Through the Church Fathers: June 8

Today’s readings explore the depth of heretical distortions, the allure of poetic falsehoods, and the nature of the soul’s longing. Irenaeus continues his critique of Valentinian Gnosticism, exposing its mythical layers and tracing how error multiplies once the truth of the Incarnation is abandoned. Augustine, in Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 13, reflects on his youthful love for Latin poetry—mourning for Dido but not for his own soul—and how vanity made him prefer the fables of men over the discipline of truth. Aquinas, in Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 80, Article 1, clarifies that the appetite is a distinct power of the soul: a real movement toward the good, shaped by knowledge but not reducible to it. These three voices challenge us to love what is truly good and to beware the substitutes that charm but destroy.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