Early Fathers Research Articles

Transitioning to fatherhood: Prospective effects of wellbeing on future depression symptoms.

Becoming a father is a critical period of life transition. Evidence suggests that lifetime history of mental health disorder/s and elevated depressive symptoms prior to conception increase risk for men's postnatal depression. Less is understood about the role of positive mental health, or wellbeing, as a protective factor for future depressive outcomes during the transition to fatherhood. The present study investigated whether men's post-natal depressive outcomes were associated with pre-conception levels of wellbeing and whether wellbeing during the post-natal period predicted depressive outcomes post-infancy. Secondary analysis of data from a national, longitudinal cohort study of men's health, namely, The Ten to Men Study (TTM), was conducted. Participants in the pre-conception sample were n = 350 men for whom data were available at both a pre-conception baseline and post-natal follow-up. The post-natal sample were n = 427 men with post-natal baseline data and post-infancy follow-up. Multivariate negative binomial regressions and logistic regression models were used to determine pre-conception and post-natal predictors of future depressive outcomes. Men's pre-conception depressive symptoms were the best predictor of post-natal depressive symptoms (IRR = 1.089, p < 0.001) and risk of moderate-severe depression (IRR = 1.193, p = 0.005) the latter of which was also predicted by a previous mental health diagnosis (IRR = 3.079, p = 0.029). Similarly, post-natal depressive symptoms were the best predictor of post-infancy depressive symptoms (IRR = 1.089, p < 0.001) and risk of moderate-severe depression (IRR = 1.193, p = 0.005) alongside lifetime prevalence of a mental health disorder (symptoms: IRR = 1.317, p = 0.011; moderate-severe depression: IRR = 2.606, p = 0.023). Preconception levels of wellbeing predicted lower post-natal depressive symptoms (IRR = 0.988, p < 0.001) and reduced risk of moderate-severe depression (IRR = 0.940, p = 0.002) after controlling for baseline symptoms and sociodemographic and behavioural confounds; however, wellbeing during the post-natal period did not predict either depressive outcome post-infancy. Fatherhood-specific risk factors for mental health outcomes (e.g., conception difficulties, maternal postnatal mental health) were not assessed in the present study, and only one aspect of wellbeing was captured. Screening for history of common mental health disorders and current symptoms is recommended to inform preventative approaches to paternal mental health care during early fatherhood. Inclusion of wellbeing in such screening procedures may be beneficial, however, further research is required to elucidate the prospective associations between wellbeing and depressive symptoms during the transition to fatherhood.

THE EFFECTS OF WORKING WHILE STUDYING ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF CRIMINOLOGY STUDENTS IN CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY – BACOOR CITY CAMPUS

This study aims to determine the effects of working while studying to the academic performance of Criminology students in Cavite State University- Bacoor City Campus. Specifically, this study aimed to identify the effects of working while studying to the performance of criminology students in Cavite State University- Bacoor City Campus; determine challenges faced by the students in studying while working; determine the challenges faced by the students in studying while working: determine the coping mechanisms of the criminology students in studying while working. KEYWORDS: Fatherhood, Young Fathers, Early Fatherhood, Early Fathers

From Traditional-Aged Students to Teenage Fathers: A Qualitative Study of Social Challenges and Experiences of East Asian Second-Generation Teenage Fathers

This study aims to investigate East Asian second-generation teenage fathers’ stress and problems resulting from internal factors and external influences in the United States. The relationships between the changes in the teenage fathers’ family structures, social expectations, and experiences of educational and financial challenges during the pregnancy (of their partner) and into the period of their early fatherhood were examined. Based on the Interpretative phenomenological method, ten participants who had experienced stress and problems due to their characteristics as teenage fathers, particularly second-generation East Asian Americans, participated in this study. Three semi-structured interviews, one focus group activity, and one member-checking interview were used to collect in-depth lived stories. Three themes emerged: (1) Cultural characteristics: Detrimental perspectives from family members and the public, (2) Age: The hindrance of youth as a characteristic of teenage fathers, and (3) Career development: The challenges of earning a minimum salary and having an unforeseen career. The findings indicated that counseling services based on patients’ sociocultural backgrounds and practices should be considered to offer effective treatments to ethnic minorities, in this case, East Asian Americans. The results of this study can provide a map for public health researchers to use in refining sex education and sexual health promotion, and the approach can offer a blueprint for capturing the voices of other teenage parents.

