Month: January 2009
-
Today Abraham Ibn Ezra Died (1164)
Abraham Ibn Ezra was a medieval Jewish commentator on the Old Testament. His commentaries are a bizarre combination of unconstrained creativity and extreme jot-and-tittle conservatism. He also wrote poetry and is highly regarded as a philosopher. His way of talking about any subject is often so cryptic that it demands an active interpreter. One of…
-
Today is Carl Henry’s Birthday
Carl F. H. Henry was born on January 22, 1913. He has only been dead for a few years now (since late 2003), and it’s still a little hard to believe he’s gone. Henry stamped his identity onto some of the central institutions of the evangelical establishment: Christianity Today, the National Association of Evangelicals, Fuller…
-
Today the First English Prayerbook Was Mandated (1549)
On January 21, 1549, the House of Commons agreed with the previous decision of the House of Lords in passing an act that declared the brand new Book of Common Prayer to be the only legal form for worship in England. This was the first of several Acts of Uniformity. Check out the whole 1549…
-
The Keys of the Kingdom
Q: Please explain Matt. 16:19, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” A: It was the custom when our Lord was here upon earth to…
-
Liveblog of Inauguration
I love inaugurations, even when my candidate doesn’t win. I still have a marked-up newspaper copy of the first Clinton inaugural address in my files. Inauguration day is a great American event, and the high spirits surrounding the Obama inauguration take it to the next level. Here are some live reactions to the event, viewed…
-
Today is Susanna Wesley’s Birthday
Susanna Wesley (1669-1742) would not be famous if she weren’t the mother of John and Charles. But since two of her boys grew up and shook the world, Susanna has come to our attention, and it’s a good thing. She was a remarkable 18th century evangelical woman. She had a lively, disciplined intellect, had read…
-
Today is the Heidelberg Catechism’s Birthday
The first edition of the Heidelberg Catechism was published on January 19, 1563. If you know this little book well, then this reminder is enough to make you call to mind some of the best passages. If you know it less well, let this reminder move you to pull it from the shelf and refresh…
-
Today is Tischendorf’s Birthday (1815)
How cool could anybody be whose full name is Lobegott Friedrich Constantin von Tischendorf? Pretty cool. Tischendorf is a major figure in the early history of modern textual criticism, that subtle and demanding field of biblical scholarship that collates all existing manuscripts of the Bible, compares them, and makes judgments about the original form of…
-
Today is Antony of Egypt's Day
Antony of Egypt (c. 251-356) is the most important figure in the founding of Christian monasticism. He heard the gospel call to unworldliness and took it both seriously and literally. Six months after his parents died, Antony was in church listening to the call to discipleship: Leave what you have and follow me. So he…
-
Today Started Prohibition (1919)
It is hard to imagine, but 90 years ago, the Constitution was amended to make liquor illegal: no selling, manufacturing, or transporting beverage alcohol. If you look at all those progressive-era amendments to the Constitution, they’re all pretty interesting: 16th Amendment (1913): Federal Income Tax 17th Amendment (1913) Direct election of Senators 18th Amendment (1919)…
-
Today is MLK’s Actual Birthday
As a Federal holiday, MLK Day falls on the third Monday of January, which is a different date every year. But today, January 15, is the actual anniversary of his birth. “I Have A Dream” is overwhelmingly his most famous speech, just as the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is his most famous writing. The…
-
Notes from Schmemann’s Journals
Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983) was an Eastern Orthodox theologian with a long teaching ministry at St. Vladimir’s seminary in New York. He lived a fascinating life: born to Russian parents in Estonia and educated in Paris before living much of his life in America. His Russian-language sermons were broadcast for decades on Radio Liberty (aka Radio…