Through the Church Fathers

Podcast Description
In this episode we hear Theophilus of Antioch invite his pagan friend Autolycus to behold the one true God through the order and beauty of creation. He points to the regular seasons, the movement of the stars, the provision for all living things, and the instinct given to animals, showing that these works reveal God’s wisdom and providence. He then explains that we shall see God when we put on immortality and that faith is the foundation for all true knowledge. Theophilus contrasts this with the immoral myths of the pagan gods, exposing the emptiness of idolatry. Alongside Augustine’s account of consulting Simplicianus as he wrestled with how to live the Christian life, and Thomas Aquinas’s teaching on command as the act of reason that directs the will toward execution, these readings call us to move from admiration of God’s works to personal faith, cleansing, and obedient action.
Today’s Readings:
Theophilus of Antioch — To Autolycus, Book I (Chapters 6–9)
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 8, Chapter 1
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 17 (Articles 1–9 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 step into the late second century with Theophilus of Antioch as he writes a personal and reasoned defense of the Christian faith to his pagan friend Autolycus. Theophilus shows that Moses and the Hebrew prophets are far older than Homer and the Greek poets, contrasts the absurdities of pagan mythology with the coherent account of creation in Scripture, and demonstrates the moral and historical superiority of Christian teaching. Alongside Augustine’s account of moving from proud philosophical speculation to humble embrace of Christ the Mediator, and Thomas Aquinas’s explanation of consent as the will’s approval of the means proposed by reason, these readings invite us to consider the reliability of God’s Word and the ordered freedom of the human will in responding to truth.
Today’s Readings:
Theophilus of Antioch — To Autolycus, Books 1–3 (excerpts from the full work)
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 20 (Section 26)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 15 (Articles 1–4 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 listen to one of the earliest Christian voices speaking directly to a skeptical pagan friend. Theophilus of Antioch, bishop of Antioch in the late second century, writes to Autolycus with patience and clarity, answering his mockery of the Christian faith. He shows that the one true God cannot be seen with physical eyes until the soul is cleansed from sin, describes the invisible God through His works and providence, and sets forth the divine attributes in language that is both simple and profound. Together with Augustine’s testimony of finding in the Scriptures what he could not find in the Platonists, and Thomas Aquinas’s teaching on consent as the will’s approval of the means proposed by reason, these readings invite us to consider how the human heart must be purified before it can truly behold God and how the will moves toward the good through counsel, consent, and choice.
Today’s Readings:
Theophilus of Antioch — To Autolycus, Book I
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 21 (Section 27)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 15 (Articles 1–4 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 Tatian presses his argument to its climax. He uses Egyptian, Chaldean, and Phoenician records to prove that Moses lived centuries before Homer and the Trojan War, making Christian teaching far older than Greek philosophy or literature. He catalogs the Argive kings to demonstrate the timeline and concludes with a personal testimony of his own conversion from Greek learning to the “barbaric philosophy” of the Scriptures. Augustine rejoices that God allowed him to encounter the Platonists first so that the contrast with Holy Scripture would humble him and teach him the difference between proud speculation and humble confession. Thomas Aquinas explains that consent is the act of the will by which it approves the means proposed by reason, standing between counsel and choice and preparing the way for decisive action.
Today’s Readings:
Tatian — Address to the Greeks, Chapters 38–42
Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 7, Chapter 20 (Section 26)
Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 15 (Articles 1–4 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.)

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.)