Examining The Christological Views Of Augustine And Aquinas

Last updated on: April 6, 2025 at 11:27 am By David Schloss

The intellectual history of Catholic theology is vibrant and surprisingly varied. Arguably, the two most significant contributors to that rich and varied theology are Saints Augustine and Aquinas. To be certain, there is much that Augustine and Aquinas agree upon. However, there are points of variance, and in the essay, I want to examine one such area of disagreement: Christology. Perhaps disagreement is too strong a word. Maybe it is better to state that there are different areas of emphasis... Read more

Bridging The Chasm Between God And Human

Last updated on: March 30, 2025 at 11:08 am By David Schloss

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Saint Athanasius famously claimed that the “Son of God became man so that we might become God” (See Alexandria, Saint Athanasius Patriarch, and Penelope Lawson. On the Incarnation. St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1998). This statement invokes the question of the relationship between God and human beings. It is a question that Trinitarian anthropology seeks to answer. Trinitarian Anthropology: A Definition Of Terms At first glance, the terms Trinitarian and anthropology appear to be incongruent. After all, Trinitarian refers to the nature... Read more

Scrolls to Scripture: Dead Sea Scrolls and Catholic Theology

Last updated on: March 23, 2025 at 12:01 pm By David Schloss

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In the Judean Desert, not far from the Dead Sea, there is a series of caverns known as the Qumran Caves. Except for the occasional visit by Bedouin nomads, these caves held little interest to the outside world. That would all change in the middle of the twentieth century. Between 1947 and 1956, thousands of writing fragments were discovered in these caves. These “manuscripts” would become known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. In this paper, I want to examine the... Read more

Does God Intervene in Human Affairs?

Last updated on: March 20, 2025 at 4:50 pm By David Schloss

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As anyone who knows me or has read my work is aware, I have no interest in politics. Nevertheless, I want to preface this paper by briefly mentioning two events involving politicians: the assassination of President Kennedy and the attempted assassination of Presidential candidate Donald Trump. On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy, a Catholic, was assassinated. On July 13, 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, a nondenominational Christian, survived an assassination attempt. These two events provide the point of departure for this... Read more

Can Philosophy Enhance Our Understanding of Catholicism?

Last updated on: March 9, 2025 at 1:23 pm By David Schloss

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Can philosophy improve religion and help us to understand God, or should philosophy and religion be kept separate, never the twain shall meet? In this paper, I will discuss the complicated and, I think, occasionally beneficial relationship between philosophy and religion, specifically Catholicism. Before commencing, providing a brief definition and explanation of religion and philosophy may be helpful. What Is Religion? Religion signifies those ways of viewing the world that refer to a notion of a transcendent reality that manifests... Read more

Bridging the Gap Between Spirit and Christ

Last updated on: March 3, 2025 at 1:31 pm By David Schloss

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If theology is the systematic study of God, it is only natural that Catholic theology would investigate the relationship among the three persons of the Holy Trinity. One such path of inquiry is called Spirit Christology. Spirit Christology approaches the subject matter with three presuppositions. First, it views Jesus’ divinity as a result of his relationship with the Father, mediated by the Holy Spirit. Second, it focuses on Jesus’ humanity without diminishing His divinity. Finally, Spirit Christology emphasizes the role... Read more

Pneumatology: Studying The Holy Spirit

Last updated on: February 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm By David Schloss

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The word mystery has a specific meaning when used in a religious context. It connotes a divinely revealed truth whose possibility cannot be rationally conceived. Rather, it must be divinely revealed and, even after its revelation, cannot be fully understood by the finite mind. The incomprehensibility of revealed mysteries derives from the fact that they are manifestations of God, who is infinite and, therefore, beyond the complete grasp of a created intellect. The Holy Trinity certainly is at the heart... Read more

Insights from Catholic Anthropology

Last updated on: March 4, 2025 at 1:16 pm By David Schloss

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At first glance, the term Catholic anthropology seems rather strange. After all, what does the Catholic religion have to do with excavating some desert site? Of course, anthropology is so much more than that. In this essay, I will examine what Catholic anthropology is, its importance in understanding the Catholic faith, and what anthropology in general, and Catholicism specifically, can teach us about what it means to be human. What Is Anthropology? An overly broad definition is that anthropology is... Read more

Catholic Engagement With World Religions

Last updated on: February 9, 2025 at 11:49 am By David Schloss

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Catholicism is the world’s largest religion, with nearly 1.4 billion adherents to the faith. It is also one of approximately 10,000 religions worldwide. This leads to a question. What is the Catholic Church’s position and attitude concerning these religions? As I can not examine each of these 10,000 religions, I will limit myself to explicating the Catholic Church’s views vis-a-vis Protestantism, Judaism, and Islam. I will also mention the various Eastern religions. It should be noted that this essay is... Read more

The Influence Of The Protestant Reformation On Catholicism

Last updated on: February 4, 2025 at 9:00 am By David Schloss

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Almost without exception, Catholics view the Protestant Reformation as a catastrophe or even as an act of evil. This conclusion is well-founded. However, is it possible for Catholics to find some good in the Reformation? Said differently, did the Protestant Reformation lead to some positive changes in the Catholic Church? In the following paper, I will provide a synopsis of the Reformation and suggest that it did have some positive repercussions for the Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation When Catholics... Read more