The Early Church Fathers on various topics: This was a 3700
hour project which included going through 22896 pages of the 38 volume set
called Ante Nicene, Nicene, Post Nicene Fathers. I compiled 255 pages of quotes
showing that the Early Church was always and completely Catholic. All of these
quotes can be verified and found from the source which is free online.
Clement of Alexandria Stromata Book 7 ch 7 (150-215
ad)
Nor shall he who is saved be saved against his
will, for he is not inanimate; but he will above all voluntarily and of free
choice speed to salvation.
Tertullian Treatise on the Soul ch 11 (160-240 ad)
Judas likewise was for a long time reckoned among the elect (apostles), and was even appointed to the office
of their treasurer; he was not yet the traitor, although he was become
fraudulent; but afterwards the devil entered into him...
Origen Commentary on the Gospel of John book 6 ch 38
(185-254 ad)
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world," whether the world here is to be taken
intellectually of the Church, and the taking away of sin is limited to the
Church. In that case what are we to make of the saying of the same disciple
with regard to the Saviour, as the propitiation for sin? "If any man
sin," we read, "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous; and He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only,
but for the sins of the whole world?" Paul's dictum appears to me to be to
the same effect, when he says, "Who is the Saviour of all men, especially
of the faithful."
Athanasius Letter 48 (296-373 ad)
Moreover if we believe man to be, as the divine Scriptures say, a work of
God's hands, how could any defiled work proceed from a
pure Power? and if, according to the divine Acts of the Apostles(4), 'we
are God's offspring,' we have nothing unclean in ourselves. For then only do we
incur defilement, when we commit sin, that foulest of things.
Cyril of Jerusalem Catechetical Lecture 7 par 13
(315-386 ad)
For we shall not tolerate those who give a
wrong meaning to that saying, Hereby know we the children of God, and the
children of the devil, as if there were by nature some men to be saved, and
some to be lost. Whereas we come into such holy sonship not of necessity but by
choice: nor was the traitor Judas by nature a son of the devil and of perdition
for certainly he would never have cast out devils at all in the name of Christ:
for Satan casteth not out Satan. Nor on the other hand would Paul have turned
from persecuting to preaching. But the adoption is in our own power, as John
saith, But as marry as received Him, to them gave He power to become the
children of God, even to them that believe in His name. For not before their
believing, but from their believing they were counted worthy to become of their
own choice the children of God.
Jerome Against the
Pelagians book 3 par 6a (347-420 ad)
[1]"Did
I not choose you the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" Ask Him why He
chose Judas, a traitor? Why He entrusted to him the bag when He knew that he
was a thief? Shall I tell you the reason? God judges the present, not the
future. He does not make use of His foreknowledge to condemn a man though He
knows that he will hereafter displease Him; but such is His goodness and
unspeakable mercy that He chooses a man who, He perceives, will meanwhile be
good, and who, He knows, will turn out badly, thus giving him the opportunity
of being converted and of repenting.
Jerome Against
Jovinianus book 2 par 3 (347-420 ad)
"Remember how thou hast received, and didst
hear, and keep it, and repent," and so on, were of course believers, and
baptized, who once stood, but fell through sin.
Jerome Against
Pelagians book 1 (347-420 ad)
From
this it is clear that men are called righteous, and said to be without fault;
but that, if negligence comes over them, they may fall; and that a man always
occupies a middle place, so that he may slip from the height of virtue into
vice, or may rise from vice to virtue; and that he is never safe, but must
dread shipwreck even in fair weather;
Augustine Confessions Book 7 Ch 7.18 (354-430 ad)
And it was made clear unto me that those
things are good which yet are corrupted, which, neither were they supremely
good, nor unless they were good, could be corrupted; because if supremely good,
they were incorruptible, and if not good at all, there was nothing in them to
be corrupted. For corruption harms, but, less it could diminish goodness, it
could Z;t l harm. Either, then, corruption harms not, which cannot be; or, what
is most certain, all of which is corrupted is deprived of good. But if they be
deprived of all good, they will cease to be. For if they be, and cannot be at
all corrupted, they will become better, because they shall remain
incorruptibly. And what more monstrous than to assert that those things which
have lost all their goodness are made better? Therefore, if they shall be
deprived of all good, they shall no longer be. So long, therefore, as they are,
they are good; therefore whatsoever is, is good. That evil, then, which I
sought whence it was, is not any substance; for were it a substance, it would
be good. For either it would be an incorruptible substance, land so a chief
good, or a corruptible substance, which unless it were good it could not be
corrupted. I perceived, therefore, and it was made clear to me, that Thou didst
make all things good, nor is there any substance at all that was not made by
Thee; and because all that Thou hast made are not equal, therefore all things
are; because individually they are good, and altogether very good, because our
God made all things very good. (not totally
depraved)
John
Chrysostom Homily 1 on Ephesians ch 1:5(347-407 ad)
As for example, the first will is that
sinners should not perish; the second will is, that, if men become wicked, they
shall perish.