The First-Time Fathers’ Experiences in Early Fatherhood: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

The First-Time Fathers’ Experiences in Early Fatherhood: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Ethnic affiliation and protective sexual behaviours among youth in Nigeria.

Investing in the sexual and reproductive health of young adults can directly and indirectly contribute to accelerated economic growth. Looking beyond individual determinants of sexual behaviours and focusing on cultural factors such as ethnic affiliation are crucial for interventions and programme planning, particularly in a context like Nigeria. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods design, this article explores the associations between ethnic affiliations and protective sexual behaviours of young adults in Nigeria. The quantitative data was derived from a representative sample of 1,393 male and female youth aged 16-24 years in three states purposively selected from three regions in Nigeria, while qualitative data was based on 18 focus groups and 36 in-depth interviews. The quantitative data was analysed using frequency distributions and regressions, while content analysis was employed to analyse qualitative data. Descriptive results showed that abstinence was higher for Hausa (80%) young adults compared with Yoruba (72%) and Igbo (68%) young adults. Condom use was lowest for Hausa (56%) young adults compared with Igbo (80%) and Yoruba (81%) young adults. The effect of education on abstinence differed by ethnicity and living with two parents was associated with a higher likelihood of abstinence among youth in all ethnic groups. Fear of early fatherhood and unplanned pregnancy was a prominent reason for protective sexual behaviour among Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa young adults. The findings from this study show that young adults who engage in protective sexual behaviours may identify different rationales for this behaviour based on their ethnic background. Programme planners interested in promoting and encouraging protective sexual behaviours should recognize these multiple reasons across different ethnic affiliations to scale up and sustain existing interventions.

Latent profiles of dyadic parent–child interaction and associations with triadic family interaction in early childhood

AbstractObjectiveThis longitudinal study examined latent profiles of parent–child interaction and their associations with triadic family interaction.BackgroundA child's development is significantly influenced by early family relationships. Family systems theory emphasizes the interrelations between family subsystems, such as parent–child and parent–parent relationships, as well as the family as a whole. However, few studies have examined the relationship between each parent–child dyad and triadic family interaction.MethodFathers and mothers were separately videotaped interacting with their child (n = 120) at 4 and 18 months and assessed using the Parent–Child Early Relational Assessment. Triadic family interaction was evaluated at 18 months using the Family Alliance Assessment Scale within a Lausanne Trilogue Play setting.ResultsFour latent profiles of parent–child interaction were identified. Dyadic interaction that was characterized by reciprocity, positive affect, and low negativity was associated with higher family coordination. However, interaction characterized by a lack of reciprocity, negativity, and dyadic tension was related to less coordinated triadic family interaction.ConclusionsWell‐functioning parent–child interaction contributes to higher‐quality triadic family interaction. In contrast, challenges in early father–child interaction, including emotional distance, a lack of positive paternal involvement, and limited mutual engagement, are linked to lower‐quality triadic family interaction.ImplicationsThis study highlights the importance of supporting early parent–child relationships to promote well‐functioning and coordinated triadic family interaction, and the inclusion of fathers in interventions aiming to improve family dynamics.

Fatherhood timing and men’s midlife earnings: A within-family study of Finnish cohorts born in 1938−50

Fathers tend to achieve higher earnings than childless men, but there is limited evidence on the associations between fatherhood timing and men’s later earnings. Using a longitudinal census-based sample of Finnish men, including a subsample of brothers, we investigated fatherhood timing and men’s midlife earnings using both between- and within-family models. Earnings around age 50 were lower among adolescent and young fathers than for men who became fathers at ages 25–29 or later, but these associations became negligible after accounting for measured confounders and unobserved familial confounding. Overall, our findings highlight the important roles of selection into early childbearing and into childlessness. At the population level, early fatherhood was associated with clear negative distributional shifts in fathers’ midlife earnings. However, among all men, any influence of fatherhood timing on men’s midlife earnings distribution paled in comparison with that of childlessness.

