Through the Church Fathers: January 22

Today’s readings press us into a single, searching question: if all things come from God and are therefore good, how do we explain the soul’s strange attraction to sin, division, and corruption? Ignatius exhorts the Ephesians to remain unified, peaceable, and rooted in Christ, warning that deception thrives where believers fail to gather, pray, and live out faith through love and humility. Augustine then turns inward and exposes the darker mystery of the heart, confessing that he once loved evil not for gain, pleasure, or advantage, but simply because it was forbidden—a counterfeit imitation of divine freedom that led only to emptiness and death. Aquinas provides the theological grounding beneath both voices, arguing that all things are good insofar as they exist, since being itself comes from God, while evil is not a substance but a privation—a lack of the good that ought to be there. Together, these readings show that sin does not arise because creation is evil, but because the human will turns away from the highest good, mistaking absence for freedom and corruption for power.Readings:Ignatius of Antioch, The Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapters 8–15 (Middle Recension)Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 2, Chapter 6 (Section 14)Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 7, Article 4Explore 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#ThroughTheChurchFathers #ChurchFathers #IgnatiusOfAntioch #Augustine #Aquinas #ChristianTheology