The Teachings of the Church Fathers

by John R. Willis

Publisher:

Ignatius

, 2002

Overview

The Fathers of the Church have been a vital source of wisdom and inspiration for countless believers throughout the history of the Church. In this powerful one-volume library, Father Willis presents more than 250 doctrinal topics in an exhaustive selection of writings from the major sources of the Fathers. He lets the Fathers speak for themselves on a wide variety of spiritual themes.

In the Logos edition, all Scripture passages in The Teachings of the Church Fathers are tagged and appear on mouseover, and all Scripture passages link to your favorite Bible translation in your library. With Logos’ advanced features, you can perform powerful searches by topic or Scripture reference—finding, for example, every mention of “divine mission” or “salvation.”

Key Features

• Brief outline of Catholic doctrine
• Selections from well-known Church Fathers

Contents

Top Highlights

“The prophecies prove this divine mission to be fulfilled in Christ” (Page vii)

“Much of the writing is directed against the Docetists and the Gnostics, many of whom denied that Jesus had actually lived and suffered truly in the flesh.” (Page 3)

“But wisdom precedes, religion follows; for the knowledge of God comes first, His worship is the result of knowledge.” (Page 4)

“The central message of Christianity is that Jesus Christ truly came into the world as a divine legate and that His miracles and prophecies prove His divine mission, attested principally by the central fact of His resurrection.” (Page 3)

“God is speaking to you, and do you waver faithless in your unbelieving mind? God promises immortality and eternity to you leaving this world, and do you doubt? This is not to know God at all. This is to offend Christ, the Teacher of believing, by the sin of disbelief. This is, though one is in the Church, not to have faith in the House of Faith.” (Page 8)

Praise for the Print Edition

The Teachings of the Church Fathers is arranged thematically, much like the Catechism of the Catholic Church, to which this book is a useful supplement. He has gathered key paragraphs from the Fathers, collecting them under 250 topics and providing extensive cross-references. The result is a fat book that is easy to read. The Catholic who wants to convince non-Catholics of the antiquity of Church teachings and practices can find just the evidence he needs.

—Karl Keating, founder and president, Catholic Answers

What a privilege it would be to sit before a cozy fire deep in conversation with all the Fathers of the Church—some of whom even personally knew the Apostles. Imagine them all talking to you about prayer, the love of God, and spirituality. You are in for a treat because Fr. John Willis has arranged just such an intimate meeting! He takes you back in time for a very up-to-date conversation with the Fathers in an easily readable and accessible format. Take a seat, open the book, and join the conversation.

—Stephen Ray, author, Upon This Rock

Product Details

• Title: The Teachings of the Church Fathers
• Author: John Willis
• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Publication Date: 2002
• Pages: 496

About John R. Willis

John Willis was the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston College for many years, as well as a professor in the history department.