099 :
07 Jun 2010

29.5: The Legacy of the Last Five Pontiffs... Today's lead commentary completes the serialisation of Tom Lee's very personal and lengthy journey of exploration examining the origins of Christianity. There is one Chapter that follows in the logical sequence but we serialised that back at the start in March 2008. In that final chapter Tom examines the future but, for better or worse, we're now 'living it' and judging by the press the institution is receiving around the world lately not many of us are enjoying it. Today's final excerpt is interesting as, in a way, it is a commentary on the legacy of the last five pontiffs. [more]

098 :
31 May 2010

29.4: The Age of Reason & the increasing dogmatism of Catholicism... We arrive at the penultimate excerpt of Tom Lee's very personal and lengthy journey of exploration examining the origins of his own faith and beliefs. Tom researched and wrote this exploration over a period of about 30 years. In today's excerpt he examines that turbulent period of ideas variously called the Age of Reason or the Enlightenment which still casts such a huge shadow over the inability of institutional Catholicism to respond to modern life today. This, perhaps more than any other single extract, provides insight as to why Catholicism has become increasingly less relevant in the lives of the educated, baptised younger generations of Catholics today. [more]

097 :
25 May 2010

29.3: The Reformation... In the excerpt from his epilogue today, Tom Lee has an all-too-brief look at the Reformation. This excerpt ends with a searing quotation from Voltaire: "Of all religions, the Christian is undoubtedly that which should instill the greatest toleration, although so far the Christians have been the most intolerant of all men." [more]

096 :
17 May 2010

29.2: The splits that unfolded in Christianity... Surely one of the most inexcusable for all Christians must be the disunity that marks this system of religious thought. Tom Lee examines some of the causes of this disunity in a short excerpt from the epilogue to his study. In a little over a thousand words he manages to give an overview of almost 1500 years and the principal agencies that led to disunity. [more]

095 :
10 May 2010

29.1: Epilogue—The Results... If you have lasted with us this far with Tom Lee's extended study of the first 500 years of Christianity give yourself a big pat on the back and consider that you've earned yourself the equivalent of about an undergraduate degree in Christian history — or one unit for a degree at least! Over the next four weeks we're into Tom's study of what it all means—what were the results of the historical developments of the first 500 years? [more]

094 :
03 May 2010

28.6: Servant of the servants of God... We are nearly at the end of Tom Lee's extended study of the first 500 years of Christianity. Next week we begin the epilogue. By another of those coincidences today we published a second commentary by Robert Blair Kaiser seeking a return to the idea where Bishops and Popes consider themselves servants of their people (see Kaiser's commentary HERE). The coincidence is that Tom Lee's commentary today takes us to the origin of that expression — Pope Gregory I. [more]

093 :
26 Apr 2010

28.5: Blaming the Sodomites and reconciling the Monophysites... Pinning the blame on homosexuals is as old as the Romans (or should that be the Byzantines?) as today's excerpt from Tom Lee's manuscript looking at the First 500 Years of Christianity shows. A terrible bubonic plague hit the Empire and Constantinople in 542 and the homosexuals became the scapegoats. It seems even a couple of bishops were rounded. Sadly though the Empire was coming to an end. The Goths had a brief victory in Rome but essentially the classical beauty of Rome was never to be restored. Justinian though still exerted a bit of power in the realms of theological matters and he used it on Pope Vigilius to bring about a reconciliation with the Monophysites. [more]

092 :
12 Apr 2010

28.4: Summing up the Legacy of Justinian... Tom Lee's manuscript in its later chapters has been essentially looking at the gradual collapse of the Roman Empire. Maybe we're living through a similar period in history with the collapse of a once pround institution today? In this extract Tom looks at the legacy of Justinian — the man responsible for commissioning the magnificent Church of Hagia Sophia with we still admire today. [more]