John
Chrysostom Homily 17 on John’s gospel (347-407 ad)
For when John had
testified to a thing so great and wonderful, so fit to astonish all his
hearers, that He alone took on Him the sins of all the
world, and that the greatness of the gift sufficed for so great a
ransom, afterwards he proves this assertion.
John
Chrysostom Homily 15 on Romans (347-407 ad)
Ver. 30.
"Moreover whom He did pre-destinate, them He also called; and whom He
called, them He also justified." Now He justified
them by the regeneration of the layer. "And whom He justified, them He
also glorified" by the gift, by the adoption.
John
Chrysostom Homily 15 on Romans (347-407 ad)
Hence he says,
that it is not the calling alone, but the purpose of those called too, that
works the salvation. For the calling was not forced upon them, nor compulsory.
All then were called, but all did not obey the call.
John
Chrysostom Homily 7 on First Timothy (347-407 ad)
Imitate God! if He
willeth that all men should be saved, there is reason why one should pray for
all, if He hath willed that all should be saved, be thou willing also; and if
thou wishest it, pray for it, for wishes lead to prayers.
John
Chrysostom Homily 13 on Hebrews (347-407 ad)
What is "to
the uttermost"? He hints at some mystery. Not here only (he says) but
there also He saves them that "come unto God by Him." How does He
save? "In that He ever liveth" (he says) "to make intercession
for them." Thou seest the humiliation? Thou seest the manhood? For he says
not, that He obtained this, by making
intercession once for all, but continually, and
whensoever it may be needful to intercede for them.
John
Cassian Conference 13 ch 7 (360-435 ad)
"And David my
father would have built a house to the name of the Lord God of Israel: and the
Lord said to David my father: Whereas thou hast thought in thine heart to build
a house to My name, thou hast well done in having this same thing in thy mind.
Nevertheless thou shall not build a house to My name."(6) This thought
then and this purpose of king David, are we to call it good and from God or bad
and from man? For if that thought was good and from God, why did He by whom it
was inspired refuse that it should be carried into effect? But if it is bad and
from man, why is it praised by the Lord? It remains then that we must take it
as good and from man. And in the same way we can take our own thoughts today.
For it was not given only to David to think what is good of himself, nor is it
denied to us naturally to think or imagine anything that is good. It cannot
then be doubted that there are by nature some seeds of goodness in every soul
implanted by the kindness of the Creator: but unless these are quickened by the
assistance of God, they will not be able to attain to an increase of
perfection, for, as the blessed Apostle says: "Neither is he that planteth
anything nor he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase."(7) But
that freedom of the will is to some degree in a man's own power is very clearly
taught in the book termed the Pastor,(8) where two angels are said to be
attached to each one of us, i.e., a good and a bad one, while it lies at a
man's own option to choose which to follow. And therefore the will always
remains free in man, and can either neglect or delight in the grace of God. For
the Apostle would not have commanded saying: "Work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling," had he not known that it could be advanced or
neglected by us. But that men might not fancy that they had no need of Divine
aid for the work of Salvation, he subjoins: "For it is God that worketh in
you both to will and to do, of His good pleasure."(9) And therefore he
warns Timothy and says: "Neglect not the grace of God which is in
thee;" and again: thee."(10) Hence also in writing to the Corinthians
he exhorts and warns them not through their unfruitful works to show themselves
unworthy of the grace of God, saying: "And we helping, exhort you that ye
receive not the grace of God in vain:"(
John
Cassian Conference 17 ch 25 (360-435 ad)
Finally in the
case of Judas himself the meaning of the prophetic curse was clearly fulfilled,
for when his deadly sin was completed, he killed himself by hanging, that he
might not after his name was blotted out be converted and repent and deserve to
be once more written among the righteous in heaven. We must therefore not doubt
that at the time when he was chosen by Christ and obtained a place in the
Apostolate, the name of Judas was written in the book
of the living, and that he heard as well as the rest the words:
"Rejoice not because the devils are subject unto you, but rejoice because
your names are written in heaven." (5) But because he was corrupted by the
plague of covetousness and had his name struck out from that heavenly list, it
is suitably said of him and of men like him by the prophet: "O Lord, let
all those that forsake Thee be confounded
Augustine
Exposition on Psalm 101 par 4 (354-430 ad)
God made him man,
he made himself unfaithful
Augustine
Exposition on Psalm 96 par 5 (354-430 ad)
The Redeemer came,
and gave a price; He poured forth His Blood, and bought the whole world. Ye ask
what He bought? Ye see what He hath given; find out then what He bought. The
Blood of Christ was the price. What is equal to this? What, but the whole
world? What, but all nations? They are very ungrateful for their price, or very
proud, who say that the price is so small that it bought the Africans only; or
that they are so great, as that it was given for them alone. Let them not then
exult, let them not be proud: He gave what He gave for the whole world. He knew
what He bought, because He knew at what price He bought it.
