During the reign of Diocletian, St. Theodore of Cyrene was an enemy of the state. Not only was he a Christian, not only was he a bishop, he was also a scribe.[1] He made the reproduction of Christian texts for churches which needed them. He took great care in his work. Not only was he said to be skilled in calligraphy, in the artistic rendering of the letters, but he was meticulous in his work, working slowly to prevent scribal... Read more
God neither is expressed, nor conceived.  All that we say about God is not God, all that we conceive in our thoughts about God, does not truly express God as he is. It is a derivative representation of God which can easily become an idol if we try define God by such conceptions. This is Dionysius’s basic apophatic principle, stated here once as Dionysius will soon turn against normative conventions for God, even basic doctrinal vocabulary, denying them in order... Read more
It is not uncommon for some non-Christians to try to pit the teachings of Jesus against the Apostle Paul. They say that Paul taught contrary to Jesus, causing Christianity to go astray. Often, this comes as a result of a partial reading of both Jesus and Paul, as well as the ideological presentation of Paul which often flows from that partial reading. Jesus did not promote a faith which was disengaged with the world, and neither did Paul, however it... Read more
Throughout Christian history, Christians have had to deal with nationalistic xenophobia. Christianity embraces universality over exclusivity. It breaks down any nationalistic division as it says all of humanity, indeed, the whole of creation, is to become one in Jesus Christ. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28 RSV). Christians, in their missionary activity, went around the world, often finding... Read more
CAPUT V. That the pre-eminent Cause of every object of intelligible perception is none of the objects of intelligible perception. ON the other hand, ascending, we say, that It is neither soul, nor mind, nor has imagination, or opinion, or reason, or conception; neither is expressed, nor conceived; neither is number, nor order, nor greatness, nor littleness; nor equality, nor inequality; nor similarity, nor dissimilarity; neither is standing, nor moving; nor at rest; neither has power, nor is power, nor... Read more
Evolution shows us not only that there is a continuity between humanity and the rest of animal kind, but also all life on earth is related to each other. They share one common heritage; they form one chain of life which ties them together. Each animal, each plant, each form of life certainly has their differences from each other, but yet, they hold much in common. They form one biological family, and this fact is something which should not be... Read more
As Donald Trump continues to ignore the ethical obligations the United States has to the rest of the world, including to those who seek asylum or a new way of life in the United States, Pope Francis made a clear and resounding statement that would-be immigrants to any nation should have their basic human rights protected. They need to be treated with compassion, no matter what their status is: Finally, I would like to point out that the issue of... Read more
Having stated that God is without a material body, and therefore incapable of being perceived by the senses because the senses grasp after and perceive material objects, Dionysius explored the implications of God’s immateriality by stating:  nor has [the divine nature] disorder and confusion, as being vexed by earthly passions,—-nor is powerless, as being subject to casualties of sense,—-nor is in need of light;—-neither is It, nor has It, change, or decay, or division, or deprivation, or flux,—-or any other... Read more
Technologically is radically changing the modern world. Machines can and will replace all kinds of human labor. The job market will shrink as the need for human labor will vanish. While it is unlikely that all jobs will be eliminated, the number which will be overtaken by technology will require humanity to reconsider its relationship between work and wealth. If and when the need for human labor is far less than the number of people alive, either excuses will be... Read more
He who despises his neighbor is a sinner, but happy is he who is kind to the poor (Prov. 14:21 RSV). The United States has Mexico and Canada as its neighbors. Trump now adds disdain for Canada to his reckless hatred for Mexico. He despises them because they challenge him in his pride, in his avarice, indeed, in his desire for power. It is no wonder that even someone from Fox News could, in the heat of the moment, let... Read more
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