Wednesday, July 30, 2025

It is the 30th of July 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

On a recent weekend edition of this show, we told the story of the curious mystical monk and doctor of the church (that Luther and other reformers liked!) Bernard of Clairvaux. I mentioned he was named the 16th “Doctor” of the church- someone emailed (and please forgive me- the emails are the best and there are so many I can get a little lost in them) and asked what being a “doctor” of the church was all about- this isn’t a mailbag question but it gets us to another curious “doctor of the church” also named one a good bit after his life. 

“Doctor” comes from the Latin “docere,” which means to teach, and came to represent a learned person in a field- any field, with terms like “ecclesiastical” or “medicinal” added to note the field. BUT, the Catholic Church has reserved the title “Doctor of the Church” for specific emphases. There are 37 of them in all . It started with Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory the Great. The East added Athanasius, Chrysostom, Basil, and Gregory Nazianzus.

At various times in the church's history, there have been Doctors added- in part because special graces and skills are recognized or rediscovered, AND it would serve as a boost to a beleaguered church, whether it be in the Middle Ages, the Age of Reformation, Revolutions, or the attacks in the modern world.

One such doctor, though he lived in the 400s, was not recognized until the 1700s- curious? Who was he and what might we learn from him (and while I say “him” in our case, it is important to note that there were no women doctors of the church until 1970, there are now 4).

He was Peter Chrysologus, which, yes, looks a bit like “Chrysostom,” and there is a connection. John Chrysostom was John “the Golden Mouthed,” while Peter, living from about 380-450, was the one with the “Chrys” (Golden) “logos” or words. He was given that title on account of his sermons- of which we have 176 (check out the transcript at 1517 of this show for a link to a free digital version of them- https://archive.org/details/stpeterchrysolog0000pete/page/n1/mode/2up). 

His sermons were SHORT. And they addressed the very basics of the Christian faith- in a tumultuous time- such that Chrysologus would become known as the “doctor of homilies”.

He was made bishop of his hometown of Imola in Italy before being elevated to the metropolitan of Ravenna in 433, and he would become a confidant of Leo the Great. Being the head of the church in Ravenna in 433 is no small deal- it had become the last capital of the Roman Empire as it was on its last legs. Rome was sacked in 410, and by 476, the Empire was kaput. Not only was there political upheaval, the church was fighting to define orthodoxy- we have the council of Ephesus in 431 which Peter was involved in this debate and upheld the orthodox position of Mary as the Theotokos (mother of God- important for the divinity of Jesus) and he opposed Nestorianism (the doctrine that seems to split Jesus into two distinct people). 

He would later condemn Eutyches and the monophysites in a letter that would surface during the ever-important council of Chalcedon in 451. Unfortunately, Peter Chrysologus would die in 450, before the council, and while he was important in his time, he was somewhat lost to history, not even given a date on the calendar- and when he was, it was incorrectly put in December. When it was discovered he died on the 31st of July… well, that’s kind of a big deal for Ignatius of Loyola… and so he has been recognized on this, the 30th of July.

His becoming a doctor of the church didn’t take place until the 1700s- the rediscovery of many of his sermons, the translation of them into various languages (do you know how often a simple lack of translation can keep great literature in the dark!) and in the wake of the rising secularism of the enlightenment the Catholic church made a number of new doctors though the procedure of noting eminent learning, outstanding holiness of life and proclamation by the Roman Catholic Church Peter Chrysologus was made a doctor of the church in 1729- he would be the 13th named of the now 37. Today we remember the man with the golden words- the “doctor of homilies”- Peter Chrysologus of the 400s in Italy, recognized on this the 30th of July.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Matthew 5- a well-known and difficult passage!

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 30th of July 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who, as a pastor, too, would be quick to tell you that the “perfection” required of our heavenly Father is both outside of us and given by the Father in the person of Christ- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who is a doctor but not the useful kind- unless your malady concerns the events of the past… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.