Church fathers Quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
““I’m now reading Tertullian, Cyprian, and others of the church fathers with great interest. In some ways they are more relevant to our time than the Reformers, and at the same time they provide a basis for talks between Protestants and Roman Catholics.””
About This Quote
Source Letter: Correspondence with colleagues, 1938
Early church fathers offer insights valuable for modern ecumenical dialogue.
In simple terms: Ancient teachings aid modern unity.
Key Takeaway
Study early theologians.
Themes
theology
ecumenism
history
Mood
thoughtful
reflective
Type
academic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- seminar discussions
- inter‑denominational meetings
- academic research
Key Concepts
patristics
interfaith dialogue
Questions to Reflect On
- What can we learn from early fathers?
- How to apply their ideas today?
A Different Perspective
Modern contexts differ from ancient ones.
![“Tertullian speaks the mind of the Latin Fa thers when he says: "The guilt being removed, the penalty is removed also. Thus man is re stored to God according to the likeness of him [i. e. Adam] who in days gone by had been [created] to the image of God.” quote by Joseph Pohle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/559/joseph-pohle-3769_psychology_tertullian-speaks-the-mind-of-the-latin_3033627.jpg)
![“[Naaman] dipped himself," it says, "seven times in Jordan." It was not for nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being baptized, but as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean by means of the sacred water and the invocation of…” quote by Irenaeus of Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9eb/irenaeus-of-lyons-18423_babe_naaman-dipped-himself-it-says-seven-time_627335.jpg)
![“The Church received from the apostles the tradition of giving baptism even to infants. The apostles, to whom were committed the secrets of the divine sacraments, knew there are in everyone innate strains of [original] sin, which must be washed away through water and the Spirit” quote by Origen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cb8/origen-12126_apostles_the-church-received-from-the-apostles-th_199967.jpg)
![“[On the Human Soul] While the Bible offers a clear distinction that the soul is separate from the body and discusses the idea of eternal life in a general context, it may come as a surprise that the Bible does not specifically indicate that the human soul is immortal. The postulation that we have…” quote by Brian Goedken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/05d/brian-goedken-38890_bible_on-the-human-soul-while-the-bible-offers_109608.jpg)
