Through the Church Father: June 14

In today’s reading from Against Heresies, Irenaeus introduces us to the strange, prideful teachings of Carpocrates and his followers. Their theology takes a dangerous turn as they reduce Jesus to a mere man who escaped the material world by sheer memory and spiritual insight. The Carpocratians go further, claiming superiority over Christ’s apostles—and even Jesus Himself—through a twisted doctrine of reincarnation and self-liberation. Their blending of magic, sensuality, and supposed freedom from the moral law is not just heretical—it’s satanic, in Irenaeus’s eyes. Meanwhile, Augustine wrestles with a paradox of memory: How can we remember something we've forgotten? In Confessions, he dives into the process of searching the memory itself for what it has misplaced. The very act of trying to recall something reveals that we still retain a trace of it—enough to recognize it when it returns.Memory, for Augustine, is not just a container—it’s active, dynamic, and mysterious. Aquinas, in Summa Theologica, continues his exploration of free will. After affirming that humans possess free will, he now asks whether free will is itself a power. His answer is yes—but not a power separate from intellect and will. Free will is the power that emerges when reason presents alternatives and the will moves toward them. It is, in this way, both rational and appetitive—a defining feature of the human soul.Explore the Project:Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.comPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpattonCredo Courses – https://www.credocourses.comCredo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org