One of the texts I teach to my high school juniors in my Christian Ethics class is the ancient work known as the Didache (which means “teaching”). It is one of the oldest Christian writings in existence outside of the New Testament and was used for many centuries as a manual of instruction for new…
The Didache, Part I: Way of Life, Way of Death
One of the primary emphases of the Christian Ethics course I teach to high school juniors is that the Christian life is a way of life, not a set of propositions. As the ACNA’s catechism, To Be A Christian, puts it in Question 361: Does God’s forgiveness excuse you from personal obedience? No. God has reconciled…
Getting Catechesis Back on Track (Part 1)
Recovering the Lost Tools The church father Gregory of Nyssa once remarked in the middle of the Arian controversy of the 4th century, If you ask anyone in Constantinople for change, he will start discussing with you whether the Son is begotten or unbegotten. If you ask about the quality of the bread, you will…
Book Review: The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (ACCS) is an edited collation of Biblical commentary from the early Church Fathers. The total set of Fathers included is too extensive to list, as it encompasses not only figures from the first two centuries, such as Clement, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus, but also Fathers from the 3rd…