19 Jan 2018
Posted by E.J. Hutchinson 
Calvin continues his discussion in his Brief Admonition to the Polish Brothers and draws the distinction between talking about the Persons of the Trinity in relation to each other and using the term "God" to refer to the divine essence as such. Translation In addition to these things, if there is anything...
Read more → 17 Jan 2018
Posted by E.J. Hutchinson 
Calvin continues to interact with Scripture on the oneness and threeness of God. Translation Consider Paul, too: in order to prove that it is fitting for us all to stand before Christ's tribunal, he brings another remark of the prophet to bear: "As I live, every knee shall bow before me" (Isaiah 45.23)....
Read more → 16 Jan 2018
Posted by E.J. Hutchinson 
In the next section of his Brief Admonition to the Polish Brothers, a work written against contemporary anti-Trinitarians, Calvin begins to deal with the different ways in which Scripture speaks of God. That is to say, Calvin makes the following traditional distinction: sometimes Scripture speaks of God simply,...
Read more → 12 Jan 2018
Posted by E.J. Hutchinson 
The topic of the Trinity has been #trending in recent months, and its proper understanding has been a matter of dispute. Disputes about the Trinity are nothing new, of course, and the Trinitarian theology of this site's namesake has itself often been the subject of controversy. Calvin himself, in turn,...
Read more → 04 Jan 2018
Posted by E.J. Hutchinson 
In Homiletics and Pastoral Theology, WGT Shedd puts a plug in for catechising in addition to other types of Sunday school (he, in keeping with the conventions of his day, calls it "Sabbath-School") instruction. Indeed, he favors a combination of the two--"lay" instruction in Sunday school and pastoral...
Read more → 07 Dec 2017
Posted by Steven Wedgeworth 
We continue our series on Zacharias Ursinus's explanation of the doctrine of the God (see part 1 for more), looking now at His explanation of the Trinity. The following comes from his Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, eighth Lord’s Day section 3, pg. 129-132 of the P&R edition. Readers will...
Read more → 07 Dec 2017
Posted by Steven Wedgeworth
Given the recent widespread confusion about the doctrine of God among Reformed theologians, we thought it would be helpful to post some excerpts on the basic concepts of theology proper from Zacharias Ursinus. Ursinus gives a scholastic treatment of the question, one that is both traditional and succinct....
Read more → 05 Dec 2017
Posted by Steven Wedgeworth 
In the recent polemical engagement between John Frame, James Dolezal, and various other commentators, the role of history in theology has been a major talking point. Should we stick to the historic tradition or should be free to be unapologetically "biblical"? To what extent can we criticize past theologians?...
Read more → 21 Nov 2017
Posted by E.J. Hutchinson 
Let's return again to the Westminster Confession of Faith on Scripture. In 1.9, the Divines say: IX. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must...
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Ursinus on the Doctrine of God: Part 3- Answering Objections
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Our next installment in our series from Zacharias Ursinus's teaching on the doctrine of God (see also part 1 and part 2) is his defense of the traditional theological explanation against the detractors of his day. You will notice that the Reformed churches were opposed by the "biblicists" of their day....
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