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April 03, 2007
Your Secret Patristic Identity
Light but fun: Which Church Father Are You? from Mike Aquilina's weblog The Way of the Fathers.
Posted by David Mills at 05:55 PM | Permalink
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I am St. Melito of Sardis? Is that more like winning the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch on a noble quest or more like winning a molded jello salad at a parish bazaar? A volume of his selected writings, on Amazon, appears to show a pair of crossed sardines rampant and blazoned. Most appropriate for the Bishop of Sardis, I'm sure.
Posted by: Little Gidding | Apr 3, 2007 8:24:04 PM
You’re St. Justin Martyr!
You have a positive and hopeful attitude toward the world. You think that nature, history, and even the pagan philosophers were often guided by God in preparation for the Advent of the Christ. You find “seeds of the Word” in unexpected places. You’re patient and willing to explain the faith to unbelievers.
Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!
Posted by: Bobby Winters | Apr 3, 2007 9:03:58 PM
No, Little Gidding, I am St. Melito of Sardis. "[I] have a great love of history and liturgy. [I'm] attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet [I] recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. [I am] loyal to the customs of [my] family, though [I] do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins." ... which in the words of Fr. Neuhaus... "sounds about right". Will the real St. Melito please stand... for the creed.
Posted by: Steve Nicoloso | Apr 3, 2007 9:17:56 PM
Sorry, I've got dibs on St. Melito of Sardis.
Posted by: Occasus | Apr 3, 2007 9:59:56 PM
Hey, I am Melito of Sardis, and I have the Roman Express Card to prove it. But alas, in the end times there will arise impostors, false Melitos --
Posted by: Tony Esolen | Apr 3, 2007 10:56:34 PM
Nay, I am the true Melito of Sardis!!
Posted by: Annie | Apr 4, 2007 12:10:48 AM
Me too. Is this one of these trick things where everyone comes out the same no matter what you put in?
Posted by: Judy Warner | Apr 4, 2007 4:57:32 AM
Alas, no, I'm another Justin Martyr. And the Way of the Fathers shows complaints from someone who to his dismay discovered he was Origen.
Posted by: DGP | Apr 4, 2007 6:17:52 AM
St. Stephen of Agamemnon-Fargy? Who the heck is he? Some obscure English saint no doubt, like St. Martin In the Fields or St. Looney Up the Cream Bun and Jam.
(Actually, I too am Melito of Sardis)
Posted by: Rob Grano | Apr 4, 2007 7:01:48 AM
Looks like St. Melito is sort of the default result -- or else we're all a whole lot more similar than we thought!
Posted by: Ethan Cordray | Apr 4, 2007 7:56:08 AM
No, I'm Spartacus. I mean, Melito of Sardis.
I kept changing some answers and still was Melito.
Posted by: Christopher Hathaway | Apr 4, 2007 9:02:47 AM
Mere Comments must attract Melito types. I'm getting emails from lots of Origens and Justins, only a handful of Jeromes, Tertullians, and such. I'm a Justin, btw.
Posted by: mike | Apr 4, 2007 9:13:38 AM
Fellow Melitos, perhaps we should form a society of sardines? After all, we "have a great love of history and liturgy."
I am reminded of the "Beyond the Fringe" sketch called "Take a Pew" in which Alan Bennett, as a Anglican divine, who is, as they say, educated beyond his intelligence, sermonizes from the pulpit:
"Life, you know, is rather like opening a tin of sardines. We’re all of us looking for the key. And I wonder... how many of you here tonight, have wasted years of your lives looking behind the kitchen dressers of this life for that key. I know I have. Others think they find the key, don’t they? They roll back the lid of the sardine tin of life, they reveal sardines, the riches of life therein, and they get them out, they enjoy them. But you know .... there’s always a little bit in the corner you can’t get out. I wonder, is there a little bit in the corner of your life? I know there is in mine…."
Posted by: Little Gidding | Apr 4, 2007 10:06:18 AM
Since those are Anglican sardines they will soon have a division between those who prefer lying in mustard to those who are pro-oil, with a small faction of tomato sauce sardines.
