Through the Church Fathers

Today’s readings move through memory, divine justice, and the right use of earthly things. Tertullian argues that God cannot be reduced to mere passive goodness stripped of judgment, emotion, and justice. A god who forbids evil yet never punishes it, he says, would ultimately permit the very evil he claims to oppose. Augustine then reflects on the mystery of happiness and memory, asking how we can long so deeply for the happy life unless we somehow already know it within ourselves. Aquinas concludes by examining bodily harm, theft, and property, teaching that created goods exist for the preservation of life and the common good, while also warning that violence, greed, and injustice corrupt both persons and society. Together, these readings ask whether goodness can truly exist apart from truth, justice, and rightly ordered love.
Today’s Readings:
Tertullian — The Five Books Against Marcion, Book 1, Chapters 25–26
Augustine — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 21 (Section 30)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Questions 65–66
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
#ThroughTheChurchFathers #Tertullian #Augustine #ThomasAquinas #AgainstMarcion #Confessions #SummaTheologica #ChurchHistory #ChristianTheology

Today’s readings explore what it means for God’s goodness and human justice to be truly complete. Tertullian continues his assault on Marcion’s theology by arguing that a god who saves only a few—and even then saves only their souls while abandoning the body—cannot be called perfectly good. Augustine then reflects on the strange experience of remembering what we had forgotten, showing how memory searches within itself until the lost thing is recognized again. Aquinas turns to justice and the sanctity of human life, warning against favoritism that corrupts judgment and explaining the moral seriousness of murder, self-defense, and the lawful protection of society. Together, these readings ask whether goodness, memory, and justice can ever remain partial without becoming distorted.
Today’s Readings:
Tertullian — The Five Books Against Marcion, Book 1, Chapter 24
Augustine — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 19 (Section 28)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Questions 63–64
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
#ThroughTheChurchFathers #Tertullian #Augustine #ThomasAquinas #AgainstMarcion #Confessions #SummaTheologica #ChurchHistory #ChristianTheology

Today’s readings explore memory, goodness, and justice from three different angles, yet all arrive at the same question: what does it mean for something to be truly right? Augustine reflects on how lost things can only be found if they remain somehow preserved within memory, leading him to marvel at the mysterious depths of the human mind and its longing for God. Aquinas then turns to justice in human relationships, warning against favoritism that bends judgment away from what is due and insisting that true repentance requires restitution wherever harm has been done. Together, these readings remind us that both truth and goodness demand order: memory must preserve what is lost, judgment must remain impartial, and justice must restore what has been wrongly taken.
Today’s Readings:
Tertullian — The Five Books Against Marcion, Book 1, Chapter 23
Augustine — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 18 (Section 27)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Questions 61–62
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
#ThroughTheChurchFathers #Tertullian #Augustine #ThomasAquinas #AgainstMarcion #Confessions #SummaTheologica #ChurchHistory #ChristianTheology

You’re right — that podcast should have used Tertullian, not Augustine 17–20 as the main reading. Here’s the corrected version based on the right three readings.
Today’s readings press into the nature of God, the mystery of memory, and the demands of justice. Tertullian challenges Marcion’s idea of a supposedly “better” god by arguing that true divine goodness cannot appear late, selectively, or passively; if God is good by nature, His goodness must be eternal, active, and ready from the beginning. Augustine then turns inward, marveling at the vast caverns of memory and asking how he can seek God beyond memory while still needing memory to seek Him at all. Aquinas brings the moral question down to earth, showing that injustice deprives another of what is due, while righteous judgment must be governed by truth, authority, charity, and rightly ordered law.
Today’s Readings:
Tertullian — The Five Books Against Marcion, Book 1, Chapter 22
Augustine — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 17 (Section 26)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Questions 59–60
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
#ThroughTheChurchFathers #Tertullian #Augustine #ThomasAquinas #AgainstMarcion #Confessions #SummaTheologica #ChurchHistory #ChristianTheology

Prudence teaches us how to think rightly before we act, but Aquinas reminds us that wisdom alone is not enough unless it leads to justice. In today’s readings, we move from the dangers of rashness, negligence, and false prudence into the deeper question of what we owe to others and what it means to render to each person his due. Tertullian fiercely argues against Marcion’s attempt to divide the God of the Old Testament from the God revealed in Christ, insisting that the apostles preached one Creator and one unfolding covenantal purpose. Augustine then turns inward, wrestling with the strange mystery of memory itself—especially how we can somehow remember forgetfulness. Together these readings move from practical reasoning, to doctrinal fidelity, to the terrifying and beautiful depths of the human mind before God.
Today’s Readings:
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 2–2, Questions 53–58
Augustine — The Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 16 (Sections 24–25)
Tertullian — Against Marcion, Book 1, Chapters 20–22
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 #Aquinas #Augustine #Tertullian #ChristianTheology #Patristics #ChurchHistory #SummaTheologica #Confessions #AgainstMarcion #ThroughTheChurchFathers