Through the Church Fathers

Podcast Description
What does it really mean to belong to Christ — and can the Church’s unity ever be compromised by compromise? Today we wrestle with that urgent question through three powerful voices from the early Church and the medieval tradition. Cyprian of Carthage confronts the dangerous practice of accepting baptism from heretics, insisting that true faith and true Church cannot be separated. Augustine opens the depths of his own heart in confession, showing us that only God truly knows us and that honest self-knowledge begins with God’s light. And Thomas Aquinas brings luminous clarity to the order of charity, teaching us how to love God first, ourselves rightly, and our neighbors according to the bonds and duties God has given us.
Today’s Readings:
Cyprian of Carthage — Epistle 72, To Jubaianus, Concerning the Baptism of Heretics (Sections 5–9)
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 3 (Section 3)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2-2, Question 26 — The Order of Charity (Articles 1–13 Combined)
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Today’s readings ask where grace, confession, and love truly belong. Cyprian continues his argument in Epistle 72, insisting that baptism cannot be separated from the unity and truth of the Church, and that heretical imitation does not require the Church to surrender what belongs to Christ. Augustine then reminds us that confession before God is not merely spoken with the mouth, but cried out from the soul, since nothing in the conscience is hidden from the Lord who first speaks truth into us. Aquinas closes by explaining the object of charity: God is loved above all, and all others—self, neighbor, sinners, enemies, angels, and even the body—are loved rightly only in relation to God and eternal blessedness. Together, these readings press us to see that Christian life is not held together by outward forms alone, but by truth, inward confession, and love ordered toward God.
Today’s Readings:
Cyprian — Epistle 72: To Jubaianus, Concerning the Baptism of Heretics, Sections 1–4
Augustine — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 2 (Section 2)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Question 25 (Articles 1–12 Combined)
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 #Cyprian #Augustine #Aquinas #Theology #ChurchHistory #ChristianDoctrine #Baptism #Charity #ThroughTheChurchFathers

Today’s readings move from the boundaries of the Church to the inward life of the soul. Cyprian’s Epistle 70 argues that baptism is one because the Church is one, insisting that those who come from heresy do not bring sacramental life from outside the Church, but must receive it where grace and truth are found. Augustine begins Book 10 of The Confessions with a new kind of confession, asking God to know Him as he is known and placing his hope and sober joy in God alone. Aquinas continues the section on charity by asking where charity exists, how it grows, and how it can be lost, teaching that charity is poured into the will by the Holy Spirit, grows as the soul clings more firmly to God, and is destroyed when the will turns away from God as its final end. Together, these readings call us to unity in the truth, honesty before God, and a love that must be guarded, strengthened, and kept alive.
Today’s Readings:
Cyprian — Epistle 70: To Quintus, Concerning the Baptism of Heretics
Augustine — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 1 (Section 1)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Question 24 (Articles 1–12 Combined)
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 #Cyprian #Augustine #Aquinas #Theology #ChurchHistory #ChristianDoctrine #Baptism #Charity #ThroughTheChurchFathers

Today’s reading introduces Cyprian’s three letters on the baptism of heretics, where his earlier concerns for unity, holiness, and discipline now focus on one urgent question: should baptism performed outside the Church be received as true baptism? Cyprian answers no, arguing that because the Church is one, baptism is one, and those separated from the Church cannot give what they do not possess. These letters matter not only because of Cyprian’s argument, but because the wider Church would later wrestle with and, in the West, largely move in a different direction through figures like Stephen of Rome and Augustine. From a Protestant perspective, we may not follow Cyprian all the way in his sacramental conclusion, but his deeper concern remains important: baptism is not an empty ritual detached from truth, confession, and the body of Christ.
Today’s Readings:
Introduction — Cyprian, Epistles 70, 72, and 73: Concerning the Baptism of Heretics
Explore the Project:
Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com
Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton
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Today’s readings move from repentance into restoration, and from grief into charity. Cyprian concludes On the Lapsed by warning that false safety destroys true safety, while genuine repentance must be as deep as the wound; yet he also holds out hope that the fallen soldier may be armed again, restored by mercy, and even receive a crown. Augustine closes Book 9 of The Confessions by remembering Monica at the Lord’s altar, trusting not in her merits but in the mercy of Christ, who paid the price no one can repay. Aquinas then begins the great section on charity, defining it as friendship with God and the greatest of the virtues, because faith believes, hope longs, but charity already clings to God in love. Together, these readings remind us that repentance is not the end of the Christian life, but the doorway back into mercy, communion, and holy love.
Today’s Readings:
Cyprian — On the Lapsed, Sections 34–36
Augustine — The Confessions, Book 9, Chapter 13 (Sections 36–37)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Question 23 (Articles 1–8 Combined)
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 #Cyprian #Augustine #Aquinas #Theology #ChurchHistory #ChristianDoctrine #Repentance #Charity #ThroughTheChurchFathers