Catholic Christians are generally familiar with two creeds - the Nicene Creed which we typically recite at Sunday Mass and the Apostle's Creed which is the first prayer of the rosary. Where do these professions of faith come from, why are they different, and...
Thomas Aquinas here examines the final article of the Apostle's Creed reflecting on what eternal life in heaven will be like - the beatific vision, the satisfaction of every desire and the fullness of everlasting joy in a community of supreme delight. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color=''...
Here Irenaeus underlines the Catholicity of the Church with many cultures professing a single truth, a common tradition of catholic and apostolic faith going back to the apostles and their disciples. Though this was written about 185 AD, one can recognize here the outline of...
This excerpt from a catechetical instruction by St. Cyril of Jerusalem dates from the mid 4th Century, just a generation after the Council of Nicaea. At that time, the bishop of Jerusalem himself instructed the catechumens before baptism (today's RCIA), and this is a record...
What makes a particular Church Council Ecumenical? How many have fit this definition down through history, and what is their importance and authority? The Catholic and Orthodox Churches have related but somewhat different answers to these questions....
An intro to Hippolytus of Rome whose work, the Apostolic Tradition, reveals intimate details of the life of prayer and worship of the Roman Church in the late second century....