Satisfaction in the Rule of Benedict

Satisfied with Anselm With the somewhat provocative title above I mean to focus on St. Anselm of Canterbury OSB (!) and in particular his theory of the atonement by means of “satisfaction.” Many have sought Anselm’s source for this theory in the harsh and rather …

On Preexistence

… measure will be appropriately applied to a material body … Origen On First Principles, Bk II, 9, 1. Much has been made of Origen’s “doctrine of the preexistence of souls.” Not infrequently this is connected to a doctrine of reincarnation, or to a doctrine …

The cynical use of Christian suffering

My good friend Father Anders Strindberg makes some very important observations on the way some media outlets (ab)use Christian Suffering.

hearers and doers

The suffering of Christians in the Middle East has become a strategic asset in the confrontation with Islam. Pundits and commentators who have previously had exactly zero interest in highlighting the abuse of Christians, the desecration of Christian sites, and the expulsion of Christian populations have now discovered their plight. When the primary abusers were our allies – Israel and the oil sheikhs of the Arabian peninsula – Christians were acceptable collateral damage. Let us not kid ourselves: neither the ancient Christian communities of coastal Palestine, nor the Gulf states’ brown-skinned Christian guest workers from South Asia, were considered valuable enough to rock any of our geopolitical boats. As we speak, persecution of Christian minorities is practiced and endorsed by nationalist regimes in Central Asia, but since we need these regimes as allies and resource suppliers, we really don’t care.

Cold War intellectual warriors – like Robin Harris (author of

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Created and Renewed – Fr. Gabriel Bunge OSB

The translation is mine (Fr. Gregory) and has been an ongoing process. If you have any suggestions in correcting my English (I am not a native writer/speaker) pls do comment! Created and Renewed after the Image of God Concerning the Biblical-theological and Sacramental Foundations of …

M. Harl on Origen and the Heavenly Jerusalem

In my research for my MDiv thesis I came across an article referenced by Fr. John Behr in  his The Way to Nicea written by M. Harl. In it an interesting suggestion is made concerning Origen and the often repeated claim that he taught a …

Justification by Faith (pt. iv)

Conclusion of Justification by Faith So the gift of the Holy Spirit is not regarded by Protestants as something definitely imparted by an external sacramental act which may be done by Christ's human representatives acting in His Name and Person (as e.g. in Acts), but …

Justification by Faith (Pt. iii)

Part iii of Justification by Faith by Dom Gregory Dix Thus Protestantism retained the idea of the Church, despite its awkwardness in the Protestant scheme of thought. But the New Testament idea as the 'Body of Christ', not only His instrument to proclaim His Gospel, …

Justification by Faith (ii)

Part II from Dom Gregory Dix on Justification by Faith I have put it briefly, because I have no intention of criticising it here or of pointing out its great differences from the Catholic doctrine of Justification, except under one aspect. (I will only say …

“Justification by Faith” (Pt. i)

... an excerpt from a letter (published in The Question of Anglican Orders: Letters to a Layman) by the Anglo Catholic theologian Dom Gregory Dix: [The differences between Protestant ans Catholic accounts of Christianity are] not, as we often pretend, to be found in such …

Ways to Church Reunion (III)

Part III and conclusion to Ways to Church Reunion There still remains another point, namely, that of the canonical nature of any Reunion achieved through Eucharistic fellowship. There is a firm conviction that Reunion can only be the act of higher ecclesiastical authority. Possibly this …