Apologetics has always been part of the Catholic Church. It has spanned the 2,000 year history and has played a very important role in keeping the Church alive for that long. Century after century, heresy after heresy, the Church survives in large part due to the courage of many men and women who have defended Her. Many think this is a new phenomenon. It is not. Apologetics has always been employed by the faithful to combat heresies and false religions.
In the Gospels, Christ gets into debates with many of the heretics of his day. The Sadducees were heretical because they lacked belief in the afterlife. Trying to fool Christ, they were refuted by a brilliant argument. He said:
“And as concerning the dead that they rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You therefore do greatly err.”
- Mark 12:26-27
Likewise the apostle Paul exercises his apologetics when he goes to the Areopagus. He engages in a public intellectual debate in the heart of the pagan world. His fourteen epistles often employ apologetic approaches as well. He often uses Abraham when dealing with gentile converts who feel alienated such as in Romans 4 and Galatians 3. St. Paul is applying his intellect and finding a way to relate with new Christians who are new to the Bible, in contrast to Jewish Christians who were often in the same church.
The apostle Peter hits the nail on the head when he writes: “But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you.”
- 1 Peter 3:15
As we see clearly in this verse, apologetics is commanded to every Christian believer whether layman or clergy. It is not an option!
When we leave the new testament period, the Church is well established. Regardless, apologetics are needed more than ever at this point. The second century gives us numerous examples. The most well known of them are St. Justin Martyr and St. Irenaeus of Lyons.
After the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, many of the Bishops succumbed to the Arian heresy and had to be responded to. St. Athanasius of Alexandria arose in the East while St. Hilary of Poitiers arose in the West and were eventually able to squash the heresy.
In the next century, St. Augustine of Hippo becomes the Church’s number one apologist as he writes polemics against Arianism, Donatism, Manichaeism, Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism. As impressive as this may sound, the fight does not stop after this. Many brave souls come to defend the Church in times of need. St. John Damascene defended the Church against Islam, St. Dominic defended the Church against Catharism, and St. Francis de Sales defended the Church against Calvinism.
It never ends for the Church. In every generation a new enemy of the Church rises and attempts to destroy Her. Luckily for her, that is when Her apologists glorify the Truth.
A brief history of catholic apologetics? This is a brief write up beginning with the purpose of apologetics and the intellectual battles within apostolic times and the early Church but you stop at the 1500s with St Francis de Sales. Isn’t there 500 more years of history of Catholic apologetics to go? Is there going to be a second part?
If I was going to list every apologist in the Church, I would still be writing this post. I focused primarily on some of my favourite apologists.
Q: What’s the difference between a terrorist and a liturgist?
A: You can negotiate with the terrorist.
Q: What is the difference between a liturgist and an onion?
A: People cry when they chop up the onion.
Ok seriously, what Christians during St Paul’s time are you referring to as “new to the Bible”? The New Testament was still being written by Paul and the rest of the other guys. The Bible’s canon wasn’t defined much later… And which Bible are we referring to at that time? The greek LXX which included the deutorocanonical writings?
Hi Bryan,
Thanks for the response. I was referring to the OT. The churches in the NT that St. Paul was writing to were mixed churches. The Jewish Christians in those churches would have been familiar with the scriptures but the Gentile Christians would be new to the scriptures and fairly unfamiliar. St. Paul acknowledges that and therefore uses this analogy.
Since today kicks off the beginning of the Synod on Sodomy (ahem, the Synod on the family) I would find it cool to have a report card of all the apologists on the following issues
1. Their understanding and support of Church teaching on basic moral issues (abortion, contraception, euthanasia, sodomy, etc.)
2. Opposition to expose the heresy and false doctrines on Hell
3. work to expose heresy and false doctrines on basic Catholic Dogmas (outside the church there is no salvation, primacy of peter, infallibility, etc.)
4. How to deal with heretical and scandalous clergy
I would like to see a brief history of apologetics in modern times with the advent of the heresy of Modernism when it was identified by the Popes.
It’ll come. No worries. Until then you can read the brilliant encyclical Mortalium Animos.