Gospel Simplicity Podcast

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Brendan Case to discuss his new book, Doubting Thomas (UND Press), which covers a host of debates between St. Thomas Aquinas and his Franciscan counterparts, especially St. Bonaventure. In this discussion, Dr. Case shares a few instances where he thinks Bonaventure got the better of Thomas. Moreover, he shares why these debates matter and how they might better help us understand the place of Thomas in modern theology.

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About the Guest: Brendan W. Case, Th.D., serves as the Associate Director for Research at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program. A Christian theologian by training, Case’s work brings theology and philosophy into conversation with the empirical social sciences to understand the nature, distribution, and determinants of a good life. Dr. Case is the author or co-author of five books: The Gentleness of Wisdom: A Christian Ethics of Charity, Anger, and Enmity (Routledge, 2026); Doubting Thomas: Early Franciscan Disputes with Aquinas (University of Notre Dame Press, 2026); The Justification of the Sinless: Supralapsarian Christology and the Goodness of the Incarnation (Baker Academic, 2026); The Accountable Animal: Justice, Justification, and Judgment (T&T Clark, 2021), and (with William Glass) Least of the Apostles: Paul and His Legacies in Earliest Christianity (Pickwick Press, 2022).

Guest Links:
Read the book: https://amzn.to/3UnrxQQ
The Justification of the Sinless: https://amzn.to/4ccbZFP
Learn more: https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu/team/brendan-case

Chapters
00:00 The Place of St. Thomas in Theology
04:46 St. Bonaventure's Approach
10:01 Reception of Thomas in his time
20:04 The Trinity and divine relations
25:12 The Ontological Argument
30:07 Implications of different theological emphases
35:05 Bonaventure today
39:55 Beyond the Summa
45:13 Mystical theology in Bonaventure
49:48 Historical and contemporary views on Thomas and Bonaventure
54:57 The future of theological study

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What did the earliest Christians believe about the Virgin Mary? That's what I'll cover in this video, looking at both orthodox and heterodox groups, as well as written and material evidence. This is the longest and most detailed video yet in my ongoing series on the history of Marian doctrine and devotion. 

Join Me on the Camino!: https://www.gospelsimplicity.com/pilgrimage

Pre-order my novel, The Long Road to Holy Island: https://amzn.to/4sISAC9

Get access to my book club, one-on-one office hours, show notes, and more:  https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity 
Make a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/gospelsimplicity
Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity/meet-with-austin
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com

Videos Referenced: 
Protevangelium: https://youtu.be/rgHV-leh6P8?si=cseP3b3EpdPoSqCk
Dormition/Assumption: https://youtu.be/0ylKNQmE1oE?si=DSHGJLl_yXO75-4J
Rejecting Mary? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCZ-ZK8e17c&list=PLPYmFzsNDDO-WMGWwl6gTofsw_J-k_Bcd&index=4

Recommended Secondary Sources: 
Yale Dura Europos Website: https://duraeuropos.artgallery.yale.edu/
Stephen Shoemaker, Mary in Early Christian Faith and Devotion
Miri Rubin, Mother of God

0:00 Introduction
012:28 Ascension of Isaiah
06:03 St. Ignatius of Antioch
07:38 St. Justin Martyr
09:52 Protevangelium of James
13:52 St. Irenaeus of Lyons
20:23 Gnostics on Mary
24:44 Tertullian
26:35 St. Clement of Alexandria
27:48 Origen of Alexandria
30:53 Third Century Summary
31:23 Sub Tuum Praesidium
36:37 Mary in Early Christian Art
40:49 The Book of Mary's Repose
43:19 Concluding Thoughts

Disclaimer: Links in the description may contain affiliate links, from which I receive a small percentage of the purchase.
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Since its definition as a dogma in 1950, Mary's Bodily Assumption has been a point of tension between Protestants and Catholics. For some, it's the beautiful telos of the other Marian dogmas. For others, it's a bewildering act of dogmatizing something that seems unnecessary. 

This video isn't about who's right. Instead, this video is a look at the historical development of Christian belief in Mary's Bodily Assumption through three sources: St. Epiphanius of Salamis, apocryphal Dormition/Assumption narratives, and liturgical history. 

This video is deeply indebted to the work of Dr. Stephen Shoemaker. You can find the links for his work in the resources section below. 

Join Me on the Camino!: https://www.gospelsimplicity.com/pilgrimage

Pre-order my novel, The Long Road to Holy Island: https://amzn.to/4sISAC9

Get access to my book club, one-on-one office hours, show notes, and more:  https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity 
Make a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/gospelsimplicity
Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity/meet-with-austin
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com

References:
Stephen Shoemaker, Ancient Traditions of the Virgin Mary's Dormition and Assumption: https://academic.oup.com/book/27239
Stephen Shoemaker, Mary in Early Christian Faith and Devotion: https://amzn.to/4zotIUo
Matthew Levering, Mary's Bodily Assumption: https://amzn.to/4bLfP8E

0:00 Background
05:53 St. Epiphanius, 4th c.
13:32 Dormition/Assumption Apocrypha
29:19 Liturgy
31:55 Conclusion

Disclaimer: Links in the description may contain affiliate links, from which I receive a small percentage of the purchase.
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In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Zachary Wagner, author of Men of Virtue, to discuss the crises men are facing, the problematic solutions being offered, and why embracing a Christian vision of virtue is the answer.

Pre-order my novel, The Long Road to Holy Island: https://amzn.to/4sISAC9

Get access to my book club, one-on-one office hours, show notes, and more:  https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity
Make a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/gospelsimplicity
Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity/meet-with-austin
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com

About the Guest: Zachary Wagner is an author, ordained minister, and New Testament scholar. He earned a DPhil from Oxford in 2025. He published his first book, Non-Toxic Masculinity: Recovering Healthy Male Sexuality, in 2023 with InterVarsity Press. His second book, Men of Virtue: How the Fruit of the Spirit Forms Male Character in the Modern World, will release from Brazos Press in May 2026. He is currently pursuing publication for his DPhil thesis, as well as a further writing and research projects on Christianity and Stoicism.

Guest Links:
Book: https://amzn.to/3TBoAfg
Substack: https://substack.com/@zacharywagner
Website: https://www.zacharycwagner.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zacharycwagner
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You might have heard that C.S. Lewis believed in Purgatory, and that's true. But his vision of Purgatory is unique, combining Protestant and Catholic sensibilities. In this video, I unpack what Lewis taught about Purgatory in Letters to Malcom and The Great Divorce, looking specifically at the theological foundation for his views and what that means for us today.

Join Me on the Camino!: https://www.gospelsimplicity.com/pilgrimage

Pre-order my novel, The Long Road to Holy Island: https://amzn.to/4sISAC9

Get access to my book club, one-on-one office hours, show notes, and more:  https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity
Make a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/gospelsimplicity
Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity/meet-with-austin
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com

Videos Referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXsyqFRVIh4&t=314s

00:00 Lewis on Purgatory
01:35 Letters to Malcolm
04:11 The Great Divorce
07:55 Theological Foundations
13:53 Implications for Protestants

Disclaimer: Links in the description may contain affiliate links, from which I receive a small percentage of the purchase.
Support the show