Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 2, Chapters 7–9 (Condensed)

Augustine, Confessions, Book 10, Chapter 31 (Section 44)

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1, Question 89, Article 1

Today we hear Irenaeus take direct aim at the Gnostic mythmakers, challenging their doctrine that this world is merely a flawed shadow of the Pleroma. With razor-sharp logic, he dismantles the contradictions in their theology: if this world is an image, what exactly does it reflect? And if it’s a shadow, where is the light? Augustine confesses his daily struggle with physical appetite, showing how easily bodily necessity becomes a cover for indulgence. Even when we eat for health, desire sneaks in. Finally, Aquinas addresses whether separated souls can still understand anything after death. His answer affirms that while the senses are gone, the soul continues to know—though in a new mode. We end with a story of William, who discovers that without his body, he still knows—through clarity rather than sight.

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