St. Paul the Apostle
Many Christians today are confronted by atheists in their culture. While most are mild and gentle, many of them are aggressive and want nothing more than to destroy the faith of Christians. In response, many Christians have gone to Christian bookstores and purchased the latest and greatest books in refuting atheism. While this is a great tactic, you don’t need to look that hard for the answer. It is right in front of you in the pages of Scripture.
St. Ignatius of Antioch
Bishop and Martyr
Many Catholics study early Church history and Church fathers. There are many fathers that are worth reading. St. Augustine and St. Athanasius come to mind but there are many others. One that cannot be ignored is St. Ignatius of Antioch.
St. Ignatius of Antioch was the Bishop of Antioch in the early second century. He was martyred in Rome in about 107 AD and gives an early witness to many church doctrines. Doctrines such as the deity of Christ, monarchial ecclesiology, transubstantiation and others.
Among the thousands of saints in the Catholic Church, only a select few have gone beyond that and have become Doctors of the Church. This list includes about three dozen people, both men and women. One of these men is Saint Francis de Sales. He is one of my favorite saints and after reading his biography several years ago, I only wanted to read more and more of him.
St. Francis is one of the rare theologians who excels in all areas. Whether you’re looking for good theological treatises, homilies, spiritual insights or apologetics, his writing is top grade. This allowed him to do well in his two debates with Theodore de Beze in Geneva. Theodore de Beze was the top Protestant theologian in the world at the time and he was trounced twice by this brilliant Catholic Bishop.