Health literacy among fathers and fathers-to-be: a multi-country, cross-sectional survey.

During pregnancy and early fatherhood, men are at higher risk of poor health, exacerbated by low engagement by healthcare services. Yet the transition to fatherhood presents an opportunity for men to improve their health and health behaviours. Health literacy refers to individuals' competence in accessing and applying health information. Poor health literacy is associated with poor health and low help-seeking. The aim of this study was to identify health literacy strengths, needs and profiles among fathers. Men who were expecting a baby ('antenatal') or had become fathers in the past 18 months ('postnatal') were recruited through an international, online paid survey platform. The survey included the nine-scale Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). Of 889 survey respondents (n = 416, 46.5% antenatal; n = 473, 53.5% postnatal), 274 (31.0%) were residing in the USA and 239 (27.0%) in the UK. Relatively higher scores were reported for HLQ scales relating to having sufficient information and finding and understanding this information, as well as social support for health. Relatively lower scores were obtained for scales relating to actively managing one's own health and navigating the health care system. Three scale scores were significantly lower among nulliparous than multiparous men. Seven health literacy profiles were identified. In conclusion, while fathers have some health literacy strengths, they also experience some barriers, particularly first-time fathers. Awareness of diverse health literacy profiles among fathers may assist in developing strategies to strengthen health services' capacity to meet fathers' needs and reduce risks to their health at this critical juncture in families' lives.

Studies in Litigation Against the Church in Nigeria: The Case of Basilica of Grace, Abbi

This study captures in vivid perspectives, the legal battles that the Church has come to face in recent times in Nigeria over land. For this case-study that is focused on the Basilica of Grace, Abbi in Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria, attempt shall be made to concentrate on the legal struggles the Church began to face in recent times arising from land hunger and the emergence of the commercializing influence of capitalism on the Church in Nigeria. The Church in Nigeria has become hugely wealthy that attack on it has become quite fashionable with the hope and aim that in the calculated process of litigating with the Church over land, the Church may cave into settlement with the disputants and in the process, the disputants may ‘hack into the finances of the Church’ and ‘chop out a large chunk-of-cash from the tilt of the Church’ in order for the Church to have peace. This study which adopts the doctrinal method interrogates the circumstances that led the Basilica of Grace, Abbi (under the Registered Trustees of Diocese of Ndokwa Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion) into a pernicious legal battle with Femi Ojuyenum and six others representing Ogwezzi-Amacha family of Umu-Onyugba Street of Abbi. The study traces the origin of the grant of the land to the Church, the ceding of a part to the State for School as a Missionary Society and the pseudo reversionary claim of the Ogwezzi-Amacha family and the conveyance of same to unscrupulous ‘money bags’ in Abbi community who have taken turns to transfer the land in millions from one ‘Barron’ to another to the discomfiture of the Church at Abbi. It further interrogates the legal processes and pleadings of the parties through the trial court to the various appellate courts in details and captures the socio-legal influences driving the litigation. The study finds that those who dabbled into the litigation with the Basilica of Grace did so for selfish interest and in a calculated desire to upturn the grant made by the early fathers of Abbi community to the Christian Missionary Society on the spurious claims that those forefathers who made the grant in relative antiquity were merely overwhelmed by European civilizing influence and uninformed of the ancient and current value of land. The study found further that the litigation was being fought in the face of a customary arbitration against the antagonists of the Church. The study therefore suggests and recommends that the claims and attacks against the grant and the Church should be repudiated and dropped by the defendants to ‘allow sleeping dog lie’.

