The Ancient Witnesses

10 • The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots

beliefs of the early Church. 1 As Davis writes, “We seek to understand (the Great Tradition) as the sacred roots of our Christian identity, and are committed to exploring ways that this tradition may renew evangelical faith and mission in the cities among the poor” (14). The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots is my contribution to this important mission. It aims to awaken the curiosity of urban ministers for their long-lost family of faith while introducing them to some of their foundational sermons, letters, and treatises. The book is framed by the story of several pastors-in- training who meet and dialogue with the historical Church Fathers. 2 The historical figures presented in this book are portrayed in a manner consistent with the character revealed in their respective writings. Every line spoken by an ancient witness is either a direct quotation or a simplified paraphrase and is attributed to its source. In an earlier draft, these were set apart in block quotations. Since readers tend to skip such quotations, however, I decided to weave the fathers’ words more thoroughly into the narrative. Those who follow my 1 Nicaean orthodoxy refers to doctrinal beliefs affirmed at the First Ecumenical Council, known as the Council of Nicaea (pronounced Nai-see-ah ) convened by the Emperor Constantine in AD 325 to settle doctrinal disputes in the Church, and ratified at the Second Ecumenical Council, known as the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. An “Ecumenical Council” is one that includes all the churches. See Don L. Davis, Sacred Roots: A Primer on Retrieving the Great Tradition. (The Urban Ministry Institute, 2010), 30, 42-45. 2 I have adopted a convention used by respected authors. To paraphrase one of them, “I propose to bring these figures together in our imaginations so that we can overhear them talking from their various points of view.” In James Fowler, Stages of Faith (Harper San Francisco, 1981), 41.