On Knowing Christ

I am a bit late in posting this review of Jonathan Edwards' sermons. For that I am sorry. For a sample of the Puritan theology, and also for a good idea of how a person should pursue holiness, a person should read Edwards. The only way I can describe Edwards is PURE. His writings have the most intellectual and spiritual acuity. People who have a negative opinion of puritans have not read their writings, which is why the Puritans have gotten bad press over the years. The two best Puritan theologians are Edwards, and John Owen, if anybody ever decides to read some of these two. Just a trivial bit of information: Jonathan Edwards was a former president of Princeton University.

Erik

Still Reading: Four Witnesses

Treatise on Human Nature

I just finished reading St. Thomas Aquinas' book, Treatise on Human Nature. It is actually part of the Summa Theologiae. The book gives a really good philosophical view of very basic questions. It is available through Hackett Publishing of Indianapolis, IN. It is for people who are familiar with philosophy. It is not very easy to read.

Erik

Now Reading: Four Witnesses

Fear and Trembling

This work, a largely philosophical one, should not be discounted. Kirkegaard dealt with the ethical issues of the sacrifice that Abraham had to deal with in Isaac. He posed ethical questions such as should have Abraham had obeyed God, etc.? If you really want to stretch your ethical chops, then give this a try.

Erik

Now Reading: On Knowing Christ, By Jonathan Edwards

The Archko Volume

This book, which dealt with scrolls found in the Holy Land, was a very interesting read. It dealt with accounts from Caiaphas, the head person of the Sanhedrin about the crucifixion of Christ, and also about the resurrection of Christ. There were also accounts from Gamaliel, another member from the Sanhedrin. Gamaliel was the Apostle Paul's teacher, if you remember from one of the epistles. I would recommend this if you want a deeper understanding of the Gospels, as well as an understanding of Jewish hierarchy.

Erik

Next Read: Fear and Trembling, By Soren Kirkegaard

The Orthodox Church

This book was a VERY worthwhile read! Bishop Kallistos Ware was thorough in his research for this book. He talked about the saints of the Orthodox Church(St. Sergius, for example), what the Russian Orthodox church did during the days of the Communists, and the Cold War days.

There were the finer points of theology such as the filioque, which means "and from the Son." In the Nicene Creed, there is an argument between the Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and the Orthodox that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father THROUGH the Son. The Orthodox do not believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds through Jesus. They believe that it comes through God alone, and Jesus has no part of it.

As far as other parts of theology, they are pretty much Catholic, except that they have been apart from the Catholics since 1054.

If you would like to read this highly enlightening book, it is published by Penguin Press.

Erik

Next Read: The Archko Volume

Selected Writings of Philo of Alexandria

Philo of Alexandria was of Hebrew parentage, but he was brought up studying the Greek language. He knew both Hebrew and Greek, but his writings contain mostly of the Greek philosophy, although it is tinged with Jewish for flavor(!). The amazing thing is that some of the themes that are discussed; Grace, Love, and repentance! These are words that we usually hear Jesus speak! He was a contemporary of Jesus, since he was born around 25 BC and probably heard about the itinerant preacher who was causing a ruckus... So if you are interested, you can find a volume of his at your local LifeWay or Mardel christian bookstore...

Erik

Reading now: The Orthodox Church, By Kallistos Ware

Frank Sheed's Theology and Sanity

His book is really a good book for people who don't know a lick about Theology. He also brings people through a good summation of Thomism without getting them lost. He mentions a few things about St. Anselm and St. Augustine. The doctrines of Salvation and the Trinity were mentioned. I will not go into the details because my summaries are short paragraphs. People who are looking to start studies into theology and christian philosophy will enjoy this book.

Erik

My Present Read: Selected Writings of Philo of Alexandria

The Lord and His Prayer

This little book, by Bishop N.T. Wright, is a little gem. It shows how to study and how to pray the Lord's Prayer. Wright gives three different ways to study the Lord's prayer. First, a person takes one section per day, and uses that as a theme for the day, and uses the prayer as a theme for the week. Secondly, it is like a meditative like prayer. A person uses it in their private prayer time with the Lord. Thirdly, it is like the first theme. They use a theme a week instead of a theme a day, and exchange different themes. It is a small book, and a person can read it in a week. The language is very easy. Easy reading!

Erik

I have been thinking...