(339) Urologic and Psychiatric Considerations in Male Genital Self-Mutilation

Abstract Introduction Male genital self-mutilation (GSM) can be categorized into four subtypes – amputation, castration, mutilation, and combined amputation/castration. The most common psychiatric diagnosis associated with GSM is schizophrenia, followed by substance use disorders, personality disorders and gender dysphoria. Objective We discuss a case of amputation/castration GSM in a patient presenting without his severed organ. Treatment considerations in patients with active psychosis due to schizophrenia presenting with GSM are discussed. Methods A 30-year-old single male with a history of schizophrenia requiring multiple prior inpatient psychiatric admissions, obsessive compulsive disorder, and autism spectrum disorder presented to the Emergency Department with penile and bilateral testicular self-amputation. Upon inquiry regarding the method of injury, the patient stated “someone” instructed him to “cut off” his penis and testes with a pair of scissors. He subsequently disposed of his severed organs by flushing them down the toilet. Consent was obtained from the patient’s mother, who served as his healthcare proxy. He underwent operative intervention including penile “stump-plasty”, suture ligation of the bilateral spermatic cords, and scrotal Penrose drain placement with loose re-approximation of scrotal skin. He was admitted for inpatient psychiatric care for management of schizophrenia with active psychosis. Post-operatively he was observed repeatedly touching and contaminating his surgical site and developed a wound infection. The patient underwent operative wound exploration and washout on post-operative day 10. He convalesced well after completing a course of antibiotics for MRSA wound infection. Results Operative intervention options in patients presenting with GSM differ based on the presence or absence of the severed penis. In this patient who presented without the severed penis, possible operative intervention includes primary closure with urethral advancement (stump-plasty), debridement and delayed repair with skin grafting, and perineal urethrostomy. Our patient underwent stump-plasty, and was able to void while standing in the post-operative period. Penile replantation can be considered when the organ has not been discarded. Considerations in psychiatric patients presenting with self-inflicted injuries secondary to a psychotic episode include the patient’s ability to provide informed consent, insight into the patient’s condition, history and severity of mental illness, and increased likelihood of future attempts at self-harm. Severe schizophrenia is associated with increased perioperative complications, including sepsis, acute kidney injury, increased length of stay, and operative wound infections, as well as increased odds of having an adverse operative outcome. Risk factors for GSM include psychotic experiences, personality disorders, prior history of GSM, alcohol and drug use, guilt toward sexual feelings, and early father loss. Patients presenting with an acute episode of psychosis and GSM have increased risk of future GSM, with up to one-third of these patients making a repeated attempt at GSM. Conclusions In a patient with GSM who presents without the severed organ, the physician should consider the patient’s psychiatric history. In patients with an acute psychotic episode and severe schizophrenia, physicians should consider primary closure with urethral advancement versus perineal urethrostomy rather than delayed repair with skin grafting to avoid the risk of wound infection. Disclosure No

An exploration of masculinity, social support and depression in new and experienced fathers

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the relationship between masculinity, perceived social support and depression symptomology in the postpartum period in new and experienced fathers. DesignCross-sectional questionnaire study. ParticipantsA total of 118 first- and second-time fathers (N = 48) of infants aged under 12-months, currently residing in the United Kingdom. Measurements and FindingsQuestionnaires consisted of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Data were analysed through inferential statistics. Key ConclusionsMasculine norms of self-reliance and primacy of work were positively related to depression symptomology in both father groups. Perceived social support was negatively related to depression symptomology. Further analyses revealed significant effects regarding partner health status and depression symptomology. No significant differences were found between presentation of first- and second-time fathers. Implications for PracticeMain findings support partners as a part of the family unit. Findings have implications for midwives in that an increased understanding of these factors in early fatherhood could improve family outcomes.

