Through the Church Fathers

By C. Michael Patton

Join Through the Church Fathers, a year-long journey into the writings of the early Church Fathers, thoughtfully curated by C. Michael Patton. Each episode features daily readings from key

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FAQs about Through the Church Fathers:

How many episodes does Through the Church Fathers have?

The podcast currently has 274 episodes available.

Through the Church Fathers episodes:

July 29, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 29
Today’s readings confront what lies beneath the surface of creation, covenant, and conscience. Irenaeus explores how Abraham embodied both covenants and how even Tamar’s twins prefigured God’s reversal of human expectations. Augustine dares to face the mystery of what God was doing “before” time, refusing easy answers in favor of reverent humility. And Aquinas, with surprising clarity, shows how human generation in Eden would have existed—not in shame or lust, but in perfect, rational peace. Together, they unveil a world of original design and final purpose, where Scripture, nature, and reason speak with one voice (John 4:37; Daniel 12:3; Luke 24:46–47).
Readings:
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapters 25–26 Augustine, The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 12 (Section 14) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 98, Article 2
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
#Irenaeus #ChurchFathers #Confessions #SummaTheologica #Creation #Covenant #OriginalDesign #HistoricalTheology
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13min
July 28, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 28
Some things don’t get thrown together—they get built. From Abraham’s prophetic faith to God’s eternal will, and even to the way we would’ve had children in Eden, today’s readings reveal a divine architecture behind every part of the story. Irenaeus shows that the patriarchs weren’t random figures, but scaffolding for Christ; Augustine reminds us that God’s will didn’t begin at creation—it’s what grounds creation; and Aquinas sketches Eden’s blueprint, showing generation as peaceful and rational, not fallen or chaotic. These aren’t disjointed stories. They’re one design—planned before time, restored through grace (Genesis 1:28; Galatians 3:6–9; John 4:35–38).
Readings:
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapters 21–24 Augustine, The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 10 (Section 12) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 98, Article 1
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
#Irenaeus #ChurchFathers #Confessions #SummaTheologica #Creation #Abraham #EternalGod #HistoricalTheology
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9min
July 27, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 27
Today’s readings explore how God restores what was lost through Adam, the inward light of divine truth, and the role of the Tree of Life in sustaining humanity’s original condition.
Readings: Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapter 20 Augustine, The Confessions, Book 13, Chapter 9 (Sections 11–12) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 97, Article 4
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
#Irenaeus #ChurchFathers #Confessions #SummaTheologica #OriginalJustice #TreeOfLife #HistoricalTheology
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12min
July 26, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 26
Today’s readings move from the structure of the cosmos to the structure of the soul. Irenaeus explores the created order, reflecting on the separation of waters and the tempering fire of the sun in The Hexaemeron, Homily 3. His reflections remind us that even the heavens serve the Creator’s purpose and proclaim His glory. In Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 8.10, Augustine turns inward, contemplating how the eternal Word—“the Beginning”—teaches us not by sound but by truth itself, calling us back to Himself from our wandering. Finally, in Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 97, Article 3, Aquinas tackles a practical question: did Adam need food in the state of innocence? His answer reveals how even physical needs, rightly ordered, fit into God’s original design for human flourishing. Together, these readings center us on the unity of truth—natural, spiritual, and theological.
Readings:
Irenaeus, The Hexaemeron, Homily 3 Augustine, Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 8.10 Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 97, Article 3
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
#ChurchFathers #Irenaeus #Augustine #Aquinas #Confessions #SummaTheologica #ThroughTheChurchFathers #TheologyInAYear #CredoHouse #Patristics #EarlyChurch #ChristianHistory #BiblicalTheology #Hexaemeron #CreationAndProvidence #WordOfGod #DailyTheology #SpiritualFormation #PatristicWisdom #SystematicTheology
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12min
July 25, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 25
God desires obedience from the heart, not ritual; He speaks creation through His eternal Word; and He offered humanity the gift of immortality—not by nature, but through sustaining grace.
In today’s readings, Irenaeus reminds us that God never needed the sacrificial system—He gave it for our sake, to teach righteousness, mercy, and justice. Augustine contemplates how God’s eternal Word creates all things outside of time, without change or sequence. And Aquinas answers whether man would have been immortal in Eden, explaining that immortality was not natural to the body, but a divine gift given through grace. All three converge to reveal a God who calls us not merely to perform, but to trust, obey, and remain in His sustaining presence (Wisdom 1:13; Romans 5:12; John 1:1–3).
Readings:
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapter 17
Augustine, The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 7 (Section 9)
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 97, Article 1
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
#Irenaeus #ChurchFathers #Confessions #SummaTheologica #Obedience #Immortality #GodsWord #HistoricalTheology
