You are raising several very good and very different questions here. Best book on the start of Christian history is *The Myth of Christian Beginnings* by Robert L. Wilken (which I’ve written about here). It holds Christianity fully responsible for anti-semitism. History as we know it, including church history from start to finish, is always fallen. (Btw, I’ve read four more books by Wilken as well—all fantastic early Christian history.) As for God saying that “it is good” when creating the world, many ancient Jewish and Christian commentators on the opening chapters of Genesis have noted that the first creation account is very formal and structured so that it is about all of created time (covering the creation of God across all time and from outside of the fall). In this sense, Genesis chapter one—from our place inside of fallen time—would be both still ongoing and also being resisted. So much more to be said, but I better keep it brief for now.
Also, the anti-semitism of some church fathers combined with the fact that many (most?) of the people from whence Jesus “came” do not believe he is who the gospels say he said he was is also baffling at times
From one vast question to another. Oh dear... It is not something that I'm remotely qualified to say much about. However, as you ask, I find the energies/essence distinction very helpful but not as helpful as what I find to be a more complete and fully Christian understanding of God's relationship to creation in the trinitarian theology of Bulgakov (with Sophia as God's nature connected by Incarnation and Pentecost to Sophia as all of us creaturely persons).
Heavy.
Yes, and I hope helpful and life-giving.
Partially, yes.
But there is that sense of - once again - why haven’t we known this?!
I know the patristics got buried, I know US “Christianity” went off the rails. But man…
And while I love your comfort it can still feel like much of what we value is …what? Lesser? Undignified?
Lastly: what about God saying “it’s good”? “When” does that take place in the scheme of Maximus & Hart? “Pre-big bang”..?!
Thanks very much for your responses!
You are raising several very good and very different questions here. Best book on the start of Christian history is *The Myth of Christian Beginnings* by Robert L. Wilken (which I’ve written about here). It holds Christianity fully responsible for anti-semitism. History as we know it, including church history from start to finish, is always fallen. (Btw, I’ve read four more books by Wilken as well—all fantastic early Christian history.) As for God saying that “it is good” when creating the world, many ancient Jewish and Christian commentators on the opening chapters of Genesis have noted that the first creation account is very formal and structured so that it is about all of created time (covering the creation of God across all time and from outside of the fall). In this sense, Genesis chapter one—from our place inside of fallen time—would be both still ongoing and also being resisted. So much more to be said, but I better keep it brief for now.
Thank you
And thanks for Wilken rec
One more and then I promise to stop:
Also, the anti-semitism of some church fathers combined with the fact that many (most?) of the people from whence Jesus “came” do not believe he is who the gospels say he said he was is also baffling at times
From one vast question to another. Oh dear... It is not something that I'm remotely qualified to say much about. However, as you ask, I find the energies/essence distinction very helpful but not as helpful as what I find to be a more complete and fully Christian understanding of God's relationship to creation in the trinitarian theology of Bulgakov (with Sophia as God's nature connected by Incarnation and Pentecost to Sophia as all of us creaturely persons).
https://copiousflowers.substack.com/p/introduction-and-basic-texts-for