La saluberrima auctoritas del sinodo: il tracciato della sinodalitá al tempo di Agostino d'Ippona by Giuseppe Di Corrado (review)

Reviewed by: La saluberrima auctoritas del sinodo: il tracciato della sinodalitá al tempo di Agostino d'Ippona by Giuseppe Di Corrado Simon Mercieca La saluberrima auctoritas del sinodo: il tracciato della sinodalitá al tempo di Agostino d'Ippona. By Giuseppe Di Corrado. (Trapani, Italy: Il Pozzo di Giacobbe. 2022. Pp. 165. €20,00. ISBN 978-88-6124-997-4). The title of his book in English would be: The Healthy Authority of the Synod: the Pathways of Synodality at the Time of Augustine of Hippo. As noted by Cardinal Mario Grech, in the introduction to this book, this is an important work that will help the Roman Catholic Church find its path along the tortuous road of the third millennium. Grech is absolutely right. As observed by the author, Giuseppe Di Corrado, reconstructing the history of the origins of synodality within the Church is not easy, as the early fathers did not keep records or have fixed rules and regulations about how these synods were to be convened and held. Therefore, even the percursus of constructing such a history represents a mammoth task. However, the end result is more than rewarding, for it can help today's Church establish the correct way of holding synods and what these synods should represent to the faithful of God. Di Corrado has built his narrative step by step from snippets, and detailed references, to the administrative procedures from works of St. Augustine and other early fathers of the Church. No source has been ignored, including those considered controversial such as the works and letters of Pelagius. Even disputed theological treaties can furnish invaluable historical information. Nothing in history can or should ever be discarded. What is of great interest here, and this is not only for those who study early church history but also for those interested in the development of democracy in Europe, is that this process of synodality began in North Africa. It was the work of the bishops in North Africa, starting with Augustine of Hippo—but not only Augustine—who established the Roman authority of the pope on the principle of collegiality. [End Page 392] Thanks to this process, Rome had left it in the hands of local bishops to regulate issues of discipline within their own dioceses. On their part, the bishops did not take matters into their hands but sought to regulate their actions through the governing body of the synod. The way these synods met was not much different from the way parliaments or Estates-General worked in Europe during Early Modern Times. What made these synods unique, and I would add precursors of modern parliaments, was the fact that the laymen had a right to attend and even to set and influence the synods' agenda. As happens in parliaments today, they were not allowed to sit with the elected who, in the case of the synods, were the priests and presbyterians; the rest stayed outside the presbytery. At the same time, Di Corrado warns the reader that the synods should not be considered—as rightly stated by Pope Francis—to be a sort of church parliament. Synods were not held to confront theologians nor to set up policies but to bring reconciliation within the Church's fractured communities. This was to materialize through auctoritas or authority. This explains why authority is described as salubrious in this book. Therefore, auctoritas goes beyond the Foucauldian interpretation of power. The power of the Church, Di Corrado reminds us, should be employed differently from the power or auctoritas of the state. The power of the Church should be led by the Holy Spirit and the love toward one's neighbor. Di Corrado's work reveals another interesting aspect that deserves attention. In this period of early Christianity, there was no concept of separation of powers. This is what the author of this book means when he states that the Church of Africa, in particular St. Augustine, upheld the principle that the ultimate power lay with the pope in Rome. In other words, in the Early Church, there were different concepts of power or auctoritas and the auctoritas of the pope in Rome was understood differently from the auctoritas of...

