Previous Course Study Materials Available

We are now making study materials from our previous seminar, The Early Church at Prayer and Worship, available for purchase.  They can be used for individual or group study.  Please visit our study materials page for more information.

The Spiritual Meadow

In the late sixth and early seventh centuries, a monk named John Moschus visited many of the monasteries and hermits in the Middle East.  He wrote The Spiritual Meadow, a collection of stories told by the people he encountered.  It contains all sorts of accounts: conversions, visions, strange miracles, and great deeds of faith.  In the prologue, John describes the purpose of the book this way:

It is obvious to all, my beloved son, that the meadows present their most beautiful appearance in Springtime, with its pleasing variety of flowers of every sort, demanding the attention of all who gaze, impossible to ignore, beneficial in all sorts of ways, for they delight the eyes and give pleasure to the sense of smell...Think of this present work like this, Sophronius, my holy and most faithful son, since you will find in it the virtues of the holy men who have enlightened our time "planted by the running waters", as the Psalmist says (Psalms 1.3). And though all of them are acceptable to God and of great grace, yet each one of them is distinguished by some particular grace more than the others, so that out of this great variety of virtues arises a charming picture of pleasing beauty...It is not only right belief and meditation on divine truth which lead to a life and morals of integrity, but also the examples of other people, and written accounts of their virtuous lives.

In reading this work, I have found that it functions as John intended.  While sometimes the practices and experiences of these Christians seem quite foreign to us, they served God with an intensity rarely seen today.  The work is a beautiful testament to the power of Jesus Christ to transform lives.  Here is just one of the stories he recounts:

In this same monastery of Turrius there was an old man who was a great lover of almsgiving, even to the extent of holy nakedness. For one day a beggar came to his cell seeking alms. The old man had nothing to give him but one loaf which he offered to the beggar.

"It's not bread I want but clothing," said the beggar.

The old man wanted to help him so he took him by the hand and led him inside his cell. The beggar could not see anything inside but what the old man stood up in, but driven by his virtuous nature the old man opened the only moneybag he had by taking off everything he wore, saying: "Take these, good sir, and I will seek elsewhere for what I need."

The entire work is available online.


Update: The link above only has the first 85 chapters, out of 214.  Here is the full work on another site.  (The whole book is spread over a number of pages; click "Next" at the bottom to go to the next page.)

Fall Seminar on Scripture

Registration is now open for our Fall Seminar, the Early Church in Devotion to Scripture.  This one will be held at The Upper Room church in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA.  It will also be available online.

I encourage you to consider taking this seminar.  We will be reading some of the greatest Scripture teachers in Christian history.

House of St. Michael the Archangel Blog

The House of St. Michel the Archangel is Tim and Matt's vision for a community immersed in the Scriptures and the Fathers. They seek to "operate a house with a life of worship, prayer, and reflection on the Scriptures and the historic Christian Faith, for a total Christian perspective on existence."  Read more about their vision here.

They have launched a new blog, which will feature regular reflections on ancient Christian writings.  I invite you to check it out.  Two reflections are already posted, and each is very challenging and thought-provoking.

Seminar Response

Among the participants in our recently-completed seminar on Prayer and Worship was a group of elders from First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa.  Tim and Matt had the opportunity to fly there twice to interact with them in person.  Here is what their senior pastor, Dr. Jim Miller, had to say about the experience:

The Ancient Christian Faith Initiative invites Christians to take the blessings of our heritage seriously.  Reading, pondering, and praying over the writings of early Church leaders is a powerful antidote to the shallow spiritualities of our own day.  Timothy Becker and Matthew Bell, both Ph.D. candidates in Patristics, have the rare gift of leading twenty-first century disciples of Jesus into the writings and lessons of ancient Christian faith.

As part of our new elder development ministry, First Presbyterian Church, Tulsa, invited Tim and Matt to lead us on an eight-week series, diving deep into the pool of ancient Christian witness.  This was completely new terrain for most of these First Church leaders.  But the experience was rich and fruitful at so many different levels.

With enthusiasm and confidence I am happy to recommend the Ancient Christian Faith Initiative to local congregations. 

 

 

Reading Revelation

In the last week of our seminar on prayer and worship, we read the Book of Revelation. This was the most familiar of our readings, since it is part of Scripture. It does not seem nearly as strange to us as ancient writers like Pseudo-Dionysius. And yet, it was really the strangest thing we read by far. Imagine reading Revelation without having been previously exposed to it: most of us would tear our hair out trying to figure out what is going on. And yet: do we really know what it means, or have we merely gotten comfortable with the language of Scripture's stranger sections, without truly grasping it?