091 :
29 Mar 2010

28.3: The colourful reign of Justinian and Theodora... In some respects the crisis facing the Church and world today might look mild compared to the crises recounted by Tom Lee today early in the sixth century, tensions between East and West, a pope with a son who succeeded him, and climate change — a volcanic eruption on Krakatoa in the Southern Hemisphere caused the crops to fail in the Northern Hemisphere for three years. [more]

090 :
22 Mar 2010

28.2: A new calendar and the end of paganism... A shorter excerpt from Tom Lee today but some interesting side-links to Wikipedia and other places for further information about the establishment of the calendar dating things from the Birth of Christ developed by Dionysus Exiguus in 525. After recording the end of paganism in the Empire, the excerpt ends with the arrival of the first pope who started the tradition of a pope changing their name upon election to office. [more]

089 :
15 Mar 2010

28.1: Hormisdas finds a formula to reunite Constantinople and Rome... In the penultimate chapter to Tom Lee's exploration of the first 500 years of Christianity, before we reach Tom's conclusions, we move a little way into the sixth century. Some unity is restored between Rome and Constantinople and Tom explores the legacy of the Christian philosopher, Boethius. [more]

088 :
01 Mar 2010

27.2: Benedict and Scholastica and their positive contribution... What enormous debt human civilisation and the church owes to the family of the original Benedict and his sister Scholastica? Tom Lee's exploration of the first 500 years of Christianity today pauses far too briefly to explore the legacy of Benedict and Scholastica. [more]

087 :
22 Feb 2010

27.1: The first schism between East and West... In so many ways the politics that was played out in the establishment of the Roman Empire, and its collapse, or in the establishment of Christianity, makes the politics of today look like a children's game. Tom Lee's exploration of the first 500 years of Christianity today illustrates the point. He's exploring today the first big schism that opened up between Rome and Constantinople. It lasted for about 35 years starting in about 483. [more]

086 :
15 Feb 2010

26.2: The end of the Western Roman Empire... We are now rapidly approaching the end of Tom Lee's exploration of the first 500 years of Christianity. Today's extract from his manuscript looks at the period leading up to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. As we continue to witness today in the collapse of any political structure we witness corruption, backstabbing and much instability before the end actually comes. For the Church it ushered in a period of relative frugal stability in Italy. [more]

085 :
08 Feb 2010

26.1: The confrontation between Attila and Leo over Rome... We return today to take up Tom Lee's exploration of the origins of Christianity in its first 500 years. Many today reach a point of disenchantment with what the institution has been telling us. Tom's response was to go off and explore for himself the origins of his faith. In today's extract from his manuscript he examines the confrontation between Leo the Great and Attila the Hun over Rome. [more]

084 :
21 Dec 2009

25.3: The outcomes of the Council of Chalcedon... Tom Lee's commmentary today brings into focus the doctrinal outcomes, and also the division, resulting from the great Council of Chalcedon. This brings to a conclusion Chapter 25 of Tom's mansucript. [more]

083 :
14 Dec 2009

25.2: The lead-up to the Council of Chalcedon... Tom Lee's commmentary today is largely setting the scene for the great Council of Chalcedon. The politics leading up to that Council were convoluted. We saw some of that last week and it continues in the commentary today. We also see emerging here the divisions between the Eastern and Western parts of the Church. [more]

082 :
07 Dec 2009

25.1: Leo the Great asserts the Primacy of Rome A great chapter from Tom Lee coming up over the next few Monday's particularly in light of the storm John L Allen Jr has stirred up between two leading theologians in the United States in the last week over Council of Chalcedon matters (if you've missed it see the links in this thread on the forum). This week the dispute is between two more ancient personalities — Leo the Great and Hilary of Arles who were both eventually honoured by the Church. The story of Leo the Great is also another important brick to understanding how the Primacy of Rome became such a divisive matter in Christendom. [more]

