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Through the Church Fathers

Through the Church Fathers

De : C. Michael Patton
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Join Through the Church Fathers, a year-long journey into the writings of the early Church Fathers, thoughtfully curated by C. Michael Patton. Each episode features daily readings from key figures like Clement, Augustine, and Aquinas, accompanied by insightful commentary to help you engage with the foundational truths of the Christian faith.

Join Our Community: Read along and engage with others on this journey through the Church Fathers. Visit our website.

Support the Podcast: Help sustain this work and gain access to exclusive content by supporting C. Michael Patton on Patreon at patreon.com/cmichaelpatton.

Dive Deeper into Theology: Explore high-quality courses taught by the world’s greatest scholars at Credo Courses. Visit credocourses.com.

Let’s journey through the wisdom of the Church Fathers together—daily inspiration to deepen your faith and understanding of the Christian tradition.

C Michael Patton 2024
Christianisme Ministère et évangélisme Spiritualité
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    Épisodes
    • Through the Church Fathers: January 21
      Jan 21 2026

      To call something good is never neutral, because goodness always reveals where our unity, desire, and trust are finally anchored. Ignatius writes to the Ephesians as a man on his way to martyrdom, urging them to cling to unity with their bishop and with one another, because communion with the Church is communion with Christ Himself, and division is never spiritually harmless. Augustine then exposes how vice is parasitic, showing that every sin is a distorted imitation of God—pride mimics God’s greatness, lust mimics His love, and envy mimics His excellence—yet only God truly possesses what sin pretends to grasp. Aquinas finally brings this to its metaphysical foundation by arguing that goodness belongs to God alone by essence, since He alone is being itself, while all created goodness exists only by participation, real yet dependent. Together, these readings teach us that goodness, unity, truth, and life are never self-generated: they flow from God alone and are preserved only by remaining joined to Him in love, order, and humility (John 15:5; James 4:6).

      Readings:

      Ignatius of Antioch, The Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapters 1–7

      Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 2, Chapter 6 (Section 13)

      Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 6, Article 3

      Explore the Project:

      Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com

      Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton

      Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com

      Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

      #IgnatiusOfAntioch #Augustine #ThomasAquinas #SummaTheologica #Confessions #ChurchFathers #Goodness #ChristianUnity #HistoricalTheology

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      10 min
    • Through the Church Fathers: January 20
      Jan 20 2026

      Sin often masquerades as freedom and goodness, yet it always collapses once we see that only God Himself can truly satisfy the human heart. In The Confessions, Augustine probes his own soul and asks why he delighted in stealing pears he did not want, discovering that his pleasure was not in the object but in the rebellion itself—a hollow love that imitated goodness while fleeing from the only true good, God Himself. Aquinas then clarifies this insight theologically by affirming first that God is good by His very essence, not by participation, and then going further to confess that God is the supreme good—the final end for which all other goods exist and toward which every created desire, rightly ordered or not, is ultimately drawn. Together, these readings expose the tragedy of disordered love and the hope of restored desire: we sin when we grasp at lesser goods as if they were ultimate, and we find rest only when our loves return to God, who alone is goodness itself and the highest good of all (Psalm 16:11; James 1:17).

      Readings:

      Augustine, The Confessions, Book 2, Chapter 6 (Section 12)

      Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 6, Article 1

      Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 6, Article 2

      Explore the Project:

      Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com

      Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton

      Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com

      Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

      #Confessions #SummaTheologica #GoodnessOfGod #SupremeGood #DisorderedLove #ChurchFathers #HistoricalTheology

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      11 min
    • Through the Church Fathers: January 19
      Jan 20 2026

      What looks like cruelty, loss, or even evil only makes sense when seen against the deeper truth that God alone is good, and all created goods either cling to Him rightly or fall apart when loved in the wrong order. In The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicity, Perpetua shows us this truth lived out under pressure—choosing fidelity to God over family bonds, earthly security, and even her own life, while trusting that God’s goodness governs suffering, judgment, and mercy, as seen most poignantly in her prayer for her brother Dinocrates and the victory promised in her final vision. Augustine then explains why such choices are necessary, arguing that no one ever commits evil for evil’s sake, but always for the sake of some lesser good—wealth, power, revenge, or security—goods that become destructive when loved more than God. Aquinas brings these threads together by grounding them in God Himself, teaching that God is not merely good, but goodness itself, the source from which all created goodness flows, making it possible to affirm both God’s perfect goodness and the reality of suffering without contradiction (Psalm 34:8; James 1:17).

      Readings:

      The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicity, Chapters 2–3

      Augustine, The Confessions, Book 2, Chapter 5 (Section 11)

      Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 6, Article 1

      Explore the Project:

      Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com

      Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton

      Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com

      Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

      #ChurchFathers #PerpetuaAndFelicity #Confessions #SummaTheologica #GoodnessOfGod #Martyrdom #HistoricalTheology

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      12 min
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