians in Indonesia?The main problem in this research is how does the perception of contemporary theologians in Indonesia to the Chruch Father’ s theological thoughts? Through a literature review of Soteriology, Christology, and Eschatology, then this research has yielded important principles concerning to the Church Fathers’s theological thoughts at the Early Church period. And then through the field research has proven that the majority of contemporary theologians in Indonesia have a positive perception to the Church Fathers’s theological thought from first to the third centuries. Therefore, the reasons of why this research is conducted and how it is done are described in the first chapter of these book. The second chapter of this writing contains a literature review of the theological thoughts of the church fathers from the first century to the third. There are four groups of Church Fathers from the first century to the third. There are four groups of Church Fathers that are described in this chapter, i.e., The Apostolic Fathers (from the first to the middle of second century), The Aplogists (second century), The Anti-Gnostic Fathers (second and third century), and The Alexandrian Fathers (third century). The third chapter discusses the quantitative methods used in this research including statistical models to prove the validity and reliability of the data acquisition method that is used in the field of this research. It desperately needs accuracy and diligence in order to display a quality and useful research reports for the development of Church History studies. Discussion of the results of this study, along with the evidence that reinforces the result of this research is presented in the fourth chapter. Finally, the fifth chapter of this study elaborates the main thoughts that are generated in this study, which also expected to be important principles in conducting futher research.The results obtained in this study are not yet maximal on account of various constraints, such as limited time, facilities, funding, and so forth. However, the writer wishes that the results achieved in this study will give a valuable contribution to all readers of this writing and that it will be a motivation for a further research in the field of Church History in the future.

scholarly journals Death After Life or Life After Death?

Scrinium ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-159
Author(s):  
David C. Sim
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Gospel Of Luke ◽  
The Body ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Life After Death ◽  
Christian View ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The Church

The early Church Fathers accepted the notion of an intermediate state, the existence of the soul following death until its reunification with the body at the time of the final resurrection. This view is common in the modern Christian world, but it has been challenged as being unbiblical. This study reflects upon this question. Does the New Testament speak exclusively of death after life, complete lifelessness until the day of resurrection, or does it also contain the notion of life after life or immediate post-mortem existence? It will be argued that, while the doctrine of future resurrection is the most common Christian view, it was not the only one present in the Christian canon. There are hints, especially in the Gospel of Luke and the Revelation of John, that people do indeed live again immediately after death, although the doctrine of resurrection is also present. These two ideas are never coherently related to one another in the New Testament and it was the Church Fathers who first sought to  systematise them.


scholarly journals Pastoral care and the agony of female singleness in the African christian context

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (3/4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M.E. Baloyi
Keyword(s):  
Pastoral Care ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Marriage And Family ◽  
Never Married ◽  
Community Or ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
Programme Of Care ◽  
The Church

In our society the norm is thatevery adult should get married one day. This could imply thatunmarried people do not feel welcome either in the community or the church. They may feel neglected or even like outcasts. It is a pity that the church, which also finds itself within the community, is composed of people who still continue to havethe kind of attitude that excludes singles, even inside church circles. While churches run programmes that have a strong emphasis on marriage and family life, nothing is being doneto address singleness and its related problems. As a result, singles often regard themselves as unimportant and worthless. This article is aimed at un-covering the role of the church through its leadership (pastors in particular) to assist and helpto redeem the damaged image and self-esteem that singles may have in their respective communities and churches. The article focuses on singles in the African church and society. It is crucial that a church programme of care and counselling be structured in order to minister to persons who are separated, divorced, widowed or never married for whatever reason.

scholarly journals Fulfilment of righteousness: Historical and ontological perspective of Matthew 3:15

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R. McCuistion ◽  
Colin Warner ◽  
Francois P. Viljoen
Keyword(s):  
Historical Event ◽  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
The Third ◽  
Hebrew Scriptures ◽  
The Law ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

