Old Theology Penance

Well loves, I've had a day of it, I must say. I am the most horrid person! I absolutely slept the most beautiful sleep, only to waken at 11:30 this morning and find that I had missed going to church. Out of a misguided sense of penance I did my theology homework and read Ignatius' Epistle to the Romans and his epistle to Polycarp, Justin Martyr's "First Apology," and Tertullian "Against Praxeas." I have to say that by far my favorite was Justin Martyr. Ignatius seem a trifle mentally unstable - longing for death so much and all - but I guess that being held captive by violent Roman soldiers might make one long for death. He was either brave, insane, or quiet fed up on this world and rearing to march onto the next.

Tertullian was smart, but his arguments were laid out like one talking patiently to a very stupid child. (Although I suppose that heretics like Praxeas and those who bought into his schemes were like very stupid children). He made everything so pathetically simple and repeated himself to an infinitesimal point of clarity over and over and over for forty pages.

Justin Martyr is my hero for this week. I love the man! Have you ever read something and felt that the author spoke exactly the way that you wish you could about some of the things that are most dear to your heart? Well, Justin is my man! Too bad that he lived back in 116 A.D. because I would have loved to learn from him. It also tickled me pink to get such a glimpse of life back then!

These days us mere higher educated mortals spend all this time in a stuffy classrooms arguing the ins and outs of Plato (thinking ourselves very important and bright) - pontificating on what Plato meant, and how all those confusing appearances of gods and goddesses played into it all and how the Stoics were reacting against temple prostitution, lude parties and whatnot, and along comes Justin in his Philosopher's Robes, searching for truth, converts to this undermanned religion called "The Way" aka "Christianity" and goes about showing how Christ is the fulfillment of true Philosophy and then has the nerve to go writing letters about it to the Roman Emperor, quoting Marcus Aurelius to make his point!!! AH! I've fallen in LOVE!!!! I absolutely adore people who have the stuff to stand up for what they know is Truth and then have the guts to present it in sensible ways to people who, if won over can change history, and if not won over will most certainly kill them. Of all the marvelous beauty!!!!

So, my merry friends, my penance of sleeping in was no penance at all, but a joy of discovery. Lift a glass of hardy stout with me and rejoice in the competence of well-shaped minds, sturdy characters, and annoyingly brilliant people who don't know when to shut up! Hooray for that persistent suave little bugger who knows that he is right and won't be silenced!!!