At his Wednesday audiences during 2007 and 2008 Pope Benedict XVI gave a series of short talks on the Fathers of the Church. He devoted himself not only to such famous and influential Fathers as Augus
At his Wednesday audiences during 2007 and 2008 Pope Benedict XVI gave a series of short talks on the Fathers of the Church. He devoted himself not only to such famous and influential Fathers as Augustine and John Chrysostom but also to figures not venerated as saints; one subject, Tertullian, even died outside the Catholic communion. This volume contains thirty-six of these inspirational teachings.
In these catecheses the Pope is not delivering academic lectures or preaching sermons. Rather, he is instructing Christian believers who want to have their faith confirmed and strengthened. Pope Benedict firmly believes that the Fathers of the Church still speak powerfully today, and his accessible presentations will make many readers eager to look further into the writings of these great early Christians.
Matthew Levering
University of Dayton
"Benedict XVI is a pope of theological ressourcement in the sense that he aims to place the Scriptures and the patristic heritage at the center of the Church's life. Reading these portraits of Church Fathers, one is struck by how their minds and hearts were aflame with love for Christ Jesus as revealed in Scripture. To love God and neighbor in Christ and his Spirit — this is the quest to which these extraordinary people dedicated their lives. Through Benedict's highly readable teachings, skillfully edited by Joseph Lienhard, the Fathers come alive; Christ Jesus lives in them and calls to us."
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