ЄДНІСТЬ ЦЕРКВИ ХРИСТОВОЇ В ІНТЕРПРЕТАЦІЇ МУЖІВ АПОСТОЛЬСЬКИХ

The article presents exploration of a separate and historically formed religion – Christianity, about the unity of the Church, which is considered in the interpretation of the Apostolic Men, who sought to strengthen the Church and support Christians, because at that time they suffered due to the danger of pagan persecution and heretical manifestations among communities. They normalized the hierarchical factor among the churches that were scattered throughout the Roman provinces. At that time, dioceses had just begun to appear, in their original form, which was borrowed from the Byzantine, or more precisely, from the ancient Greek model, which regulated political and supervisory trade relations delegated to the bishop (Greek. επαρχος), and in the Roman Empire – to the overseer (Greek. επισκοπος) in the diocese (lat. dioecesis). Apostolic disciples developed a unique hierarchical order, which for many centuries ensured the preservation of unity on the territory of the then ancient world. The significance of patristic theological concepts and postulates that form the church of Christ, however, exclusively as a gathering of the faithful, for whom it is important to expand their personal understanding of soteriology and commandments that Jesus Christ gave to his disciples and their followers, is highlighted. The Church, this gathering always has its founder the Lord Jesus Christ, but its development was continued by the holy apostles and those who were appointed by them for evangelical preaching, service, instruction and in the matter of salvation for those who believed in Christ Jesus, who came to earth, to save a person by showing an example, as well as commandments and instructions. To date, a rather small number of Christian churches understand the concept of unity in its ontological apostolic teaching. The importance of revealing this multifaceted issue is aimed at rethinking the Christian worldview in its unitary and ecclesiological original nature. This article is to highlight the views on the unity of the Church of Christ of the early fathers who were witnesses of apostolic activity. The students who were taught by the apostles during the 1st and 2nd centuries fought for the establishment of the United Cathedral and Apostolic Church. To reveal the ecclesiological understanding of the organization of early assemblies, their hierarchical component and the role of the bishop in the formation of church unity among the people of the ancient world.

Childhood Socioeconomic Position and Cardiovascular Disease Among Older Women and Men: The Moderating Role of Parenthood Onset.

Objectives: Based on a life-course approach, the purpose of this study is to analyze how the age at the birth of a first child moderates the relationship between childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) incidence in old age, separately for women and men. Methods: We used a rich and representative life history survey of people aged from 65 to 75 living in Santiago, Chile (n = 802), and weighted multivariate statistical models. Data collection process involved the use of face-to-face life history calendars, administered by well-trained interviewers. Results: Early motherhood increases the risk of suffering CVD among older women with a disadvantaged childhood SEP, while late motherhood decreases it. By contrast, early fatherhood decreases CVD risk among older men with an adverse childhood SEP, while late fatherhood increases it. Conclusion: Our findings about the moderating role of parenthood onset on CVD risk among older women and men with a disadvantaged childhood SEP contributes to public health reflections on unexplored cardiovascular risk factors, which lead to substantial changes in women's and men's life courses, and might optimize cardiovascular prevention strategies.

Association of adolescent and young adult depression and anxiety with perinatal mental health in fathers: Findings from an Australian longitudinal study

The current study examined associations between preconception diagnoses of major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders in adolescence and young adulthood and perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms in early fatherhood. In an Australian community cohort study of health and development, earlier history of MDD and anxiety disorders (extending back to adolescence) were assessed retrospectively in the third trimester of pregnancy via the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Paternal perinatal depression and anxiety were then assessed prospectively over three timepoints (third trimester of pregnancy, 8 weeks and 12 months postpartum), using established cut-points on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (anxiety subscale). Mixed-effects regression models examined risk associations between preconception diagnoses of MDD and anxiety disorders, and perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms at each timepoint, adjusting for socio-demographic factors and concurrent maternal mental health difficulties. The odds of clinically concerning levels of paternal perinatal depression and anxiety were 6-fold and 4-fold higher, respectively, in men with a preconception history of MDD. The odds of perinatal depression were 3-fold higher in men with a preconception history of an anxiety disorder. Less evidence was found for an association between preconception diagnoses of an anxiety disorder and perinatal anxiety in fathers. Interventions aimed at improving mental health in men during adolescence and young adulthood may promote continued psychological health in men during early fatherhood.

