Quotes

This category consists of short posts on quotes that I come across in studying God’s Word and the history of Christianity. It’s a convenient way for me to quickly share quotes, pose questions about them, and make brief comments on them.

One of my hopes for sharing quotes in this manner is that it will encourage readers to comment and help me uncover the history and context of quotes so I can use them in future writings.

Please feel free to comment if you have questions, corrections, or can help locate further information on these quotes and related topics.

Who Could Have Foreseen How Much Misery…?

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Not just misery but who could have foreseen how much misery, corruption, scandal, blasphemy, ingratitude, and wickedness would result from Luther’s movement? The era of Reformations was chaotic on all sides but did Martin Luther really “bemoan the religious indifference wrought by the movement he began” with these words? Here is an article that discusses proto-Protestants and that makes this claim. The claim finds support in a supposed quote from Luther himself. The end of the article, where this appears, is seen in this screenshot:

False Martin Luther quote as it appears on catholic.com. Who could have foreseen how much misery?
False Martin Luther quote as it appears on catholic.com[1]Catholic Answers. “The Protestants Who Came Before the Protestants.” Steve Weidenkopf, Catholic Answers, 26 Aug. 2022. Web. 27 Nov. 2022.
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References

References
↑1Catholic Answers. “The Protestants Who Came Before the Protestants.” Steve Weidenkopf, Catholic Answers, 26 Aug. 2022. Web. 27 Nov. 2022.

An Allusion to Purgatory in the Apology of Aristides?

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The Apology of Aristides the philosopher is a fascinating text, though any notion of Purgatory in it is rather curious (or spurious), as we’ll see. Aristides, probably writing to Emperor Hadrian between 125 and 140 AD, offers a wonderful glimpse into early Christian apologetics, especially as the faith spread into a Gentile world dominated by pagan religion and philosophy. Notably, Aristides may have influenced Justin [the] Martyr, a better known philosopher/apologist who wrote later in the second century. Aristides’ text is early, short, concise, and truly a joy to read.

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Pope Gelasius I: substance and nature of consecrated elements

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“The sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, which we receive, is a divine thing, because by it we are made partakers of the divine-nature. Yet the substance or nature of the bread and wine does not cease. And assuredly the image and the similitude of the body and blood of Christ are celebrated in the performance of the mysteries.”

Pope Gelasius I, ~496 AD

I’ve come across a few mentions of this quote concerning the nature and substance of sacramental elements (bread and wine). The best source I can find is here. It’s in Philip Schaff’s 1884 edition of “History of the Christian Church” and he cites the following:

De duabus naturis in Christo Adv. Eutychen et Nestorium (in the Bibl. Max. Patrum, tom. viii. p. 703) … “et tamen esse non desinit substantia vel natura panis et vini. Et certe imago et similitudo corporis et sanguinis Christi in actione mysteriorum celebrantur.” Many Roman divines, through dogmatic prejudice, doubt the genuineness of this epistle. Comp. the Bibl. Max. tom. viii. pp. 699-700.

If anyone knows how to track down this reference online, I would greatly appreciate it. Anything closer to the original source would be even better.

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