This article maintained that the historicity of Jesus’ baptism was intended to flesh out the righteousness of God that was well-documented in the Hebrew Scriptures. Furthermore, the historical event initiated the ontological emphasis on the relationship of baptism to righteousness. To support this proposal, this article focused on Matthew’s fulfilment statement in Matthew 3:15. Looking specifically at this verse within its context, the article examines what Matthew may have intended for his community to grasp regarding the Christian tradition of righteousness. The article is divided into four sections that are intended to examine Matthew’s intentions. Firstly, the immediate context is examined, showing the influences and setting for the fulfilment statement. The following section explores the fulfilment statement within this context. The third section uncovers some of the theological traditions in Paul and the church fathers. Finally, the baptismal statement of Matthew 3:15 will be tied directly to the relationship of the law and righteousness in Matthew’s ἦλθον statement of Matthew 5:17. Hierdie artikel betoog dat die historiese waarheid van Jesus se doop bedoel was om die geregtigheid van God, wat volledig uiteengesit is in die Hebreeuse Bybel, te versterk. Verder het die historiese gebeurtenis die ontologiese klem op die verhouding van die doop tot geregtigheid geïnisieer. Om hierdie voorstel te ondersteun, fokus hierdie artikel op Matteus se verklaring van verwesenliking (Mat 3:15). Deur spesifiek na hierdie vers binne sy konteks te kyk, ondersoek die artikel wat Matteus moontlik beplan het sodat sy gemeenskap die Christelike tradisie van geregtigheid kon begryp. Die artikel is in vier afdelings verdeel om sodoende Matteus se bedoelings te ondersoek. Eerstens word die onmiddellike konteks ondersoek wat die invloede en agtergrond van die verklaring van die verwesenliking uitwys. In die volgende afdeling word die verklaring van die verwesenliking in hierdie konteks verken. In die derde afdeling word ’n paar van die teologiese tradisies van Paulus en die kerkvaders aan die lig gebring. Ten slotte is die doopverklaring van Matteus 3:15 regstreeks aan die verhouding van reg en geregtigheid in Mattheus se ἦλθον verklaring van Matteus 5:17 gekoppel.

Where and When It Hurts Most: The Theology of Hope and Accompaniment in the Context of HIV and Aids in Marriage and Family Life

Exchange ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Family Life ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Church Of God ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Direct Impact ◽  
Marriage And Family ◽  
The People ◽  
Global Church ◽  
The Church

AbstractThe reality and effects of HIV and Aids are enormous and devastating, i.e. marriages are broken, the married are widowed and children become orphans. This has direct impact in the church's life in that some of the people infected and affected by the spread of HIV and Aids are members of the global church. In most cases these people are rejected and judged by the church without realising that the church is rejecting its own. Metaphorically speaking the church of God is HIV positive whenever one of its own is positive. The main question that this paper addresses is: what is it to become a church when and where the effects of HIV and Aids shake marriages and families? What should be the response of the church in the light of the scourge that she faces? This paper proposes a theology of hope and accompaniment that seeks to stand in solidarity with those infected and affected by HIV and Aids thereby providing them with hope that enables them deal with the present as they wait eagerly for the future.

scholarly journals Sabbath Observance in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Kinyua Njeru ◽  
John Kiboi
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Seventh Day Adventist ◽  
The Other ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Crucial Question ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Church

The study of the nature of the church1 is very significant to the body of Christ. Often, when this subject is introduced, Christians tend to ask: which is the true church and how can it be identified? Most churches claim to be the only ‘true church’ based on their teachings and this has continued to divide the body of Christ across the centuries. The Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church has maintained the physical observance of the Sabbath to be one of the marks2 of identifying the ‘true church,’ yet the church fathers described the church as One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. The SDA uses the Sabbath worship as a mark of identifying a ‘true church’ alongside the four attributes; and on the other hand, those churches that do not worship on Saturday regards the SDA’s emphasis of worshipping on Saturday as ‘worshipping the day’ rather than the almighty God. Besides this, misunderstandings have been encountered between the SDA and the so-called Sunday churches concerning the issue of what constitutes the true Sabbath. The study employs the dialogical-ecclesiological design in its bid to understand the contestations between the SDA and the ‘Sunday churches’ and in its building on the premise that dialogue is critical in our endeavor to find a new understanding and re-interpretation of the Sabbath, as one of the marks of a true church. The crucial question remains: can the observance of physical Sabbath be considered as one of the key marks of knowing the ‘true Church’?

scholarly journals Our Common Breath: ‘Conspiration’ from the Stoics to the Church Fathers

2021 ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Phillip Sidney Horky
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Second Century ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The Third ◽  
History Of ◽  
Christian Thought ◽  
The Church