Despite having a seminary degree, I have never seriously studied Revelation (and certain other books), and reading Revelation anew challenged me that I need to do so. God has given me the

great privilege of His truth revealed in Scripture, and I have simply not been interested enough to receive all of it.

One of the striking insights of Revelation is how connected worship is to everything that happens in the world. Repeatedly in the book, worship accompanies the defeat of evil. One could push
that further and say that worship IS the defeat of evil--since evil consists of the failure to acknowledge and worship God. A theologian named John Webster said it this way: "Praise is the great act of rebellion against sin."

The question, then, is: is this how we view our worship? Do we think that we are participating in God's victory over evil when we gather on Sunday? Do we realize that we are taking part in a world-transforming act? More often, I think we see ourselves as retreating from the world, taking a brief rest in God's presence, before we have to go out there and get to work again.
When we think about this, it is unsurprising that many Christians have trouble connecting worship to service. In fact, the two have become antithetical: some Christians worship, while others go out and help the poor. Some are accused of "being too heavenly-minded to do any earthly good." Such a statement has no place in Revelation, though: the "heavenly-minded" are the ones who see and take part in God's mighty acts in the world. If being "heavenly-minded" leads us to disengage from the world, than what we have in our minds is not heaven at all, but an idolatrous illusion.

How can we worship in a way that reflects the divine reality?

How can we worship conscious that we are participants in the heavenly worship and in God's victory over sin and evil in the world?

How can worship be more connected to the battles in our own lives?

These are the questions with which Revelation has left me.

Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science

I commend to you Rev. Chris Brown's blog post, Renewing the Mind: Porn, Neurology, and Monkish Wisdom. Chris connects what science teaches about addiction to the spiritual practices of ancient Christian ascetics. He draws on the Philokalia, one of the texts for our current seminar.

The reason we encourage the study of these ancient teachers is because we believe they are far more than historical curiosities; they offer us great spiritual wisdom that can help us grow in our faith today. Thanks, Chris, for providing an excellent illustration of that.

Testimonial

Here's what BJ Woodworth, lead pastor of The Open Door, has to say about ACFI:

As I have begun to read the early church fathers through The Ancient Christian Faith Initiative I have discovered a deep well of inspiring theological discourse that has opened my eyes and my heart to the majesty and mystery of God. In reading and discussing these saints of the faith with others I have found myself driven to my knees in prayer and worship. I have found myself deeply aware of my humanity in the shadow of an unfathomable yet immanent God. I have seen my heart set aflame for the love of God for me and the world and most of all I have had my mind blown with the humble brilliance of these ancient but completely relevant writers of our faith. ACFI has equipped me in ministry to plumb the depths of God with great humility and awe and to lead the church out of a deep place of prayer and worship. In an age of searching mystical spirituality I encourage everyone to read these ancient yet surprisingly relevant sages of our Christian faith.

Augustine on Jesus' Miracles and the Miracle of Creation

As I was preparing a sermon on Jesus' turning water into wine, I came across this great reflection on miracles by Augustine:

The miracle indeed of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby He made the water into wine, is not marvellous to those who know that it was God’s doing. For He who made wine on that day at the marriage feast, in those six water-pots, which He commanded to be filled with water, the self-same does this every year in vines. For even as that which the servants put into the water-pots was turned into wine by the doing of the Lord, so in like manner also is what the clouds pour forth changed into wine by the doing of the same Lord. But we do not wonder at the latter, because it happens every year: it has lost its marvellousness by its constant recurrence. And yet it suggests a greater consideration than that which was done in the water-pots. For who is there that considers the works of God, whereby this whole world is governed and regulated, who is not amazed and overwhelmed with miracles?

If he considers the vigorous power of a single grain of any seed whatever, it is a mighty thing, it inspires him with awe. But since men, intent on a different matter, have lost the consideration of the works of God, by which they should daily praise Him as the Creator, God has, as it were, reserved to Himself the doing of certain extraordinary actions, that, by striking them with wonder, He might rouse men as from sleep to worship Him. A dead man has risen again; men marvel: so many are born daily, and none marvels. If we reflect more considerately, it is a matter of greater wonder for one to be who was not before, than for one who was to come to life again. Yet the same God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, doeth by His word all these things; and it is He who created that governs also. The former miracles He did by His Word, God with Himself; the latter miracles He did by the same Word incarnate, and for us made man.