John the Theologian and His Paschal Gospel: A Prologue to Theology by John Behr

Reviewed by: John the Theologian and His Paschal Gospel: A Prologue to Theology by John Behr Matthew Z. Vale John the Theologian and His Paschal Gospel: A Prologue to Theology by John Behr (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), xv + 388 pp. Father Behr's book defies summary. Its ambitions span several fields—patristics, contemporary biblical scholarship, speculative systematics, phenomenology—and Behr has controversial proposals in each. The book is not (expressly) a work of systematic theology, but its speculative élan and its ambition to give a normative account of Christian theology's beating heart is unmistakable. If a vice of the book is vagueness on questions of burning Christological, protological, and eschatological interest, among its virtues is the verve and vividness with which it provokes such questions to begin with. Behr has written, not a book on John, but a Johannine manifesto on theology. [End Page 989] The book is a "symposium" in three parts, each inviting a different kind of reader of John's gospel. The first is predominantly "historical" (the early Fathers of the Johannine school, reconstructed by modern scholarship), the second predominantly "exegetical" (contemporary biblical studies), and the third "philosophical," with a single guest in Michel Henry. The book's heart is an argument about what "incarnation" means. When it comes to the Incarnation, we labor, Behr says, under what Quentin Skinner calls a "mythology of doctrine," the hermeneutical fallacy of projecting onto a tradition's classical writers positions and whole doctrinal categories developed only later (6–8). The mythology of doctrine Behr opposes is, in fact, a mythological notion of the Incarnation as "an episode in the biography of the Word" (a phrase from Rowan Williams), the episode when a "pre-incarnate Word" is born as Jesus (3, and throughout). To break the ice on this mythology, part 1 reconstructs an original milieu for John's Gospel—a school of John the Evangelist, centered upon an original Pascha celebration—in which "becoming flesh," "Word," and "human being" mean something other than the dogmatic meanings we project back onto them. This Johannine school is not the Johannine "community" posited by historical-critical studies, but the school of John's "hearers" that J. B. Lightfoot traced from Polycarp of Smyrna, Ignatius of Antioch, Papias of Hierapolis, and Melito of Sardis down to Irenaeus (30–31). Behr's reconstruction makes the following proposals. Our evangelist is John the Elder, the beloved disciple, not the Synoptics' son of Zebedee. This John was plausibly an eyewitness to the crucifixion—alone among the evangelists. He authored both the Gospel and the Apocalypse bearing his name, according to near unanimous second-century tradition (76). The Apocalypse was possibly written before the Gospel, perhaps before the Temple's destruction. John the Elder originated the yearly Pascha celebration, and it remained peculiar to his school until the second half of the second century. This feast originally celebrated the crucifixion, burial, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost as the single event of the Passion, just as in John's Gospel Jesus's ascension (12:32), glorification (13:31–2), and "handing down the Spirit" (19:30) are identified with the crucifixion. Only later was the Passion's simple white light refracted into the liturgical cycle's rainbow of distinct feasts (91–92, 243). This reconstruction is explicitly speculative. Its purpose is to enliven our imaginations about what the evangelist's vision may possibly be. If the mythological picture of the Incarnation is easily recognized as false, our theological traditions still have not entirely exorcised it from their standard narration. Behr proposes a Johannine narration untroubled by this [End Page 990] mythology. The Incarnation is not a novelty occurring for God at some moment. No previously fleshless divine agent undergoes change to become flesh at some time. The Incarnation must instead be understood "apocalyptically," as the eternal mystery of Jesus Christ being revealed for us in time (256-57). The Incarnation is Jesus's eternal identity as the Word being revealed and wrought in time and pro nobis by the Passion (24, 29, 257, 130). John's Gospel should be read, in John Ashton's words, as "an apocalypse—in reverse, upside down, inside out" (4, 99...

Repentance and forgiveness: Classical and patristic perspectives on a reformation theme

This article argues that from classical to early modern times, repentance and forgiveness have been experienced as desired qualities for human coexistence in a fallible world. The early church Fathers reveal a basic continuity in expression of repentance between Christianity and the classical world, as the church sometimes resorted to prevailing cultural mechanisms for reconciliation. These included a common evaluation of the past and the public commitment to a different way of life. Christianity emphasised the vertical dimension of repentance, as it insisted on God as an involved party who was transgressed against by any form of horizontal human sin. This went far beyond the occasional provocation of individual gods by arrogance but was personal and relational in character. The church integrated the practice of repentance and conversion through special days and seasons, as well as by an emphasis on the Holy Scriptures as the divine standard for human living. Although formats differed, the theological notions show a spiritual agreement and consistency. For repentance to qualify for forgiveness, a baptised Christian required conviction of sin, reconciliation through God’s appointed means, and a proven new course of behaviour that complied with divine standards.

NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA

There was a considerable debate among the early church fathers about which books ought to be included in the New Testament Canon and which ought to be omitted. Those which were omitted from the New Testament Canon were known as Apocrypha. This paper is eclectic in nature as the researchers use both descriptive and analytical methods. The findings reveal that the reasons for their not being canonized were that they were not inspired and lacked apostolic authorship. Their writings claimed to add missing details of the canonical books, and some wrote just to satisfy curiosity. The findings also reveal the importance of providing extracanonical traditions about the life and teaching of Jesus not found in the canonized books. They provide some information about Jesus and the apostles lacking in the New Testament. They contain traditions that can be etched back to the very beginning of Christianity. They are indispensable to understanding the theological environment of the first century. The study is essential as it educates on the general understanding of which books comprise the New Testament Apocrypha and how they can help one understand some missing information about key New Testament actors not discussed in the New Testament. The researchers recommend that though these writings cannot stand on a par with the canonized books of the New Testament, they should be studied for their rich historicity. Their knowledge contributes immensely to the understanding of the New Testament.

Working out dads (WOD): a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a group-based peer support intervention for men experiencing mental health difficulties in early fatherhood

BackgroundApproximately one in ten men experience mental health difficulties during the early years of fatherhood, and these can have negative impacts on children and families. However, few evidence-based interventions targeting fathers’ mental health are available. The aim of the trial is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Working Out Dads (WOD) – a facilitated peer support group intervention for fathers of young children, in reducing psychological distress and other mental health symptoms.MethodsThis trial will employ a parallel-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of WOD peer support group intervention compared to usual care (a 30-min mental health and service focused phone consultation with a health professional). A total of 280 fathers of young children (aged 0-4 years) who are experiencing mental health difficulties and/or are at risk of poor mental health will be recruited.Randomisation and analyses will be at the level of the individual participant. The primary outcome is psychological distress symptoms, measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) from baseline to 24 weeks post randomisation. A range of secondary outcomes will be assessed including suicidal ideation; mental health disorders, specific symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress; social support, quality of life, health service use, and health care costs. Data will be collected at baseline, 10- and 24 weeks post-randomisation.DiscussionThis trial will examine the effectiveness of a novel group-based peer support intervention in reducing the psychological distress and other mental health symptoms of fathers compared to usual care. The economic and process evaluation will guide policy decision making along with informing the future implementation of WOD on a larger scale if effectiveness is demonstrated.Trial registrationThe current trial has been registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Registration ID - NCT04813042). Date of Registration: March 22nd, 2021.

PARASITE SOUP: FAITH AND SCIENCE IN THE HISTORY OF PARASITOLOGY

AbstractPopular conceptions of the relationship between science and religion often emphasize the mutual compatibility but segregation of these two authoritative domains. However, along the uncertain border between these two spheres exist many questions that appear to influence and be influenced by both scientific and theological evidence. For biologists, the gruesome details of parasite biology and behavior illuminate a shadow in nature where science and theology must intersect—did a loving creator God design parasites? Here, I explore the writings and experiments of the early fathers of parasitology who established and matured a new scientific discipline while deeply integrating their theological beliefs with their scientific investigations. I argue that modern scientists can, and often should, follow in the footsteps of our scientific forefathers and intentionally allow our theological presuppositions to inspire scientific experiments, especially in these important boundary‐crossing subjects. In doing so, I believe we may advance scientific understanding of the way reality is by asking unexpected questions and uncover deeper truths about the character of God as revealed in his intricately complex and eternally fascinating creation.