081 :
30 Nov 2009

24.3: What are Catholic Christians to do if part of the Church goes wrong? A little bit of a potpourri in the excerpt from Tom Lee's manuscript today. We're still in the fifth Century. He provides a wrap on St Patrick in Ireland and the marauding of Attila the Hun further to the East. In the middle there is the story of Vincent of Lerins — the first person to try and formulate in a written way a process for dealing with heresy. It is a surprisingly modern set of ideas that do not sit well with the heresy-hunters of today. [more]

080 :
23 Nov 2009

24.2: Mary and Patrick... To maintain your sense of continuity we repeat the last paragraph of Tom Lee's commentary last week to start today's excerpt. It's an excerpt that ought create much interest as he outlines the origins of Mariology in Eastern Catholicism before switching to the far side of Europe and the mission of Patrick in Ireland. [more]

079 :
17 Nov 2009

24.1: A clash over the human and divine natures of Christ... We move this week from the controversies surrounding Pelagius to those surrounding Nestorius. At the heart of the controversy is an understanding of the human and divine natures of Jesus. Tom Lee today explores the conflict between the two principal actors in the controversy, Cyril of Alexandria and Nestorius of Constantinople. [more]

078 :
02 Nov 2009

23.4: Wrapping up the controversy surrounding Pelagius? Judging by the comments one reads on modern internet discussion boards it might be claimed that the controversy surrounding Original Sin and the doubts of Pelagius have never finally been resolved. Continuing on from his commentary of the previous two weeks, Tom Lee concludes the discussion on the conflict between Augustine and Pelagius where all this started in today's extract from his manuscript. The chapter then ends with a look at the contemporary events in the Roman Empire and the "silliness" that erupted amongst some ascetics in the 5th Century. [more]

077 :
26 Oct 2009

23.3: Augustine and Pelagius There's some great lines in the extract from Tom Lee's manuscript today — some by Tom, and some by some of the figures from history he quotes. The central focus is on Augustine and Pelagius. How much of our Christian attitudes to sin, and so many other things, have been borne out of the personal struggles — and failings — of men who were projected into powerful positions? [more]

076 :
19 Oct 2009

23.2: An action-packed commentary... It's an action-packed commentary from Tom Lee today. It begins with what was effectively the excommunication of John Chrysostom, moves through the threat and eventual sacking of Rome by the Visigoths and ends with the effective resurrection of Chrysostom to be hailed as one of the great minds in both Eastern and Western Catholicism. To get anywhere in Catholicism you need to be excommunicated at least once. Some of today's "company men" bishops might take note! [more]

075 :
12 Oct 2009

23.1: The permanent division of the Empire... We begin a new chapter from Tom Lee's exploration of the First 500 Years of Christianity. At the end of the fourth century the Empire becomes permanently divided. Today's excerpt is principally concerned with looking at the input of John Chrysostom elected Bishop of Constantinople in 398. [more]

074 :
05 Oct 2009

22.3: Original Sin and other pressing issues... The extract from Tom Lee's commentary today explores the origins of concepts like Original Sin, Purgatory, Limbo — as well as Catholic ideas about sex and celibacy in the reasoning of men like Augustine and Ambrose. What are your thoughts on these sort of issues? [more]

073 :
28 Sep 2009

22.2: The Conversion of Augustine In today's and next week's instalments from Tom Lee's study of the Origins of Christianity the focus is on Augustine, the forces which helped shape his views and theology, and the impact these had on the Church. [more]

072 :
21 Sep 2009

22.1: One Throne — One Church! Plenty to learn in Tom Lee's study of the Origins of Christianity today: did you know the origins of Just War Theory lay with Augustine? We learn about the beginnings of the Feudal system; that more women were attracted to the desert as Holy Hermits than men; and the Council of Constantinople in 381 was the place where the system of Trinitarian theology was virtually completed. [more]

071 :
14 Sep 2009

21.4: The Authorised Version of Scripture... Today in Tom Lee's study of the Origins of Christianity we take a look at three iconic figures in the history of Christianity — Ambrose, Chrysostom and Jerome. Each in their own way made decisive contributions with key ideas that became part of the collective wisdom of Christians and Catholics. [more]

