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The Episcopal Seat in the first century Church in Jerusalem The historian and bishop Eusebius (249 - 340 AD) quotes St. Clement of Alexandria (d. 215) concerning St. James the Righteous, one of the Twelve Apostles. Eusebius quotes St. Clement as having written the following: "Peter, James and John, after the Ascension of the Savior, did not strive after honor, because the Savior had specially honored them, but chose James the Righteous as Bishop of Jerusalem." (E.H. 2.1) This is the James about whom St. Paul writes in Galatians 1:19. He is the author of the book of James in the New Testament. And his position as bishop of Jerusalem explains his prominence in Luke's account of the Jerusalem Council (c. 49-50 AD) in Acts 15. St. Clement of Alexandria relates that this James was "thrown down from a parapet and beaten to death with a fuller's club". (E.H. 2.1) Eusebius provides a fuller account (E.H. 2.23) of the martyrdom of this James by drawing from Hegesippus (c. 110-180 AD), whom Eusebius tells us "belonged to the first generation after the apostles". This is where we learn that St. James's "knees grew hard like a camel's from his continually bending them in worship of God and beseeching forgiveness for the people." According to Eusebius, St. James the Righteous had been "the first after our Saviour's Ascension to be raised to the bishop's throne there [in Jerusalem]". (E.H. 3.5) Eusebius then writes the following: [BOQ] After the martyrdom of James and the conquest of Jerusalem which immediately followed, there is a firm tradition that those of the apostles and disciples of the Lord that were still living came together from all directions with those who, humanly speaking, were kinsmen of the Lord (for the majority of them also were still alive) to take counsel as to who was worthy to succeed James. They all with one consent pronounced Symeon, the son of Clopas, of whom the Gospel also makes mention; to be worthy of the episcopal throne of that see. He was a cousin, as they say, of the Saviour. For Hegesippus records that Clopas was a brother of Joseph.[EOQ] (E.H. 3.11) Eusebius again draws from Hegesippus to recount the martyrdom of Symeon under the emperor Trajan in the year 106 or 107 AD. (cf. E.H. 3.32) Apparently Symeon, as an old man, was tortured for days and then crucified. According to Eusebius, "When Symeon had found fulfilment in the manner described, his successor on the throne of the Jerusalem bishopric was a Jew named Justus, one of the vast number of the circumcision who by then believed in Christ." (E.H. 3.35) #earlychurch

The Benefits of Abstinence "In former days, when the people of the Hebrews and all the tribes of Israel were oppressed for their scandalous sins by the grievous tyranny of the Philistines, in order that they might be able to overcome their enemies, as the sacred story declares, they restored their powers of mind and body by the injunction of a fast. For they understood that they had deserved that hard and wretched subjection for their neglect of God's commands, and evil ways, and that it was in vain for them to strive with arms unless they had first withstood their sin. Therefore abstaining from food and drink, they applied the discipline of strict correction to themselves, and in order to conquer their foes, first conquered the allurements of the palate in themselves. And thus it came about that their fierce enemies and cruel taskmasters yielded to them when fasting, whom they had held in subjection when full. And so we too, dearly beloved, who are set in the midst of many oppositions and conflicts, may be cured by a little carefulness, if only we will use the same means. For our case is almost the same as theirs, seeing that, as they were attacked by foes in the flesh so are we chiefly by spiritual enemies. And if we can conquer them by God's grace enabling us to correct our ways, the strength of our bodily enemies also will give way before us, and by our self-amendment we shall weaken those who were rendered formidable to us, not by their own merits but by our shortcomings." Source: From a sermon 16 (On the Fast of the tenth month), St Leo the Great

Christianity & Classical Culture - The Metamorphosis of Natural Theology in the Christian Encounter with Hellenism (1993) Jaroslav Pelikan #culture

History of Psychology - From the Standpoint of a Thomist (1945) Robert Edward Brennan, O. P. #psychology

Thomistic Psychology - A Philosophic Analysis of the Nature of Man (1952) Fr. Robert Edward Brennan, O.P. #philosophy #psychology

A Thomistic Study of the Psychology of Human Character (1956) Rev. Edmund J. Elbert, M.A #psychology

Notes To have a good training in the classics: 1 - Have a daily study schedule.  It must be mandatory and you must not give it up under any circumstances. 1.1 - Remove all distractions 1.2 - Take notes, have a notebook. 1.3 - Build your library, but you must build it strategically. 1.3.1 - Read books in your area of ​​professional activity and books of perennial knowledge that will enhance your soul (Bible, lives of the Saints...) and philosophical books. Within these works, look for books with a Thomist Philosophy bias. Look for literature books to form your imagination. Philosophy and Politics books to learn about modern ideologies. And general education books, such as the Intellectual Life of Fr. Sertilanges. As for books about your job, look for books that follow these paradigms of the Philosophy you are studying to make connections between the themes. You can read about 10 minutes of a spiritual book, 1 hour of a philosophical book and 1 to 2 hours of books about your profession. If you are not in the habit of reading, start slowly and pick up the pace as you read. It is recommended that you read it as soon as you wake up or before going to sleep, as this is the time when you will have the most serene and peaceful reading. But take advantage of every free time to read, whether on the bus, at the bank... Always prepare your reading of the Classics with those that elevate you and those that do not elevate you. 2 - The first thing you should do when reading the Classics is to separate the books that elevate your virtues from those that do not. If you read books that don't elevate you, always see them as enemies, as such works go against the Classics. A good book will be referenced by several others and will show many paths. To read a Classic book you must: 1 - You must place yourself in the time (historical context) and in the language 1.1 - Do not project modern ideologies onto the Classics 1.2 Get to know the interlocutor of the Work. Because we often find that work very difficult, because it was not made for us but for the time and culture of that time. 1.3 Get out of your comfort zone and don't find the language difficult. 2 - Great books Classics require you to read another 5 works to understand them, as there are centuries of interpretation. For example, for you to understand Cervantes well, a good book would be the autobiography of St. Ignatius of Loyola 2.2 - Go after the book's references. First what the author referenced in the books, then what the great Classics interpreted him. This way I will create several connections that will facilitate and enrich your reading. 2.3 - This tip is hardcore, which is if you really want to talk about the classics, read it in the original language it was written.  Because the translation is already someone's interpretation and it is not reading the proposed book, but rather an introduction to it.  That's why it's good to learn at least 3 languages. And if you read in the original language, at the same time as you learn a new language, you also learn the works. 3 - Create your study plan defining where you want to get to. 4 - Overcome the block because you think a book is boring. This is the result that technology has caused in us by overstimulating our senses.When reading, remove everything that is distracting and that stimulates in other ways. Have an orderly life, pray, exercise, read, go to Holy Mass, seek the sacraments. #education