AbstractThis essay tracks a brief history of the concept of ‘co-breathing’ or ‘conspiration’ (συμπνοία), from its initial conception in Stoic cosmology in the third century BCE to its appropriation in Christian thought at the end of the second century CE. This study focuses on two related strands: first, how the term gets associated anachronistically with two paradigmatic philosopher-physicians, Hippocrates and Pythagoras, by intellectuals in the Early Roman Empire; and second, how the same term provides the early Church Fathers with a means to synthesize and explain discrete notions of ‘breath’ (πνεῦμα) through a repurposing of the pagan concept. Sources discussed include figures associated with Stoic, Pythagorean, and early Christian cosmologies.

scholarly journals The Theology of the Holy Eucharist and the Doctrine of Transubstantiation

2021 ◽  
pp. 78-86
Author(s):  
Francis Appiah-Kubi
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
The Body ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Holy Communion ◽  
The Third ◽  
Real Presence ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Underlying Reality ◽  
The Church

Holy Communion is one of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church. With Baptism and Confirmation, they constitute the sacraments of Initiation. Similarly, with the Word of God, they constitute the two indispensable pillars upon which the Church is built. It is the “fount and apex of the whole Christian life” (LG 11). It is named Holy Eucharist because it is an action of thanksgiving to God. It recalls God’s work of creation, redemption, and sanctification. The Eucharistic elements, bread and wine become, by the prayer of consecration and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, Christ's Body and Blood through an act appropriately known as transubstantiation. The term emphasizes the conversion of the total substance of bread and wine into the entire substance of the Body and Blood of Christ. When the bread and wine are consecrated at Mass, they are no longer bread and wine; they have become instead the Most Precious Body and Blood of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the words of Christ. The empirical appearances and attributes remain the same, but the underlying reality changes. Therefore, the doctrine of transubstantiation teaches without ambiguity that in the Holy Communion, the Body and Blood, together with the soul and divinity, of the Lord Jesus Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained. How is this understood and what is its implication theologically? In an attempt to elucidate this problem, this work seeks first to highlight the theology of the Holy Eucharist within the context of the ecclesiology of Communion, and second, through some theological themes: sacred memorial and sacrificial banquet; eschatological meal. The third and final part treats the theme of real presence under the rubrics of Transubstantiation. Keywords: Transubstantiation, Eschatological Meal, Memorial, Real Presence, Communion, Eucharistic conversion.

scholarly journals Cultural Model of Marriage and Family, as Shown in Selected Polish TV Series - A Pastoral Challenge for the Catholic Church

2020 ◽  
Vol XVIII (2) ◽  
pp. 311-323
Author(s):  
Anna Zellma ◽  
Wojsław Czupryński
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Cultural Model ◽  
Moral Issues ◽  
Marriage And Family ◽  
The Family ◽  
Quantitative Analysis Method ◽  
The Church

The analyses conducted in this paper aimed at presenting the standard for the marriage and family, which is created in Polish TV series, and subsequently noting the pastoral challenges arising from them. The quantitative analysis method was applied to stress the issues presented in the TV series. The moral issues dealt with in the series and their popularity in various social groups in Poland were the criteria for choosing the TV series. The qualitative analysis has shown that Polish TV series promotes alternative forms of marriage and family life. They are very different from the Catholic model of marriage and family. This provided grounds for the conclusions. It was observed that the Church is obliged to take up new pastoral challenges as a result of the TV series’ impact of Poles’ views and beliefs. Preparing young people to the sacrament of marriage and education for life in the family should be a priority. The Church should become involved in creating TV series which promote the Christian model of the marriage and family.

The Eastern Orthodox Tradition

2018 ◽  
pp. 182-198
Author(s):  
Andrew Louth
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Eastern Orthodox ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
The Third ◽  
The World ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
Theological Understanding ◽  
Church In The World ◽  
The Church

This chapter on Eastern Orthodox ecclesiology consists of three parts. The first section discusses the fundamental theological understanding of the church as the Body of Christ, the Bride of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The second section looks at the four notes of the church, which characterize the church as it exists in the world: unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity. The third section, ‘The Church in the World’, is concerned with practical issues of ecclesiology: the relation of church and society, Eucharistic ecclesiology, and modern problems.

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