Through the Church Fathers

Podcast Description
In this episode Tatian continues his unsparing critique of Greek culture. He ridicules the statues erected to tyrants, adulterers, and prostitutes, exposing the moral bankruptcy behind pagan art and the hypocrisy of those who slander Christian women while honoring far worse figures. He speaks as an eyewitness who has examined these things firsthand, then turns to the antiquity of Moses, using Chaldean, Phoenician, and Egyptian records to prove that Christian teaching predates Greek philosophy and literature by centuries. Augustine describes how he initially viewed Christ merely as an exemplary wise man and struggled to grasp the mystery of the Word made flesh, until he saw in the Mediator the humble way that lifts the proud by first becoming low. Thomas Aquinas explains that counsel is the act of reason by which we deliberate about the means to an end, preparing the way for free and rational choice.
Today’s Readings: Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 34–37
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 19 (Section 25)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 14 (Articles 1–6 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
(The three primary readings are already formatted per the 2026 rules and ready for the main content of the episode. Let me know if you want the full combined document or any adjustments to the podcast description.)

Podcast Description
In this episode we see the bold confidence of early Christian apologetics. Tatian demonstrates that Christian teaching predates Greek philosophy and literature by comparing timelines with Moses and Homer, condemns the divisive and immoral nature of Greek laws and customs, and vigorously defends the dignity and chastity of Christian women against pagan mockery and the worship of shameful statues. Augustine recounts his soul’s longing for God and the moment he embraced Christ the Mediator as the humble way to the unchangeable Truth. Thomas Aquinas explains that choice is an act of the will guided by reason, whereby we select the means ordered to an intended end.
Today’s Readings:
Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 31–33
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 18 (Section 24)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 13 (Articles 1–6 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
(The three primary readings are already formatted per the 2026 rules and ready for the main content of the episode. Let me know if you want the full combined document or any adjustments.)

Podcast Description
In this episode we witness the sharp contrast between empty human wisdom and the power of divine truth. Tatian boldly condemns the unjust hatred shown toward Christians, rejects the contradictory and immoral laws of the Greeks, recounts his own conversion through the simple yet divine writings of the barbarians, and resolves to resist the devil by embracing the one true God. Augustine describes his soul’s ascent from changeable bodies and phantasms to a trembling glimpse of the unchangeable Truth above his mind, only to be pulled back by the weight of carnal habit. Thomas Aquinas explains that intention is an act of the will directed toward an end, ordering all means under that single purpose while remaining free and rational.
Today’s Readings:
Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 27–30
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 17 (Section 23)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 12 (Articles 1–5 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

Podcast Description
In this episode we confront the emptiness of pagan culture and philosophy. Tatian exposes the absurdity of Greek theater, the contradictions and vanities of the philosophers, and the futility of their borrowed wisdom, calling Greeks to abandon empty traditions and follow the Word of God. Augustine shows that evil is not a substance but a perversion of the will turned away from the Supreme Good. Thomas Aquinas explains how the will naturally inclines toward the good yet remains free in its choice among particular goods, never forced or necessitated to any single option.
Today’s Readings: Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 24–26
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 16 (Section 22)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 10 (Articles 1–3 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
(The three primary readings are already formatted per the 2026 rules and ready for the main content of the episode. Let me know if you want the full combined document or any adjustments.)

Today’s Readings
Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 20–23 Augustine — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 15 (Section 21) Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 9 (Articles 4–6 Combined)
Tatian presses hard against a world that trusts appearances, exposing how easily people give credit to created things while ignoring the Creator, and how what looks like wisdom or culture can actually be corruption dressed up for applause . Augustine then pulls the argument deeper, showing that everything that exists has its being in God, and that error begins the moment we misjudge reality—treating what is not as though it were. Aquinas brings the precision: the will is not controlled by external forces, nor by the stars, nor by circumstances, but is moved by God in a way that does not destroy freedom but grounds it. Put together, these readings confront a single issue from three angles—what is really moving your life? If you give that power to illusions, passions, or systems, you will be carried along without knowing it. But if God is the one who moves you, then your freedom is not lost—it is finally anchored in what is real.
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
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