The Seventy's Course in Theology, Third Year / The Doctrine of Deity

by B. H. Roberts

"Example: 'None but capital letters were used formerly.'

"The idea is more forcibly presented if we say, Formerly, none but capital letters were used."

LESSON XXV.

(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

PATRISTIC^[1] DOCTRINES OF GOD.

ANALYSIS.	REFERENCES.
I. The Patristic Period.	Library of the Christian Fathers Anterior to the Division of the East and West, Oxford Edition (42 Vols.). Early Christian Literature Primers, Edited by Geo. P. Fisher; Apostolic Fathers; Fathers of the Third Century; Post-Nicene Latin Fathers; Post-Nicene Greek Fathers. Mosheim's and Neander's Church Histories; also Smith's Student's Ecclesiastical History, Vol. I. History of Christian Doctrine (Shedd), 2 Vols. Intellectual Development of Europe" (Draper), Vol. I, chapter on Greek Age of Faith. Gibbon's "Decline and Fall," Vol. III, Ch. xxi. Mormon Doctrine of Deity (Roberts), Chs. ii and iii, and Notes of this Lesson.
II. The Prevailing Philosophers.
III. The Christian Doctrine of Deity— The Trinity.
IV. Patristic Arguments for the Divine Existence and the Trinity.
V. The Apostles' Creed.

SPECIAL TEXT: "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and opposition of science falsely so called." I Tim. vi,20.

NOTES.

1. The Patristic Period: The patristic period is usually recognized as extending from the close of the Apostolic period and ending with the death of the last of the Apostles, supposed to have occurred about 95 or 96 A. D.—to A. D. 750. The Patristic period of the Church is followed by what is called the Mediaeval period. "The line between these two Christian ages," says George A. Jackson in his Introduction to "The Apostolic Fathers," "cannot be sharply drawn; but, speaking in a general way, the epoch of the Fathers was, in the Western Church, the first six centuries. In the Eastern Church, the patristic age may be extended to embrace John of Damascus (A. D. 750). The writers may be arranged, not unnaturally, in four groups. 1. (A. D. 95—180). The Apostolic Fathers and the Apologists, or writers contemporary with the formation of the New Testament canon. These all wrote in Greek. 2. (A. D. 180—325). The Fathers of the third century; or writers from Irenaeus to the Nicene Council; partly Greek, partly Latin. 3. (A. D. 325—590). The Post-Nicene Latin Fathers. 4. (A. D. 325-750). The Post-Nicene Greek Fathers." (Apostolic Fathers, Jackson, p. 11).

Our notice of the conceptions of the Fathers respecting God, can only be very brief, and consequently it will be imperfect. Only such passages from them will be quoted as are most largely representative; and from such Fathers as most influenced the thought of their times.