The Calvinist International
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace in me was not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:10). The famous English theologian, John Davenant claims that the Reformers affirm infused grace, that is, grace inhering within the souls of believers after being “poured in” (or inspired – “inbreathed”) to the soul […]
Recently having had occasion to revisit a passage in Rufinus of Aquileia’s Commentary on the Apostles’ Creed, which I discussed briefly here, I was struck by the principles he sets out when dealing with the validity of confessing Christ’s descent into hell. 18. They who have handed down the Creed to us have with much forethought […]
I thought I would add a brief appendix to Andrew’s excellent rejoinder to Feyerabend and Feser on the principle of sola scriptura. Richard Hooker (since we’re being judicious) upheld three authorities for Christians: Scripture, reason, and church tradition. Andrew explains how the first two work together to uphold the principle of sola scriptura. The last one, church […]
Perhaps it would have done Descartes some good to read Gregory of Nyssa. Perhaps not. Regardless, for Gregory, there is great mystery in the human intellect. Man lacks the ability to fully comprehend himself, though surely he comprehends what is necessary for cognition, for piety, and for the other virtues. The incomprehensibleness of the human […]
Zacharius Ursinus, the famed theology professor at the University of Heidelberg and author of the Heidelberg Catechism, took part in a public disputation on the sacraments at the Academy of Rostock in the year 1581. It is not clear from the text whether he was present at the disputation, but he apparently made annotations on the topics that were […]
Aristotle’s Organon was the essential logic textbook for most Christian educational institutions in the 16th century. Most editions of the Organon included Porphyry’s summary of Aristotle’s logic, the Isagoge. Zacharinus Ursinus, the author of the Heidelberg Catechism, produced his own version of the Organon along with Porphyry’s introduction to be used for teaching the basics of logic […]
After preaching an excellent sermon on a difficult text (Genesis 1:1-2), John Chrysostom encourages his congregation to keep the sermon going, so to speak, in the home: Perhaps our first reaction is to submit our minds immediately to a whole range of intricate questions. So it’s better to conclude our sermon at this point, exhorting […]
The late John Stott encouraged fellow believers to read the book of Acts in tandem with the book of Revelation. Just as the Apostle John wrote two volumes from a heavenly perspective, Stott says, so Luke wrote two volumes from the perspective of a physician, that is, from an earthly perspective. So, Acts and Revelation are […]
Martin Bucer admits that it is true, in some sense, that the church came before the scriptures. It is true that the church was established before the canon of the New Testament was closed. This does not mean, he insists, that the church had (or continues to have) the authority to make or change God’s word. […]
Amy Nelson Burnett points out that Zwinglians and Lutherans differed on the practice of offering private confession and absolution. Lutherans believed the practice to be a healthy replacement for mandatory auricular confession, while the Zwinglians considered it meaningless for one Christian to pronounce forgiveness over another. Martin Bucer initially supported the Zwinglians on this issue […]