The Church survives emperors, arguments, and even its own misunderstandings in this set of readings. In Foxe’s account of the Ninth Persecution under Aurelian and the early stirrings under Diocletian, we witness Felix of Rome, Agapetus, the twin brothers Marcus and Marcellianus, Zoe, the Theban Legion, Alban of Britain, Faith of Aquitaine, and Quintin of Gaul—men and women who refuse sacrifice, refuse oaths against Christ, and accept torture, decimation, fire, and the sword rather than deny their Lord. Augustine then turns inward in The Confessions as he describes hearing the Word rightly divided each Lord’s Day and finally abandoning his crude, bodily imaginings of God, ashamed that he had attacked the faith instead of humbly inquiring into it. Thomas Aquinas, in Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 45 (Articles 5–8 combined), answers whether creation belongs to God alone, whether it is common to the Trinity, whether it proceeds from will, and whether it involves change—concluding that creation is the free emanation of being from the one divine essence of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not a change but the dependence of all that exists upon Him.

Readings: John Foxe — Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Chapter 2.9 — The Ninth Persecution

Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 5

Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 45 (Articles 5–8 Combined)

Explore the Project:

Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton

Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com

Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

#ThroughTheChurchFathers #ChurchHistory #Augustine #Aquinas #FoxesBookOfMartyrs

Blood in Rome. Silence in Milan. Metaphysics in Paris. March 29 forces us to look at courage, humility, and the very origin of existence itself.

Under Valerian, the Church suffers again. Rufina and Secunda are betrayed by the very men who once sought to marry them. Stephen and Saturninus are executed with brutality. Laurentius hands the Church’s wealth to the poor and then presents those same poor as the Church’s true treasure before dying on a gridiron. Cyprian of Carthage, once wealthy and refined, becomes a shepherd who defends unity, endures exile, and finally bows his neck to the sword. Three hundred leap into a limekiln rather than burn incense to Jupiter. And even Valerian, the persecutor, falls under judgment. Then Augustine shifts the scene entirely: not fire, but quiet study; not spectacle, but discipline. Ambrose reads silently, guarding his time, strengthening his mind, serving others without display. And then Aquinas lifts us higher still. Creation is not God reshaping material; it is the causing of being itself. All things—material and immaterial—depend entirely upon Him. Creation is not a change in God, but our real dependence on Him. And this work belongs to the whole Trinity. From martyrdom to meditation to metaphysics, today’s readings remind us: the God for whom they died is the same God from whom all being flows.

Readings:

John Foxe — Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Chapter 2.5 — The Eighth Persecution Under Valerian

Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 6, Chapter 1 (Section 3)

Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 45 (Articles 1–4, 6 Combined)

Explore the Project:

Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton

Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com

Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

#ThroughTheChurchFathers #ChurchHistory #FoxesBookOfMartyrs #Augustine #Aquinas #SummaTheologica #Creation #Trinity #EarlyChurch #ChristianHistory

Chains, caves, tears, and first causes—today’s readings move from persecution to personal obedience to the very origin of all being. Under Decius and then Gallus, the Church bleeds: Alexander dies in prison, Julianus and Cronion burn, seven soldiers perish sealed in a cave, Theodora and Didymus exchange their lives in sacrificial love, and Origen endures torment that nearly breaks his body but not his confession. Yet persecution is not the only testing ground. Augustine shows us a quieter martyrdom in his mother’s obedience, as she abandons a cherished custom at Ambrose’s word, choosing purity of heart over habit and devotion over indulgence. And Aquinas lifts our eyes even higher, arguing that every being, even primary matter itself, proceeds from God; that all forms pre-exist in the divine intellect; and that every created end ultimately finds its fulfillment in Him. Blood, humility, and metaphysics together remind us that the God for whom the martyrs died is the same God from whom all things come and to whom all things return.

Readings:

John Foxe — Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Chapter 2.5 — The Seventh Persecution Under Decius

Augustine of Hippo — The Confessions, Book 6, Chapter 1 (Section 2)

Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 44 (Articles 1–4 Combined)

Explore the Project:

Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.com

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpatton

Credo Courses – https://www.credocourses.com

Credo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org

#ChurchHistory #ChurchFathers #FoxesBookOfMartyrs #Augustine #Aquinas #TheConfessions #SummaTheologica #Creation #FirstCause #EarlyChurch