070 :
07 Sep 2009

21.3: Basil, Jerome and Augustine Tom Lee's study of the Origins of Christianitymight be considered to have two great values. At one level it provides a big canvas view of the forces that moulded the development of Catholicism. At a second level though the fascination is in the myriad of small details. Today the focus is on Basil, Jerome and Augustine — "big picture" material and the small detail is possibly to be found in the origins of the practice of not eating meat on Fridays. [more]

069 :
31 Aug 2009

21.2: St Basil the Great A fascinating excerpt today from Tom Lee's study of the Origins of Christianity. The personalities he introduces are all substantial figures in the Christian landscape, beginning with St Basil the Great. Intriguing though is the story of how old seems to be the obsession with things sexual in episcopal thought. Sex is without doubt one of the primal drives in human behaviour — and one that leads many into tangled paths, including some of our priests as the court records today so regularly illustrate. When is the Church — when is society at large — going to finally get the sexual dimension into proper balance with all the other dimensions of being human? [more]

068 :
25 Aug 2009

21.1: The Barbarian Invasions A fresh chapter from Tom Lee's study of the Origins of Christianity begins today. And it promises to be a bit of fun. He entitled the Chapter: "Two Emperors, Two Creeds — the Comedy Continues". The opening today isn't much fun though — the bishops began to play politics with one another and the Huns and Visigoths started invading from the North. [more]

067 :
17 Aug 2009

20.4: The Triumph of Christianity! This final section from Chapter 20 of Tom Lee's manuscript is an interesting read that will likely take many readers off into deeper explorations. (We've included a couple of Wikipedia links to assist.) It recounts how, after the setback of Emperor Julian re-instating Pagansim as the official State religion of the Empire, Christianity was re-instated under his successor, Jovian. Towards the end of this essay Tom offers an opinion why Christianity triumphed over its rivals. [more]

066 :
10 Aug 2009

20.3: A Succession of Forgotten Councils… This period around 350CE that Tom Lee is covering in Chapter 20 of his manuscript was not a good time for the Church as today's excerpt demonstrates. There were lots of Councils, many no longer part of the official record, and extraordinary disagreement amongst the leadership factions centred on the Arian controversy. [more]

065 :
03 Aug 2009

20.2: The origins of Mariology… Today's excerpt from Tom Lee's exploration of the origins of Christianity brings us to the emergence of Mary in the worship of the Church. He tells of the discovery of the first hymn to Mary and the role Arianism played in setting the intellectual structure for the growth of Mariology. [more]

064 :
27 Jul 2009

20.1: Arian Resurgence as the Sons Inherit… As we move further forward in time in Tom Lee's exploration of the origins of Christianity it should not be surprising that the detail increases. In Chapter 20, which we begin today Tom is looking at the period immediately following the death of Constantine. Despite the decrees issued earlier at Nicaea, Arianism experienced a resurgence. [more]

063 :
20 Jul 2009

19.3: The legacy of Constantine… In this conclusion to Chapter 19 of his manuscript Tom Lee brings us an outline of the major events in the life of Emperor Constantine and the Church after the Council of Nicea and up until the time of Constantine's baptism and death. It's an interesting commentary bringing us interesting detail from that period albeit a time of less controversy than we found in the last two excerpts. [more]

062 :
13 Jul 2009

19.2: The Council of Nicaea… In today's commentary and next week Tom Lee spends a little time looking at the outcomes of the Council of Nicaea. This first ecumenical council played a crucial role in moulding the subsequent development of the Church. [more]

061 :
06 Jul 2009

19.1: Heretical Challenge and Imperial Solution! In our long exploration with Tom Lee of the Origins of Christianity we come today to one of the epoch turning events that helped mould modern Christianity — the Arian controversy over the Divinity of Jesus which led to the Council at Nicaea called by Emperor Constantine to resolve the issue. [more]

