Kallistos Ware begins his discussion of human personhood by referring to David Jenkins, who was the Bishop of Durham at the time, who insisted that personhood cannot be defined. According to Jenkins, “There is a sense in which we do not know what is involved in being a person. Thus, we do not know howContinue reading “The Unity of the Human Person According to the Greek Fathers”
Tag Archives: patristics
Did Jesus Have to Die on a Cross? Athanasius’ Response (Pt. 2)
Last time we looked at Athansius’ Four Reasons why Jesus died on a cross as opposed to some other way. Those responses were directed primarily at non-Christians and skeptics. Today we take a look at his response to “anyone from among us (who) asks, not as a lover of contention but as a lover ofContinue reading “Did Jesus Have to Die on a Cross? Athanasius’ Response (Pt. 2)”
Did Jesus Have to Die on a Cross? Athanasius’ Response (Pt. 1)
A while ago I took an atonement seminar with Oliver Crisp, among the discussions that we had, one student, Gavin Ortlund (the son of Gospel Coalition Pastor Ray Ortlund) brought up a really interesting question: “Did Jesus have to die on a cross? Could it have been a guillotine (if they had those), or couldContinue reading “Did Jesus Have to Die on a Cross? Athanasius’ Response (Pt. 1)”
Why Did God Rescue Humanity?
Why does God save us through Jesus Christ? My theological hero, Jonathan Edwards, has argued that God saves for the sake of his own glory, which is simultaneously what is best for us. John Piper has famously adopted this same line of thought. Yet the idea that God saves us, through Jesus Christ, for theContinue reading “Why Did God Rescue Humanity?”
Why Did the Son Become Incarnate?
Why did the Son become incarnate? That is a good question. Several people on the A-Team (Athanasius, Augustine, Aquinas and Anselm) have all taken a shot at answering this question. Usually the answer gets tied in to the doctrine of atonement. Here is what Athanasius has to say about that question: For speaking of theContinue reading “Why Did the Son Become Incarnate?”
Origen on Apologetics
Ben Myers recently wrote a blog post on Origen and the problem of writing, Origen and the problem of writing, within the post he quotes Origen’s stance on apologetics…. When Origen was asked to respond to Celsus, a pagan writer who had attacked Christianity in a book called True Doctrine, Origen observed that a writtenContinue reading “Origen on Apologetics”