Augustine
On Rebuke and Grace ch 21 (354-430 ad)
Those, then, were
of the multitude of the called, but they were not of the fewness of the
elected. It is not, therefore, to His predestinat-ed children that God has not
given perseverance for they would have it if they were in that number of
children; and what would they have which they had not received, according to
the apostolical and true judgment? And thus such children would be given to
Christ the Son just as He Himself says to the Father, "That all that Thou
hast given me may not perish, but have eternal life." Those, therefore,
are understood to be given to Christ who are ordained to eternal life. These
are they who are predestinated and called according to the purpose, of whom not
one perishes. And therefore none of them ends this life when he has changed
from good to evil, because he is so ordained, and for that purpose given to
Christ, that he may not perish, but may have eternal life. And again, those
whom we call His enemies, or the infant children of His enemies, whomever of
them He will so regenerate that they may end this life in that faith which
worketh by love, are already, and before this is done, in that predestination
His children, and are given to Christ His Son, that they may not perish, but
have everlasting life.
Augustine
On Merits and Remission of Sin and Infant Baptism book 2 ch 7 (354-430 ad)
Whether it be
possible for a man in this life to be without sin? I should allow the
possibility, through the grace of God and the man's own free will; not doubting
that the free will itself is ascribable to God's grace, in other words, to the
gifts of God
Augustine
Letter 214 par 7 (354-430 ad)
Take good heed,
then, to these fearful words of the great apostle; and when you feel that you
do not understand, put your faith in the meanwhile in the inspired word of God,
and believe both that man's will is free, and that there is also God's grace,
without whose help man's free will can neither be turned towards God, nor make
any progress in God. And what you piously believe, that pray that you may have
a wise understanding of. And, indeed, it is for this very purpose,--that is,
that we may have a wise understanding, that there is a free will. For unless we
understood and were wise with a free will, it would not be enjoined to us in
the words of Scripture, "Understand now, ye simple among the people; and
ye fools, at length be wise," The very precept and injunction which calls
on us to be intelligent and wise, requires also our obedience; and we could
exercise no obedience without free will.
Augustine
Sermon 46 par 6 (354-430 ad)
God made man good;
so runs the Scripture, "God made man upright; and men themselves found out
many cogitations."
Augustine
Two Letters of the Pelagians Book 4 ch 26 (354-430 ad)
What is so
established in free will as what the law says, that we must not worship an
idol, must not commit adultery, must do no murder? Nay, these crimes, and such
like, are of such a kind that, if any one should commit them, he is removed
from the communion of the body of Christ.
Augustine
Concerning the Nature of Good Against the Manicheans ch 2 (354-430 ad)
But for the sake
of those who, not being able to understand that all nature, that is, every
spirit and every body, is naturally good, are moved by the iniquity of spirit
and the mortality of body, and on this account endeavor to bring in another
nature of wicked spirit and mortal body, which God did not make, we determine
thus to bring to their understanding what we say can be brought.
Gregory
the Great Letters Book 7 letter 15 (540-604 ad)
For one could not
be drawn to God after death who had separated himself from God by evil living.
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