As we wonder at the things which were done by the man Jesus, so let us wonder at the things which where done by Jesus God. By Jesus God were made heaven, and earth, and the sea, all the garniture of heaven, the abounding riches of the earth, and the fruitfulness of the sea;—all these things which lie within the reach of our eyes were made by Jesus God. And we look at these things, and if His own spirit is in us they in such manner please us, that we praise Him that contrived them.

Indeed.

Study Materials available from Pillars Course

Our latest course was Pillars of the Church: Augustine, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Ephrem the Syrian. This was a study of the most important figures in the Latin and Syriac traditions, as well as one of the most prominent from the Greek tradition.

If this topic interests you, we are making the course materials available online for independent study. The materials include a schedule of readings, eight video lectures on the reading, and eight written reflections. We are charging $20 for an individual and $100 for a group of up to 20 people.

For more information, visit our Study Materials page.

Early Church at Prayer and Worship - Registration Open

We are now accepting registrants for our spring seminar: The Early Church at Prayer and Worship. In this seminar, as you would expect, we will examine the early church's prayer and worship. We will examine a variety of sources from roughly the first five hundred years of the church, including Eastern monks, a Western bishop, an early liturgy, and the New Testament. Out of all of the seminars so far, this is the one I am most excited about. I am looking forward to how it will transform my own prayer and worship, especially as we begin the season of Lent during the course.

The seminar will run from February 1st through March 22nd, 2010. It will be hosted at Hampton Presbyterian Church in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania (north of Pittsburgh) and offered online.

Check out the Seminars page on our website for more information.

Arts Group

On October 17th, ACFI will be offering a discussion group for artists in the Pittsburgh area (location TBA). Tim Becker offers the following description:

For serious Christian artists. painters, photographers, musicians, writers, actors, +. To collaborate on an outrageous vision of everything. To send art to the frontier of existence - taking captive every thought, note, angle, color.

"pseudo-dionysius will blow your mind. that's a fact." -pseudo-dionysius*

Check it out, sign up, and more** at the Arts Group Page.

*Editor's Note: I think Tim means Pseudo-Pseudo-Dionysius

**Actually, not more.

Update: the cost of this group has been lowered to $15.

Eastern Christianity Study Course Available

We are happy to announce that our seminar on Eastern Christianity is now available as a course for individual or group use. It includes a suggested schedule of readings, audio lectures, and written reflections on the readings.

The course could be used to study independently at your own pace, or as the curriculum for a small group or Sunday school class. The cost is $15 for an individual or $75 for a group of up to 20 people.

For more information, please visit the Study Materials page on our website.

Registration Open for Fall 2009

We are now registering participants for our Fall 2009 seminars:

Pillars of the Church: Augustine, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Ephrem the Syrian
(In person and online)

How to Read the Bible according to the Early Church
(In person only)

Visit the seminars page to sign up.

Coming Soon

The following seminars are planned for this fall:

Pillars of the Church: Ephrem the Syrian, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Augustine

Instructors: Tim Becker and Matt Bell
This course will also be offered online.

How to Read the Bible According to the Early Church
Instructor: Matt Bell

We are also exploring ways to distribute the materials from the Eastern Christianity seminar for independent study.

More information will be forthcoming soon.

Some News

The Way of the Fathers has some nice things to say about ACFI.

Also, check out Tim's new audio introduction on our website.

UPDATE: This is somewhat old news, but Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has a nice article about ACFI, both in the Panorama publication and online.

Summer Seminar Starts Next Week

There's still time to sign up for ACFI's Summer Seminar, The Gospel after the Early Church: Eastern Christianity. It starts next Monday evening for the on-site seminar in Pittsburgh and Tuesday for the online seminar. We will be reading mostly John of Damascus and Symeon the New Theologian, covering all sorts of topics. I expect it to be fascinating, challenging, and refreshing. When I read teachers like these, I realize how much I have to learn about being a Christian.

Thoughts on Jacob of Serug

This week (well, actually last week; I'm running behind) we read several of Jacob of Serug's homilies on the Mother of God. This is a challenging subject for Protestants like me, but it was quite fruitful.

Jacob's style is totally different from everything else we have read. He writes in poetic form. This took a little getting used to, but I found it wonderful and refreshing. Theology is supposed to lead us to worship. Jacob's theology in its entirety is a hymn of praise to God.

The basic problem I have with adoration and veneration of Mary is that it seems to compromise the exclusive claim of Christ. If Mary was without sin, doesn't that mean she didn't need the cross? If the role of Mary in salvation is emphasized, doesn't that take away from what Christ accomplished? If Mary is honored, doesn't that take away from the honor given to Christ? If we pray to Mary, doesn't that diminish Christ's role as the only intermediary? This is the mindset I had when I began reading Jacob.

