Indeed, we were all happy to move on from The City of God to more well-known household names like Aegidius Romanus et al.. I remember very little about that Augustine interlude except maybe the name for his illegitimate son: Adeodatus, Augustine’s way of saying “Who, me?”

But the one thing I did take away from the Augustine segment was the realization that Augustine’s negative Manichaean anthropology and his ignorance of the Greek Fathers had a profoundly deleterious effect on subsequent theological discussions. I think that there can be little dispute that Luther, and especially Calvin, were the unfortunate heirs of this pessimistic patrimony.

Another small point: since I started listening on-line to theological discussions on this site, WTS/Cal and Issues.etc, all interesting and thoughtful sites, I have come across frequent references to the “medieval Church” as if the so-called medieval Church is a different kettle of fish from the Church of previous times. I have yet to hear an intellligent explanation of this oft-used phrase. Also, the various solas are certainly not found in the early creeds and I think that there is a phrase in the Athanasian Creed that would be described by the the Reformed adherents as works righteousness. When I first heard “law and gospel” I thought it was some form of literary criticism. Did the Holy Spirit go on vacation from AD100 to AD 1511? Remember the Gates of Hell etc.

Speaking of the Gates of Hell, so much of this sectarian bickering is helping the true enemy, Islam. Start with the latest research, albeit controversial, in Qur’anic studies, men like Puin and Luxenberg, if you want to do something constructive with your time.

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam,

Steve .

The Church Fathers were Catholic and any genuine Protestant would have to condemn most of them as preaching a false Gospel.