Consolation of the Bereaved: Reflections on the Pastoral Care of the Early Church Fathers from a Post-Modern Perspective

Abstract

In spite of the origin and inherent meaning of pastoral care, biblical and theological perspectives no longer shape the practice of all pastoral work in a postmodern context. In this essay, boundaries of time, culture and disciplines will be crossed to view consolation of the bereaved in the early church from a postmodern perspective, more specifically, through the lens of narrative therapy. The essay aims to explore the value of revisiting representative examples of consolation literature from the 2nd to the 5th century C.E., as part of the classical tradition of pastoral care and counselling. It will be argued that the ancient practice of consolation, rooted in the Christian narrative, can in fact be investigated as one of the first rudimentary examples, albeit unwittingly, of narrative therapy. The reading of these classical pastoral authors may also encourage us to think critically about the purpose and practice of pastoral care in our postmodern society.