I am not comfortable with everything Jacob says about Mary, but I was able to appreciate much more of what he said than I was expecting. When he ponders Mary, it leads him to honor and glorify Jesus. For him, the virgin birth is a subset of the mystery of the incarnation: the one who cannot be contained by the heavens chose to be born in a womb as a baby.

Jacob develops the theme of Mary as the "Second Eve who generated Life among mortals, and paid and rent asunder that bill of Eve her mother." Eve listened to the serpent and so brought the curse on the world; Mary listened to Gabriel and so allowed the curse to be overturned. Eve didn't question what the serpent said; Mary questioned what Gabriel said and only accepted it when she understood. Eve had caused enmity between heaven and earth; through Mary this enmity was ended. However, it was not simply Mary herself but what Christ accomplished through her:

The wall of iniquity which the serpent had built then,
by his descent the Son of God broke it down that it might
never again be restored.
When He descended He broke down the hedge which was
placed between the sides,
that there might be peace between dwellers on earth and in
heaven.

What I find most fascinating is how Jacob interprets Mary's visit to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56). John the Baptist leaps in the womb when Elizabeth and Mary meet. Jacob compares this to David dancing before the Ark of the covenant. This is strange, yet compelling. Not only that, but through Mary's voice Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on John for prophecy. This is crazy stuff! I like it, but I don't know what to do with it. It is totally foreign to the way I think about everything. It led me to worship, though.

Hilary of Poitiers - On The Trinity

Hilary begins his work On The Trinity in an unexpected way: by recounting his search to find the meaning of life. He started off by realizing that there must be more to life than the possession of leisure and riches. That thought began him on a lengthy philosophical and theological journey. Eventually he gets to the Trinity, but it takes quite a long time.

Interesting: for Hilary, the answer to "What is the meaning of life?" is found in the Trinity. Few modern Western Christians would answer in this way. It seems to me that we don't know what to do with the Trinity. Most Christians know they are supposed to believe in it, but aren't sure why it matters. Yes, it matters that Jesus is God, but much more central to salvation are what Jesus did on the cross and his invitation to have a personal relationship with Him. The doctrine of the Trinity is more of an academic construct that systematizes our theology, tying up some loose ends.

However, it appears to me that for Hilary (and Cyril and Irenaeus), the being of Christ was just as important for salvation as His actions. It is not only that the Son of God died and rose again; it is also that the Son of God united humanity and divinity in His person. The relationship of the believer with God is defined in Trinitarian terms as well. We share in the divine Father-Son relationship through our union with Christ. This union is made possible by the Son of God's becoming flesh.

Hilary brings in the Eucharist at this point:

If the Word has indeed become flesh, and we indeed receive the Word as flesh in the Lord's food, how are we not to believe that He dwells in us by His nature, He who, when He was born as man, has assumed the nature of our flesh that is bound inseparably with Himself, and has mingled the nature of His flesh to His eternal nature in the mystery of the flesh that was to be communicated to us? (285)

This is quite a sentence, and I'm not sure I understand all of it. But I gather that we share in Christ's nature through partaking of His body and blood. Thereby we enter into the very life of God, participating in the divine Father-Son relationship.

Another thing I like about Hilary is that he thought a lot about the task of theology and approached it humbly. For example:

A firm faith rejects the captious and useless questions of philosophy, nor does truth become the victim of falsehood by yielding to the fallacies of human absurdities. It does not confine God within the terms of ordinary understanding...the power of eternal infinity surpasses the comprehension of the earthly mind. (14)

The best reader is he who looks for the meaning of the words in the words themselves rather than reads his meaning into them, who carries away more than he brought, and who does not insist that the words signify what he presupposed before reading them...let us concede to God the knowledge about Himself, and let us humbly submit to His words with reverent awe. For He is a competent witness for Himself who is not known except by Himself. (18)

Quick Thoughts on Scholia on the Incarnation

I wish I had time to get into this text more, because it has been my favorite so far. But my Holy Week activities have prevented me from really digesting it.

The thing I find most striking about Cyril's Scholia on the Incarnation is the tension he is able to hold in the Incarnation. He states that God and man were united into one Christ in the Incarnation, but still holds that suffering, death, etc. are properly said to have taken place in Christ's flesh. It is his ability to hold this tension that seems to separate him from his opponents. He can say that Christ suffered in the flesh, while remaining impassible in his diety. He can also say that the whole person of Christ suffered, by virtue of his being united as one person.

I find this quite helpful.

Cyril's Old Testament exegesis is also strange and fascinating. I wish I had time to reflect on that more.