*Note to the Reader (Read First!)

Dear Reader,

You have come upon a project which, for a long time, has been stirring around in my head, but which I have only just now actually begun to bring into existence. The basic idea, which you may read more about in the formal introduction to the list itself, is to provide a selection of annotated quotations from the church fathers, which pertain to a categorized list of topics related to the ongoing debate between the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches. The project is in its earliest stages; in the future, I hope to provide a much greater selection of quotations, and eventually, when I have read enough to feel at least minimally qualified, to provide a simple introduction to each of the major headings, in which I give a brief explanation of the history and circumstances surrounding the works from which I excerpt, in the hopes of discouraging an anachronistic reading of the fathers. In the meantime, please feel free to provide feedback regarding the nature, scope, or progression of the design; the content of the footnotes; or suggestions of further useful quotations. For anything helpful which anyone should contribute, I will be most grateful.

Nathan Pitchford

Patristics for Protestants (this will take you to the Scribd website)

2 Responses to “*Note to the Reader (Read First!)”

  1. Van says:
    June 25, 2010 at 10:46 am

    Good stuff Nate, Have you read McGrath in Justitia Dei? He does a reasonable job of outlining the progression of the fathers to the Reformers. Although I believe he does not give enough credit to Augustine for an understanding of imputed righteousness. He does, however, firmly credit the Reformers for the bifurcation of justification and sanctification which he argues is the genius of the Reformation.

    2 Cor. 5:21

  2. pitchford says:
    June 25, 2010 at 11:02 am

    No, I haven’t read McGrath — I should put him on my list. Are you familiar with Tom Oden’s Justification Reader? In it, he attempts something similar to what I’m hoping to do; but I intend to address a wider array of topics, and provide more quotations with less of my own commentary. I’m hoping to do some more work in Augustine, but what I’ve found so far has been pretty encouraging — I agree, I’ve already found some evidence of imputation in him. Time is an issue too, it’s a very busy summer.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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