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A Review of
The Ancient Path: Old Lessons from the Church Fathers for a New Life Today
John Michael Talbot
Hardback: Image, 2015
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Reviewed by Jake Kampe
Sometimes we are served well to take a good look at history in order to comprehend and find meaning within the present. Understanding the lives of those who have walked on this Earth before us is imperative to understanding ourselves as well as our place within the Kingdom of God. As American culture, and more significantly, the Church, finds itself within a system of complexity and identity crisis, the need for a healthy balance is become increasingly apparent. When inundated with a seemingly endless onslaught of belief systems, theological constructs and Christian trends, it is becoming more and more difficult to build and strengthen a clearly definable foundation of faith. Becoming increasing frustrated, especially within younger generations, Christians are finding the repetitive and sometimes transparent teachings of modern Christianity empty, often leaving them with more feelings of discontent than peace. It is no surprise than countless Christians are finding or rediscovering comfort in the liturgical Church structures, spiritual disciplines and the teachings and philosophies of the ancient leaders. Looking specifically at the example of the Church Fathers, the Church has at its disposal a priceless asset that is just as essential for us today; maybe even more so.
Observing the ancient path of the Church Fathers reveals a refreshing simplicity of faith, and John Michael Talbot takes us on both a historical and personal journey in this concise, basic and simple new book: The Ancient Path: Old Lessons from the Church Fathers for a New Life Today. Talbot passes on to the reader a jewel born from the catastrophic fire that destroyed his monastery community in 2008, along with his entire extensive library of ancient writings. In the aftermath of such a horrific event and losing so many personal, invaluable references, Talbot came to a realization that transformed his faith perspective and planted the seeds of his desire to recover what he had lost. As thousands of volumes of teachings and tradition fluttered around him like “butterflies”, the voices of the Church Fathers echoed throughout his soul, manifesting themselves not so much on the pages of his treasured collection, but in the sanctuary of his heart. Within the pages of The Ancient Path, the complexity of faith becomes simple, and loss gives birth to “retrieval and recovery”.
The Ancient Path is not so much a historical account of the great Church Fathers, but more of a recollection of a personal journey. In a very clever way, Talbot is able to intertwine his own personal spiritual journey, with travel companions such as Origen, Augustine, Cyprian, Basil the Great, St. Francis of Assisi, Polycarp and John Chrysostom. From rock star to disenchanted Evangelical Christian to Roman Catholic Monk to founder of one of the most successful modern monastic communities, the author reveals how essential these great leaders have been to his own spiritual growth and in building the foundation of faith on which he stands firmly today. Regardless of denominational background, Talbot guides the reader to a realization of how essential and beneficial are the teachings of the Church Fathers. Throughout the book, Talbot paints a refreshingly simple picture using the brush of these great spiritual forerunners, revealing the essential truths of Christ, salvation, community, spirituality and finding our place in the Kingdom of God. The reader will be urged to investigate further as the true simplicity of the Christian faith becomes illuminated within the ancient, but new light.
Without the luxury of modern technology, the Church Fathers have passed down to us the gift of first-hand apostolic accounts, in which great detail was taken to the accuracy and content of their message. Talbot illustrates how in the most basic form of communication, these leaders orally developed a systematic method of understanding the Christian faith, long before the first volume of Systematic Theology had ever been written. “The saints depended upon the saints; the Fathers took up what the apostles had handed on; the apostles learned the ways of common life from Jesus.” It is in such declarations that Talbot urges the reader to rediscover a foundation in the ancient teachings of these great spiritual leaders. He clearly reveals that the Church has at its disposal an ancient “measuring rod” in which to reground itself and find new direction as the Body of Christ. Throughout the book, Talbot reveals how much of what the Church Fathers had hoped to avoid has comes to pass many times over. Indeed, history is often cyclical. Many times errors of the past are repeated in ignorance, but more often mankind realizes that the past offers answers to the problems that we face today. As the Church faces some of the exact problems faced by the Apostles, it could well be on the cusp of moving back into a simple humble pattern of faith that the Church Father intended in the beginning.
The Ancient Path is not an exhaustive account of the lives of the Church Fathers. The reader looking for historical accounts, detailed teachings and significant events will be disappointed. Talbot’s goal is to present a basic introduction that will leave the reader with a desire to dig deeper. He lays out a simple entreaty to the influence that these spiritual leaders have had throughout history with clarity and very Straightforward structure. But more significantly, Talbot illustrates how the example of the Church Fathers is just as vital and relevant for the Church today because it reminds us of the true simplicity of faith. Through the pages of The Ancient Path, Talbot presents to us a jewel that has been protected and preserved by the Church Fathers for over 2000 years. Perhaps the eyes of our hearts are finally opening to the fact that we merely need to open the gift.
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Jake Kampe is an associate pastor without a home, wandering in the Kingdom of God and living in League City, Texas. He is also a Third Order Franciscan and works as a free-lance writer and stay at home dad. He is currently working on his first book, Naked Theology. You can contact Jake on facebook, Twitter or visit his blog at www.nakedtheologyblog.
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
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Chris, before the ‘rock star’ status, Johnny Talbot was a student in the Arlington High School neighborhood and may have spent time as a student at Warren Central, also. During this time, his musical career, along with his brother, Terry Talbot, Christian recording artist based in California, took off and the rest is history, as they say, He still has some musical connections in central Indiana, including me, but from a distance. He is on FB, of course. You might look him up there. His monastic community is about a 2 iron shot east of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He is very approachable. You might want to make a direct contact. He is still very active in Christian music, too.