The Calvinist International
It is well known (at least, I think it is) that a prominent strand of the exegesis of Matt. 16.18 (“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” ESV) makes the “rock” not Peter himself, nor the […]
In my last post, I noted that A.A. Hodge “is much more forthrightly assertive [about the salvation of all who die in infancy] than he is [in his commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith].” While the topic does not arise in his Outlines of Theology, as I mentioned before, it does come up several […]
In an entertaining passage of the third volume of his Systematic Theology, Charles Hodge argues that John Henry Newman proves by his own principles that the papacy is the (really, an) Antichrist according to the Scriptural descriptions of that figure. Hodge says of the popes: They assume the honour which belongs to God not merely by […]
Oh, you wanted more on yesterday’s theme? That’s a relief; I thought you’d never ask. After sketching some aspects of Athanasius’ character, Gregory goes on to say: On these grounds, as I have said, I leave others, who have leisure to admire the minor details of his character, to admire and extol him. I call […]
Who was the churchman in charge of the whole world in the fourth century? According to Gregory of Nazianzus, it was Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria. Thus in Oration 21 (“On the Great Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria”), referred to briefly yesterday, Gregory writes: Thus brought up and trained, as even now those should be who are to […]
Here, in part 3, Hemmingsen begins to list the titles of the church as found in Scripture. In the following passage he deals with two: “the house of the living God” and “the pillar and foundation of the truth.” Text and Translation Haec Ecclesia variis titulis ornatur in Scriptura, 1 Timoth. 3 domus Dei viventis […]
This is the second part of Hemmingsen’s discussion of the church from his Enchiridion Theologicum. In this installment, he gives two definitions of the word “church,” one longer and one shorter. Text and Translation Hinc iam plenam definitionem elicere, non erit difficile, qualis haec esse poteris: ECCLESIA est coetus hominum, evocatus e regno Satanae, ut Christum […]
Dominic Foo has a very good essay on the way “high church” ecclesiologies always fall back into a sort of “invisible church” theology when forced to reckon with the actual historical record. Here’s a sample: The point is that in the end nobody, at least nobody with a proper command of church history, believes that […]
My friend and colleague, Dr. Eric Hutchinson, has offered some very insightful comments on the biblical “exile” motif that is often applied to the church in our time. The church in which we both serve devoted the June issue of its New Horizons magazine to just this motif, and I think its feature articles give […]
Herewith comments from Calvin on John 3:33-4: “Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.” First, on v. 33: for there to be faith–that is, for there to be a “church” at […]