Author Archives: Alura

About Alura

I just do my thing.

Brief Comments on David Bentley Hart’s Article Concerning the Lord’s Prayer

Posted on June 12, 2018

Recently Professor David Bentley Hart has published an article on the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. I quite enjoyed the article for its thought-provoking critique of the many present-day Christians, who do not adequately acknowledge the … Continue reading →

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Grace, Free Will, & Synergy in Orthodoxy: A Brief Excerpt from St. Faustus of Riez

Posted on January 20, 2018

Over a year ago, I wrote a series of posts concerning Pelagius, St. Augustine, and St. John Cassian’s teachings on grace and free will. As do many Orthodox commentators on this Latin doctrinal debate in the early history of the … Continue reading →

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Orthodoxy in Contemporary America

Posted on October 2, 2017

A very fine talk from David Bentley Hart at Fordham University, whereby he discusses the current state of Orthodoxy in America regarding the challenges its faces, and the potential solutions, & the risks of those solutions. He begins speaking around … Continue reading →

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I Have Created a Facebook Page

Posted on July 26, 2017

Since my blog is a little over a year old now, I figured that I might as well start a Facebook page for it. I do not want to dabble too much into social media, but I saw this month … Continue reading →

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Colin McGinn’s Inborn Knowledge: The Mystery Within

Posted on July 10, 2017

Colin McGinn’s Inborn Knowledge: The Mystery Within is an excellent monograph concerning the merits of rationalism in area of philosophy of mind, particularly concerning whether the mind is either a blank slate, or if it has innate ideas. Clocking in, so-to-speak, at … Continue reading →

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Tychonius of Africa: His Exegesis & Ecclesiology

Posted on May 27, 2017

One of the most underappreciated Latin theologians and Church Fathers today is Tychonius of Africa, who lived during the late fourth century AD. This fact is surprising considering the that Tychonius’ two works, The Book of Rules (Liber regularum) and Exposition on … Continue reading →

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Divorce & Remarriage in the Latin West: An Addendum

Posted on May 9, 2017

Many months ago, I made a post on the history of divorce and remarriage in the Latin West during the first millennium. In this post, I presented two Church Fathers, six church councils, and four penitential prescriptions that allow for … Continue reading →

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Divorce & Remarriage in the Latin West: A Forgotten History

Posted on September 17, 2016

NOTE: I have since made a follow up post for this topic, which has further arguments and evidence. Click here to see it as well. Over the past many years, there have been a number of internet articles that speak of … Continue reading →

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Upon this Rock: An Addendum

Posted on May 17, 2016

Recently it has come to my attention through criticism that my previous blog post on the Latin exegetical tradition of Matthew 16: 18-19 does not accurately take into account the Catholic Church’s position of Peter as the Rock and the … Continue reading →

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L’Homme Machine: La Mettrie’s Philosophy of Mind

Posted on April 18, 2016

I recently just finished reading Julien Jean Offray de La Mettrie’s L’Homme Machine and have come away with a surprising appreciation for this 18th century French materialist philosopher. Originally published in 1747, La Mettrie’s philosophical treatise argued in favor of … Continue reading →

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