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12min
July 24, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 24
Today’s readings draw together themes of discipleship, divine speech, and social order. Irenaeus concludes Against Heresies, Book 4, with a moving vision of Christ as the faithful teacher, exhorting believers not only by word but by example—revealing that true obedience is both taught and lived. Augustine, in Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 6, wrestles with how God speaks without sound—distinguishing between the eternal Word and temporal utterance. He insists that God’s creative Word is not like human speech that passes away, but remains forever. Finally, Aquinas, in Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 96, Article 4, explores whether one human would have ruled over another in the state of innocence. His answer is carefully qualified: yes, there would have been order and governance, but not dominion by force or servitude. Together, these three texts highlight the nature of godly authority—spoken, lived, and exercised not through domination but through love and righteousness.
Today’s Readings:
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapters 38–39 Augustine, Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 6 Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 96, Article 4
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
...more
9min
July 22, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 23
Today’s readings explore Christ’s restoration of humanity, God's transcendence over time, and the ordered inner life of the unfallen soul. Irenaeus presents Jesus as the new Adam, who retraces and redeems every stage of human life—from infancy to adulthood—so that what was lost in Adam is regained in Christ. Augustine continues wrestling with time and creation, insisting that time itself is not eternal but was created by God when He made all things through His Word. Aquinas clarifies that the passions existed in Adam before the Fall, but unlike in us, they were subject to right reason, serving rather than ruling the soul.
Today’s Readings:
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 2, Chapters 22.3–5 Augustine, Confessions, Book 11, Chapters 13–14 (Sections 16–18) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 95, Article 2 – Whether the passions existed in man in the state of innocence
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
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12min
July 22, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 22
Today’s readings draw our eyes upward—to creation, to grace, and to the inheritance of the faithful. Irenaeus challenges the Marcionites by showing that Abraham was not excluded from salvation, but was among those justified by faith, carried forward by grace, and fulfilled in Christ who did not abolish the Law but completed it. Augustine reflects from the mountaintop of faith on the heavens and the earth as witnesses to their Maker—beautiful, but nothing apart from the One who is Beauty itself. And Aquinas answers whether Adam was created in grace, affirming that God, who gave Adam his nature, also gave him the supernatural gift needed to reach his final end. Grace, far from being an afterthought, was there from the beginning.
Readings:
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapters 8–9
Augustine, The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 4 (Section 6)
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 95, Article 1
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
Hashtags:
#Irenaeus #ChurchFathers #Confessions #SummaTheologica #Creation #Grace #HistoricalTheology #Patristics #Aquinas #Augustine
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11min
July 21, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 21
The tension between human weakness and divine power runs through each of today’s readings. Irenaeus boldly defends the unity of God revealed in both Testaments, showing that Abraham saw Christ’s day and rejoiced. Augustine, seeking to understand creation, acknowledges that truth must come from God Himself, not merely from the words of Moses. And Aquinas, in a reflection on Eden, teaches that man’s original authority over the animals flowed from spiritual harmony, not domination. In every case, knowledge, healing, and dominion belong to God alone—not to men.
Readings:
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapters 5–7 Augustine, The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 3 (Section 5) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 94, Article 4
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
#Irenaeus #ChurchFathers #Confessions #SummaTheologica #Creation #Abraham #Resurrection #Theology #HistoricalTheology
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12min
July 20, 2025 Through the Church Fathers: July 20
Today’s reading centers on the authority and illumination of God’s truth through apostolic means. In Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapters 4–5, Irenaeus lays out his famous defense of apostolic succession, arguing that the true teaching of the Church is preserved through a public and traceable lineage from the apostles—not secret knowledge or hidden traditions. Augustine, in Confessions, Book 11.2, offers a deeply personal prayer, asking that the secret things of God’s Word be opened to him—not for earthly riches, but through grace in Christ, the Word made flesh. And in Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 94, Article 3, Aquinas explores whether the first man, Adam, knew all things. Thomas concludes that Adam’s knowledge was infused by God for the purpose of ruling over creation, though not infinite or divine in scope. All three readings call us to trust not in private revelation or prideful intellect, but in the revealed wisdom given through Christ and preserved by His Church.
Today’s Readings:
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapters 4–5
Augustine, Confessions, Book 11, Section 2
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 94, Article 3
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
...more
11min

FAQs about Through the Church Fathers:

How many episodes does Through the Church Fathers have?

The podcast currently has 274 episodes available.