Rating: 
Summary: Remembering who we are
Review: Robert Wilken has given us a beautiful book. In the preface, he mentions that he originally intended the book to be a sequel to his earlier excellent _The Christians as the Romans Saw Them_. The first book presented the prosecution's case against early Christianity, as it were, and the new one would present the defense. But he eventually dropped the idea, because as he delved deeper into the writings of the early Church Fathers, he realized that their thinking was much too independent of Greco-Roman thought to be interpreted merely as a response to it. So the new book emerged.One of the most fascinating and instructive points of Professor Wilken's new book is his claim that Harnack and Co. were wrong to suppose that early Christian thought was thoroughly Hellenized by cultural osmosis. This of course has been the standard way of thinking since the mid-nineteenth century. But in fact, as Wilken's goes to pains to demonstrate, just the converse is true: Christianity dramatically influenced Hellenistic culture. It was Christianity that radically transformed the secular world, not the other way around. Wilken demonstrates that this radical transformation of Greco-Roman culture--which was at the same time, of course, the coming-into-its-own of Christian thought--was never primarily intellectualistic. Christianity is a religion, not a philosophy. It stresses love, compassion, service in the world, and worship, and these elements define the parameters and shape the content of early Christian thought. Wilken works through this claim by examining, chapter by chapter, how the early Christians viewed (for example) worship, the Resurrection, the Trinity, the Passion, and so on. Chapter 7, on "Faith," where Wilken explores the connection between knowing and loving, may be the single most beautiful and enlightening discussion in the book. Also of particular interest are the final two chapters, which deal respectively with the early Church's understanding of the moral and spiritual life. Wilken's book is informative for students of historical theology, but it's also inspiring for those readers who might wish to use it as an opportunity for lectio divina. Gracefully written, sensitively nuanced, the book is a real pearl.
Rating:
Summary: There are not enough superlatives in my vocabularly
Review: This book is one of the best on my shelves. I have become addicted to the writings that come out of the early church as a result of reading this excellent work by Wilken. I had read some of the church fathers before I picked up this book. I was familiar with the Didache and Origen for example. What this book does is put these writers in an historical context for the reader. Whereas before I was reading the Didache and others through the prism of my experience as a modern Catholic, this volume helped me to place my reading of these works in an historical context, which deepened my understanding the early texts significantly. Besides this historical context, I found that this book was good for my faith as well. In light of modern rationalism, many of us reject the Eucharist and baptism. As moderns we believe these sacraments are mere symbols, and not efficacious works of God's grace. To see the gulf between us and early Christianity is truly humbling. Dr. Wilken has given us a scholarly overview of the writings of the early church fathers in context. An outstanding, intellectually honest piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: The Value of Giants' Shoulders
Review: Wilken is one of the best writers on the early Church around. While each chapter deals with specific issues, he touches on a great deal of relevant points, which makes the read both enlightening and fun. His style is easy to follow, which is something that I cannot always say of the preeminent historian of dogma, Jaroslav Pelikan, who heartily indorses this book. You really won't go wrong with this one. Every page has a distilled quality that comes from teaching and living in the minds of the Fathers for several decades. The contents are as follows: 1. Founded on the Cross of Christ 2. An Awesome and Unbloody Sacrifice
3. The Face of God for Now 4. Seek His Face Always 5. Not My Will But Thine 6. The End Given in the Beginning 7. The Reasonableness of the Faith 8. Happy the People Whose God is the Lord 9. The Glorious Deeds of Christ 10. Making This Thing Other 11. Likeness to God 12. The Knowledge of Sensible Things He writes: "The intellectual tradition that began in the early Church was enriched by the philosophical breadth and exactitude of medieval thought. Each period in Christian history makes its own unique contribution to Christian life. The Church Fathers, however, set in place a foundation that has proven to be irreplaceable. Their writings are more than a stage in the development of Christian thought or an interesting chapter in the history of the interpretation of the Bible. Like an inexhaustible spring, faithful and true, they irrigate the Christian imagination with life-giving water flowing from the biblical and spiritual sources of the faith. They are still our teachers today." You would also enjoy Wilken's "Remembering the Christian Past" and the works of Georges Florovsky. On the question of the Hellenization of the gospel, a la Harnak, which Wilken (and nearly all modern scholars) rejects thoroughly, see also Florovsky and Martin Hengel. Another up and coming patristic scholar from whom we will be reading and hearing from much more in the coming years, God willing, is John Behr, professor of Patristics at St. Vladimir's. His new book, "The Way to Nicea" is a very helpful guide on the pre-Nicene Christiological tradition and would make a great companion to Wilken's book. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Spiritually and intellectually enlightening!
Review: Wilken's beautifully written book not only displays tremendous scholarship, but is also truly inspirational. He helps you to not merely understand intellectually how the Early Church Fathers thought, but to inwardly absorb and appreciate their spirituality. What could have been a very dry, drab presentation is actually a deeply rewarding one. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Spiritually and intellectually enlightening!
Review: Wilken's beautifully written book not only displays tremendous scholarship, but is also truly inspirational. He helps you to not merely understand intellectually how the Early Church Fathers thought, but to inwardly absorb and appreciate their spirituality. What could have been a very dry, drab presentation is actually a deeply rewarding one. I highly recommend it.
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