I have been pondering about starting an order(in the Roman Catholic sense, though not taking any vows of celibacy or poverty). The type of order would be strictly focused on serving the Lord in the areas of academics and study. There would also be service in the area of prayer. This has been on my mind a lot recently, and have been thinking about it a lot. I will continue, and will update it to the site as I get more clarity.

Erik

St. Anselm's Basic Writings

St. Anselm's writings are more philosophical in nature than theological. There are four works of his that are in this book, and are very profound. This is NOT a recreational book! The selections that are in here are Proslogion, Monologion, Cur Deus Homo(Why God Became Man), and Gaunilo's In Behalf of the Fool(Anselm's Response to Gaunilo). The first two are the best selections. The Cur Deus Homo is done in dialogue form and is more difficult to follow. I would recommend this if you like philosophy, and if you were studying about the existence of God, as well as the Trinity(Cur Deus Homo). This is not for new Christians!

Erik

Latest trek to Half Price Books

On Monday, while I had some free time, I went to Half Price Books. If some of y'all are not aware of this place, it is a bookstore that takes in books that other people have read and sells them for half price or even more off, depending on the condition of the book. In my trips there in the past, I have had some good finds. I have come upon a Douay-Rheims Bible for $5.00, and in several trips, I have completed my Aristotle and Aquinas library for a FRACTION for what it would have cost at a regular bookstore. Anyway, I digress.
On my latest trek, I came upon a book called God of Mercy: Aelfric's Sermons & Theology. I have not had a chance to look through it, but Aelfric was a Tenth Century Benedictine monk. According to the Editor, Carmen Acevedo Butcher, The Rule of St. Benedict is at the center of the sermons, as well as the fact that God is a God of unending, mysterious mercy. He lived at a time of the Viking invasions, and according to the editor, the sermons reflect this. This piqued my interest, so I got it.
The other book I purchased was The Word of the Lord: Collects and Readings for Special Occasions. Authorized for Use in the Church of England. I am an Anglican, so I can "translate." This is a book that has prayers and scriptures that can be used in services in a liturgical setting(preferably Anglican/Episcopal). A collect is a general type prayer that is said for a type of occasion. That is about it. My trip to the store was fruitful, and these two books seem worthy to be put in my library.

Erik

St. Augustine Two Pack

The two books that I wish to talk about are probably his best two works. The first one is called The Confessions. For the most part, it is the story of his life. It tells of his coming to the Lord, and of his early home life. In my opinion, if a person is to have a vocation in the ministry, this is required reading. I have personally read this no less than three times. The best time was when he heard the voice of God saying for him to "Take and read!" referring to the Bible. This was amazing. Of course, he was baptized by St. Ambrose on Easter Sunday. This is definitely a must read.

The next selection is his City of God. This refers to the city of Rome. In the book, he refers to two cities; a City of man, and a City of God. He goes through the Roman leaders and how they are still addicted to their pagan gods, and how they still blame all of their problems on the Christians; just like Nero did. The problems really did not stop. They slowed when Constantine took power, but never really stopped. This is a long selection, and if you like to study about the Roman Caesars, and love Christian philosophy(like I do), then pick it up. Just remember that it is over 1000 pages.

Erik

Answers to Prayer

The title of the book, Answers to Prayer, is an apt title for this book. This book tells about George Mueller, a German missionary to England in the mid to late 1800's. It chronicles his prayers and answers to prayer that he had for the orphanages that he started over in England. He had to pray for money daily, and God provided for he and his workers. It is an amazing story of God's provision, and His miracles. A wonderful read if you are down and need the Lord to lift you up.

Erik

E KAINE DIATHEKE

Pardon for the Greek, but this selection is for the Koine Greek student. It is a Greek New Testament of the 1611 King James Version. The print is not small, like a person sees in other bibles. For the KJV-philes, this is a must.

Erik

First Post: The Faith of the Early Fathers

This is the first of hopefully many posts of a new site. Since I read quite a bit, I decided to give my opinion of the books that I read. I mainly read theological books, since I am a Theology major. The first one that I am going to talk about is The Faith of the Early Fathers, 3 Volumes. This three volume set is wonderful to see what the early fathers' theology was all about. Patristics is a "hobby" of mine, so when I saw it at Half Price Books, I knew I had to pick it up. It has such church fathers as Cyril of Alexandria, St. Augustine, Clement of Alexandria, Polycarp, plus many others. It is written my William Jurgens, and Liturgical Press is the publisher. I hope that you will get the joy out of it that I did.

Erik