We come now to the principal relics of our Lord, viz., those connected with his sufferings and death. And, first, let us consider the case of the cross on which he was suspended. I know it is regarded as a certain fact, . . . Continue reading →
Church History
Calvin: Time For An Inventory (4)
Then they have the waterpots in which our Saviour turned the water into wine, when he was present at the marriage in Cana of Galilee. I would fain know who was their custodier all the time, and afterwards made presents of them. . . . Continue reading →
Calvin: Time For An Inventory (3)
Let us begin then with Christ. As his natural body could not be possessed, (though some have found an easy way of fabricating miraculous bodies for him, in whatever numbers, and with whatever frequency they please,) instead of it they have collected . . . Continue reading →
Calvin: Time for An Inventory (2)
The duty of Christians was, to leave the bodies of saints in their tombs in obedience to the universal sentence by which it is declared, that man is dust, and to dust will return; not to raise them up in sumptuousness and . . . Continue reading →
Calvin: Time for an Inventory (1)
Augustine, in his work, entitled, On the Labour of Monks, complaining of certain itinerant impostors, who, as early as his day, plied a vile and sordid traffic, by carrying the relics of martyrs about from place to place, adds, “If, indeed, they . . . Continue reading →
Saturday Psalm Series: Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs, and Instruments in the Vulgate (Part 2)
The Latin Bible was a major formative influence on the way the Reformed theologians interpreted Scripture. The King James Version/Authorized Version (1611) particularly reflects the influence of the Latin Bible, but its influence reverberates in many English translations. It influenced their word . . . Continue reading →
Review: Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World by Paul M. Gould
While enjoying breakfast in a quaint diner with my family the other day, I observed another family sitting a few booths over from ours, finishing up their meal. Well, “sitting” is not exactly accurate. While the mother and father sat, engrossed in . . . Continue reading →
Saturday Psalm Series: Psalms, Hymns, Spiritual Songs, and Instruments in the Vulgate (Part 1)
We Reformed folk like to think that what we do now in public worship is what we have always done. This is especially easy to do when we are cut off from or unaware of the original sources and practices of our . . . Continue reading →
Church History: The Protestant Tradition
For Protestants, the word “tradition” can have a particularly negative connotation. It reminds them of the Roman Catholic Church, where tradition is considered as binding as Scriptures and references to it are often accompanied by unsubstantiated claims of secret, unwritten apostolic authority. . . . Continue reading →
Machen Worked & Played Harder Than You Do
It does seem to me that there can never be any true advance, and above all there can never be any true prayer, unless a man does pause occasionally, as on some mountain vantage ground, to try, at least, to evaluate the age in which he is living. And when I do that, I cannot for the life of me see how any man with even the slightest knowledge of history can help recognizing the fact that we are living in a time of sad decadence—a decadence only thinly disguised by the material achievements of our age, which already are beginning to pall on us like a new toy. Continue reading →
Review: Francis Turretin (1623–87) and the Reformed Tradition by Nicholas A. Cumming (Brill, 2021)
Nicholas A. Cumming is the Assistant Professor of Humanities at Pepperdine University. Francis Turretin (1623–87) and the Reformed Tradition is an adaptation of his doctoral dissertation at King’s College London. Published in the St. Andrews Studies in Reformation History Series, the book . . . Continue reading →
Christianity and Liberalism Turned 100 in February
One hundred years ago this month, in February of 1923, J. Gresham Machen published Christianity and Liberalism. Dedicated to his mother, J. Gresham would, with the charm of a gentleman and the power of a knight, dismantle the liberal theology that slowly infected . . . Continue reading →
Did Machen Believe In Ordaining Women?
To anyone familiar with J. Gresham Machen’s biography the words, “Machen and women” will bring two facts to mind: that Machen never married and that he had a particularly intimate relationship with his mother. Much of what we know about Machen comes . . . Continue reading →
New Resource Page On Revivals And Revivalism
The nature, origins, and status of revivals and revivalism is a contested issue among scholars and popular writers on these topics. It is a question even whether revivals and revivalism are properly distinguished and if so how? There are narratives about revivals . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Gottschalk—Young, Restless, & Augustinian
All the Episodes of the Heidelcast How To Subscribe To Heidelmedia On Twitter @Heidelcast How To Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button below Subscribe in Apple Podcast Subscribe directly via RSS New Way To Call The Heidelphone: Voice Memo On Your Phone . . . Continue reading →
Why You Should Care About The Christian Past
Church History Is Family History
The value of church history is not always immediately obvious to everyone. In particular, Americans seem generally allergic to history. This is true of American Christians who are influenced by the American prejudice against history. Look at the History Channel (but only . . . Continue reading →
Review: Theodore Beza: The Man and the Myth by Shawn D. Wright
If a survey were to be taken of Christians in America, a vast majority would probably never have heard of the French Reformer, Theodore Beza (1519–1605). For those actually familiar with him, they would likely fall into one of three camps. For . . . Continue reading →
Review: Doing Theology with The Reformers by Gerald Bray
It would take a sizable monograph to catalog all the books written about the Protestant Reformation. Many Reformed Christians undoubtedly have more than a few of these books on their shelves and could likely name at least a few more. Speaking of . . . Continue reading →
St. Nicholas And The Account Of Constantine
Though we don’t have the full book, we have a chapter from the oldest known biography of Nicholas. It is called Stratelatis (Greek for Military Generals), and it was written sometime around 400 AD. This chapter recounts two stories about Nicholas. In . . . Continue reading →
Ridley, Latimer, And Cranmer: The Oxford Martyrs
One of the most interesting bits of Oxford history is the story of the Oxford Martyrs and the statue by which they are remembered. The history of the monument itself is fascinating. In 1833, John Henry Newman (1801‑90), an Anglican priest, began . . . Continue reading →