060 :
29 Jun 2009

18.2: Consolidation of Church and State! The history of Christianity is so fascinating — a struggle between the ambitions of humans and what we believe to be the guidance of the Divine. In this second and final part of Tom Lee's Chapter 18 we look further into the legacy of Constantine. It recounts the final severing of our links with our Jewish spiritual ancestors and Jerusalem. From now on the Jews would be excoriated in Christianity and we're still sorting that out in our own day. [more]

059 :
22 Jun 2009

18.1: Consolidation of Church and State! Tom Lee's series of commentaries gets more gripping with each instalment. Today's excerpt is particularly packed with interesting history from that early phase under Constantine when the bishops began to learn the value of patronage in a big way. [more]

058 :
15 Jun 2009

17.2: The conversion and endorsement of Constantine… Today we reach one of the defining moments of Christian history in Tom Lee's manuscript — the conversion and endorsement of Emperor Constantine. The Church becomes an alley of the State with mutual benefits to both but with Christianity being the eventual winner as it outlived the Roman Empire. In our present phase of history are we seeing the final demise of Christianity as it is led to remnant status — or will there be a revival when it recaptures the original Spirit of what the founder, Jesus, was on about? [more]

057 :
08 Jun 2009

17.1: Official status as a state religion… How Christianity emerged as such a worldly force is an intriguing tale given all the persecution the early Christians were subjected to. Our excerpt today from Tom Lee's exploration of the origins of Christianity looks, in part, at the place where the Church first began to get official recognition as the religion of a state. No it wasn't from Rome but from Armenia. [more]

056 :
25 May 2009

16.2: Borrowing spiritual ideas… Perhaps it should not be surprising that all of the great religious systems borrowed extensively from one another. Christianity was no exception. Tom Lee's exploration of the origins of Christianity today to some extent has a focus on how some of this "borrowing" occurred. [more]

055 :
18 May 2009

16.1: Great disputes Tom Lee's exploration of the origins of Christianity never fails to fascinate and today's excerpt is no exception. It intersects with the growing discussion going on today amongst scholars regarding the literalness with which we can read Scripture and even the key events in the life of Jesus. We're still about mid-way through the third century in this 16th chapter of Tom's exploration. It's a discussion of one of the great controversies at that time on the divinity of Jesus and the equally fascinating question of how Jesus' birthday came to be celebrated on December the 25th. [more]

054 :
11 May 2009

15: The Capture of One releases Many Today's commentary is a short chapter from Tom Lee's manuscript which we bring you in full. It's an interesting episode in Christian history where the capture and humiliation of the Roman Emperor, Valerian, by King Shapur of Persia led to an unprecedented 40 years of relative freedom for the Christians of the Roman Empire. Tom also relates a little of St Gregory the Wonderworker whom he describes as "an antique PR man" and the one who brought a bit of theatrical flair into liturgy. [more]

053 :
04 May 2009

14.2: Cyprian and Stephen The attention this week in the extract from Tom Lee's manuscript turns from the conflicts between Novatus and Novatian to a series of conflicts that had far greater implications for the future of Christianity between Bishops Cyprian and Stephen with Stephen asserting a claim to primacy. This is a fascinating section in the early history of the Church. [more]

052 :
27 Apr 2009

14.1: Novatus and Novatian Today and next week the selection from Tom Lee's manuscript is from a short chapter entitled "Two Asps in One Basket". It looks at the activities of the two like-named stirrers, Novatus and Novatian, or made life a little difficult for Bishops Cornelius and Cyprian. As though Bishops of the time needed these sort of vipers given the pressure the Romans continued to place on Christians. [more]

051 :
13 Apr 2009

13.5: The Pagan Mystery Religions that challenged Christianity (cont'd) Today Tom Lee's continues this fascinating section where he explores the connection between Christianity and the Pagan Mystery Cults of Rome. As with last week's commentary it makes for fascinating reading in conjunction with last night's conclusion on Compass by the British theologian, Dr Robert Beckford, exploring the connections Jesus has with other religions. [more]