Morning Prayer and the Litany

For Psalm 19, Prof. Calvin comments on David’s exclamation about who can know 1/10th of his sins or 1/1000^th of them. Yes, David loves the law, embraces the promises, but falls short of the glory of God (Rom. 3.23)

ISBE on the dating of Exodus: Prof. R. K. Harrison dismisses Tanis as a site of departure for the Israelites. He’s moving on to look at Qantir.

For Genesis 3.17-19: Prof. Keil comments on the curse of difficulty in childbirth for women, their disordered affections to rule the man, and the curse of the ground on the man making for difficulties of labor.

For Judges 1.17-21, Prof. Keil comments on further conquests by Judah and Simeon.

For Isaiah 7.17-25, Prof. Henry notes that God will use Assyria to punish Syria and Israel, but Assyria will get its due in time. Assyria will grab up the northern tribes of Israel. Prof. Matthew dates this section at 740 BC, or, about 18 years before the take-over.

ISBE on Mark: Dr. R. P. Martin opens the issue of the “Kingdom of God” in Mark’s Gospel.

For Mathew 5.33-37, Prof. Jamieson further comments on letting your yes be yes and your no no.

For Romans 3.21-31, Prof. Hodge focuses on the language of “remission” in 3.25.

For Revelation 17.14-18, Prof. Henry describes the Fall of Babylon and the judicial hardening of its inmates under Satan.

EDT on the Theological Liberalism: further comments on the dogmatists’ effort to translate Biblical categories to satisfy their reductionism: sanctification is society moving towards perfection, Jesus’s life is ethical in orientation, and eschatology excludes sin and views society in the process/progress of “continuous, ascending progress.” We would add, hence the crap-burgers for sermons at DC’s National Cathedral. Dogmatists ( = Liberals) are timid people, fearing people rather than God.

Westminster Theological Journal (Nov 2021) on “Theological Consequences of Q”: Dr. Dawson wonders about the impression that the 2-4DH gets little further press is an acknowledgement that the Synoptic issue has been resolved? He approvingly cites Poier’s charge that NT Intros of the last 40 years have been misleading and imbalanced. How does this affect other areas of Synoptic research?

In the Global Anglican, Philip Keen is sustaining his statistical survey of what Biblical books get the most visibility in terms of preaching.

For Systematic Theology (locus 2), Prof. Hodge continues to chat about Barclay the Quaker. Of note, we are finding that Prof. Hodge rarely invokes the Westminster standards. Nor any liturgical prayers. We are watching, Prof. Having said that, his ST is still a standard and magnum opus.

For Theology Proper (locus 2), Prof. Reymond, as usual, proceeds exegetically on Romans 9.5—Jesus has two natures, divine and human, and one Person.

For Ecclesiology (locus 6), Prof. Berkhof comments on the means of grace for the Lutherans, mystics and modern dogmatists. He notes that the Lutherans, try as they might, have not escaped Rome on the sacraments. Stay tuned.

ODCC: Anselm: one of the foremost early scholastics. Perhaps he’s on a level with Augustine and Aquinas or Calvin in later periods? His Cur Deus Homo argued for the classical doctrine of the Atonement and for the forensic satisfaction of outraged Majesty of God, debunking Origen and Gregory of Nyssa’s doctrine of paying a ransom to the Devil. He passes in 1109.

For Apostolic Christianity, Vol. 1 (0-100) Prof. Schaff comments F.C. Baur’s reversal on the resurrection. Can that cat walk backwards? From denial to affirmation?

For Medieval Christianity, Vol. 4 (590-1073), Prof. Schaff begins the description of Gregory 1—monastic, hierarchal, ambition, haughty, ambitious, humble before God, indifferent to secular culture and friendly to sacred learning. Installed 3 Sept 590 and died 1 2Mar 604. Goths, Lombards, Byzantines and northern Germanic tribes are everywhere and Rome has been diminished to an unpopulated city.

For the Swiss Reformation Vol. 8 (1519-1605), Prof. Schaff offers two encomiums of Calvin by American historians: Dr. Smith and Dr. George P. Fisher (b.1827) of Yale. Dr. Fisher is most excellent.

For Dr. Cranmer, Prof. MacCulloch notes that Dr. Cranmer is a trusted, royal servant who is involved in vetting opposition literature, e.g., Reginald Pole’s letter to the King which is convincing to Dr. Cranmer, minus the statement of Henry’s need for docility to the People. The two combat teams are in view in 1531—one for Henry and the other against Henry. Dr. Cranmer’s research is integral. Two collections are in view—one for the royal advisors and the other for public consumption designed to win over the populace. The “Collectanea Satis Copiosa” was a battery of extracts crafted after the disastrous Blackfriars debacle. Dr. Cranmer collects materials for the King’s supremacy.

For the Creeds of Christendom, Prof. Schaff lays out the predicates for discussing the Old Catholics, dissident Bishops from Vatican 1.

1994 CCC: our infallibilists in paragraphs 265-269 gives a brief overview of the Trinity—workable and careful.

Westminster Larger Catechism 156:

Q. 156. Is the Word of God to be read by all?
A. Although all are not to be permitted to read the word publicly to the congregation, yet all sorts of people are bound to read it apart by themselves, and with their families: to which end, the holy Scriptures are to be translated out of the original into vulgar languages.