Posted by: Judy Warner | Apr 4, 2007 10:12:55 AM
Count me among the mustard partisans, save in the case of King Oscar sardines, which are best in pure form.
As to those who prefer sardines in hot sauce: Anathema!
Posted by: Ethan Cordray | Apr 4, 2007 10:26:31 AM
Just weighing in as another Melito. Clearly, sardines of a fin swim together at Mere Comments??
Posted by: kate | Apr 4, 2007 11:55:54 AM
No, Ethan has already declared his sectarianism. Pretty soon there will be 22,000 or 35,000 varieties of sardines.
Posted by: Judy Warner | Apr 4, 2007 12:02:10 PM
Dang! I have just been anathematised. Himself and his hot-sauced sardines are otta here.
Posted by: Sawyer | Apr 4, 2007 1:45:33 PM
Ahem. I am Melito of Sardis, as are two of my friends. Another is Tertullian, another Origen (a young man from whom I probably SHOULD hide the kitchen shears), and yet another found she could not answer any of the questions, so I decreed her to be Augustine of Hippo.
Posted by: S.K. Davis | Apr 4, 2007 1:56:19 PM
I also come up as St. Melito, but I must ask, how many alternatives are offered? There's no list given, but I'll bet that my patron saint (Irenaeus of Lyons) isn't one of the options provided.
This does provide an opportunit to divert (or hijack) this thread with a question for one and all --
Which saint do you most admire, and why?
Posted by: James A. Altena | Apr 4, 2007 2:06:49 PM
Yet another St. Melito. Time to quit perusing this blog and crack open the Prologue and find out who I, er, he is.
Posted by: Scott Walker | Apr 4, 2007 2:20:10 PM
I'm fast becoming partial to St. Melito of Sardis: His teachings appear to have an almost universal appeal.
Posted by: Little Gidding | Apr 4, 2007 2:27:25 PM
As far as the theologians go, I'm partial to St. Augustine. As to the apostles, Sts. John and Peter. In the Old Testament, St. Daniel the Prophet (and detective!).
For later saints, my favorite by far is St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, the kind hermit, reluctant abbot, and friend of seabirds. I also have a more conventional love for St. Francis of Assisi. I've been to both men's shrines.
I also have what may be an unhealthy fascination with the Egyptian Stylites, particularly St. Simeon.
I seem to have more eclectic taste in Saints than in sardines. I am, however, confident that none of these men ever ate them with hot sauce. See, the tradition of the church is on my side!
Posted by: Ethan Cordray | Apr 4, 2007 4:08:11 PM
Good heavens, Ethan, it appears you are in a virtual freefall toward Rome (or Constantinople). My only advice is: It sucks here too! (As I'm sure you already know...)
As to my favorite "saints", my would-be fav (over the last 500 years or so) would be Blessed Cardinal Newman. His writings played critical role in my (what I now understand to be on-going) conversion. I say "would-be" because he hasn't been canonized yet. Dern Brits it seems, in their typical British fashion, are far too self-deprecating and dry-voiced to let it be known what miracles for which they are actually interceding.
Among the ancients, Athanasius seems to me to be quite heroic and worthy of emulation. Augustine sounds too much like Calvin in some places for my vote. Well, no one ever said the saints were perfect... whilst on earth.
Posted by: Steve Nicoloso | Apr 5, 2007 9:33:20 AM
St. Nicholas decked Arius. That has to count for something.
Posted by: Scott Walker | Apr 5, 2007 10:50:54 AM
I got a St. Jerome. Maybe because I've been working on a translation all afternoon- I at least feel some empathy, at any rate.
Posted by: Gina | Apr 5, 2007 6:09:12 PM
I am Justin Martyr, but once I knew somebody named Melito.
AMDG,
Janet
Posted by: Janet C | Apr 6, 2007 10:16:35 PM
Christos Anesti!
I'm either Origen of St Melito of Sardis, depending on where I live.
Posted by: luthien | Apr 8, 2007 11:35:13 AM
"Which saint do you most admire, and why?"
Why, Saint William (the Holy Bill), of course. You needed to ask?
Posted by: Bill R | Apr 8, 2007 2:10:52 PM
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