The contemplative home of Skylar D. McManus
Reading the surviving writings of the earliest Christian authors can be challenging, rewarding, and perhaps above all frustrating. What I have found, more quickly than anything else, is just how differently these writers' perspectives and overall patterns of thinking differ from my own. As John Behr frequently puts it in his talks, we have to… Continue reading Making Sense of Patristic Christological Readings of the Old Testament
Delivered November 1, 2014 I am Skylar, DaLee's eldest surviving son. My mother claimed in a notebook she gave to me that she hated being forced to come to church. If she were here to witness this service, I hope that she would enjoy it nevertheless. I admit that I am torn in two: I… Continue reading An Elegy for My Mother
If I die before you do, I'll wait at the golden gates for you. And if I don't see you on judgment day, I'll know you went the other way. And just to prove my love to you, I'll go to hell in search of you. —Alice DaLee, date unknown R.I.P., Muh. May 15, 1974–October… Continue reading A Mother’s Promise
It's time that I tell you about my mother. I don't know why I've waited this long. But it has to be because the whole subject brings up my own recurring depression and fears. In light of certain events that have occurred recently, many have confessed their anxiety and depression. I've seen many others say… Continue reading A Short Memoir on Suicide
In the prior two books of Against Eunomius, Basil addresses what Eunomius claims about the Father (Book 1) and the Son (Book 2). The major claim that Eunomius has made is that "unbegotten" and "begotten" refer to the substance of the Father and the Son, respectively. Basil disagrees with this central tenet and offers his own… Continue reading A Summary of Basil’s Against Eunomius, Book 3
This entire series is going to discuss how to find and evaluate certain kinds of arguments. But nothing that I said in the introduction to this series indicated exactly what I mean by an “argument” in the first place. I'll explain that in this post. What Arguments Are Not Let’s start by clearing away some… Continue reading Logic 101: What’s an Argument?
In Book 1 of Against Eunomius, Basil addresses the term "unbegotten." Ultimately, the term means the same as "Father" (1.5), and hence refers to one who always, in eternity, has a Son (1.20; cf. 2:12). Against Eunomius, he says that "unbegotten" does not refer to God's substance (1.15). Book 1 addresses the "God of the universe,"… Continue reading A Summary of Basil’s Against Eunomius, Book 2
The last several months have been quite busy for me, and there's no signs of slowing down for a while! I haven't been able to commit as much time to writing here as I would like, but that should hopefully change soon. In May my family and I moved twice within three weeks. This all… Continue reading Some Personal Updates
