>This thread is for putting forward absolute must reads within the area of Christianity so it can be charted in a similar manner to the Greeks and Romans.
Thoughts: Start with: > The Holy Bible, KJV > Christian Theology: An Introduction by Alister E. McGrath alongside (optional): > The Christian Theology Readerby Alister E. McGrath
Moving on to:
> A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch
Key milestone pieces:
> Confessions by Augustine of Hippo > City of God by Augustine of Hippo > The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri > Paradise Lost by John Milton
Looking for more input onto this and ideas so we can pin down some of the core literature in this important area for people who've 'resumed with the romans'
We can add in either the Shorter Summa or the full Summa Theologica by Aquinas, the Itinerarium Mentis in Deum by Bonaventure, the Canterbury Tales, and Beowulf.
That is, if we're transitioning from the immediate post-Classical medieval period to just after the Renaissance. As you're also including Paradise Lost, then historically speaking, we have to include Shakespeare. After all, even though we're continuing with the Christians, you're stretching yourself over a long, LONG period of history with that. If it helps with organising, we can break it down into some big chunks based on how the rough geographical dominance of literature shifted and on what we have so far:
Ancient Greece - Start with the Greeks Ancient Rome - Resume with the Romans Medieval Italy - "Continue with the Christians" Tudor England - ???
Adrian Cox
Also, even though you've got the Bible there, you might want to situate the KJV properly as it was published in 1611, rather than 611.
And also that literature is more than religious texts over this large time period. If you broke it down to just the medieval rather then medieval, renaissance, and post-renaissaice periods, then you could better justify "Continue with the Christians"
Lucas Bell
Origen and the Desert Fathers should be on there somewhere.
Colton Price
> OP here - so perhaps we're better splitting the Christians across: 1. Medieval 2. Renaissance 4. Post-renaissance
William Bailey
Classical first
Dylan King
This is a very good starting pic, though it included non-Christian writings that were influential (works of Aristotle, the Quran, etc) and stops before the renaissance
Philip Schaff’s History of the Christian Church + the Ante-Nicene Fathers + the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers
Jonathan Sanchez
Boethius, Augustine, Origen, and Desert Fathers for classical christlit
Matthew Davis
Well, after the Bible you'd have to start with the early Church Fathers, who defended the faith and in many ways were responding to Greek philosophy. Origen, Athanasius, Gregory of Nyssa etc. would be of interest I think.
Connor Carter
I’m gonna add this. A mix of these two charts organized like the Start with the Greeks chart would be ideal
Not entirely related, but could I get some advice on reconciling my appreciation for Orthodox theology but hesitance to join the church itself? I'm Protestant and am having a hard time reconciling the fact that they don't allow people to join or partake in the Eucharist until going through the catechumen process. My understanding of faith is that it is a lifelong process of being transformed into the image of God, but it seems to me like the initial decision should be enough to accept a newly saved believer into the body.
My desire was to seek truth by going as far back to original Christianity as possible, and while the Orthodox claim to have preserved that, I'm curious if the 300 years before the Church was established portray a better example of what Christ would have wanted. Granted, the believers were under persecution and still growing, but they didn't have all of the rituals that Eastern Orthodoxy uphold now.
I get that the ritualism and tradition referred to within Orthodoxy is far different than what most Protestants think of when they hear tradition (meaning the Mosaic law), but I almost feel like evangelicalism gets it right far better despite being hurt through Augustinian and eventually Calvin's doctrine.
Thanks, I already have the Orthodox study Bible which is fantastic. Definitely going to have to look into some of these.
Henry Wilson
I'm still 1/4 into the old testament. Keep telling myself I'll come back and finish KJV. It was interesting but it's been well over 2 years since I started with Genesis. I may just have to buy it since I was reading it on my phone before bed.
Kevin Ortiz
>Tudor England - ??? Trot with the Twats
Dylan Powell
which bible should I read?
Alexander Edwards
Which Bible is poetic but still doable for someone who reads every day but doesn't want to put in an absurd amount of time researching?
Anthony Wood
>> The Holy Bible, KJV wow, already thread fail
KJV is outdated and plain mistaken at times
Camden Williams
>to accept a newly saved believer They don't consider you "saved" just yet. >the Orthodox claim to have preserved that Claiming is cheap. In what concerns outward ritual and behaviour, I would argue that the Orthodox church is closer to the Catholic one than to any of the Protestant ones, in that it displays the same quasi-pagan concern for ritual, appearance, objects, saints and holy men, central authority (albeit fragmented by country and ethnicity).
Carson Torres
Researching what?
Ethan Howard
Translations or meanings of words.
Oliver Baker
Try Robert Alter.
Samuel Howard
A dictionary
Nathan Ward
For poetry in English, it's the KJV.
Also good but only the Hebrew Bible and very expensive compared to buying a complete Bible, also not complete yet.
Jacob Garcia
Some suggestions: >The Rule of Benedict >Edward Feser - Aquinas
Owen Morgan
>he's not reading the official Veeky Forums translation
Some verses that I really needed in a time of help. Not even just the words themselves, but the gesture of the person who cared enough to point me towards them. As I'm sharing them now I'm seeing that I didn't even notice how they all flow nicely together in the order she gave them to me
Matthew 6:8 "Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him." Matthew 7:7 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 6:25 "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?" Matthew 6:34 "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
