Tag: Church History

Collection of Historic Bibles from Hendrickson (Daily Deal)

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

Hendrickson Publishers produces an excellent collection of historic Bibles. I have enjoyed owning and showcasing their reproductions of the 1537 Matthew’s Bible, the 1560 Geneva Bible, and the 1526 Tyndale New Testament. All these Bibles plus a 400th Anniversary edition of a 1611 King James Version Bible are now available as a collection for more than half off. All four are available for $99.99 on a limited deal (This deal is available this week only – at that price). This is a savings of nearly $130!

The 1526 Tyndale New Testament is a full color copy of one of two surviving 1526 original New Testaments. The quality is excellent and interested readers will note a different order of the books of the Bible as well as the lack of verses (as verses originated for the New Testament in 1551 from Robert Stephanus’s Greek New Testament). Beautiful illustrations abound as do notes from the translator. This edition includes Tyndale’s “To the Reader” as well as an introduction from David Daniell, a Tyndale biographer.

The 1537 Matthew’s Bible uses the original black letter, block style, heavy font that is difficult to read. I believe the size is scaled down from the original but still larger than the 1526 NT size. This one includes some introductory information as well, and is fascinating to page through – just due to the black letter font alone.

The 1560 Geneva Bible is prized for its extensive commentary in the study notes. The maps are a look back into history. This version, like the others above, is a facsimile. This one uses Roman font which is much more readable.

The 400th Anniversary KJV Bible included in this set is something I don’t possess. It does include the Apocrypha from what I can make out, which is great (since some 1611 edition KJBs inexplicably leave it out). This edition also leaves out some of the original introductory pages, church calendar and genealogy information, and much of the artwork (as per some reviews of this that I have seen). It does preserve the original words and spelling of the 1611 King James Version and I assume it has the marginal notes as well (which are missing from the average King James Bible still in use today).

All in all, this is an excellent price for a great set of Bibles that will give a perspective on the history of our English Bible. Take advantage of this deal today!

For more on historic Bibles: I recommend A Visual History of the King James Bible (and its companion A Visual History of the English Bible). Also I have a review of Zondervan’s 400th Anniversary edition here (although my favorite is the Thomas Nelson 1611 edition that unfortunately leaves out the Apocrypha and seems to be out of print).

“The Sacrifice of Praise” by Herman Bavinck (Translated & Edited by Cameron Clausing and Gregory Parker Jr.)

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

Herman Bavinck is a Dutch Reformed theologian from the late 19th and early 20th century, known for a four volume work on systematic theology called Reformed Dogmatics. In the past few decades, his work has become more widely known in English-speaking circles and he is renowned as a Reformed scholar clearly equal with the likes of B.B. Warfield. A newly translated work published by Hendrickson Publishers shows another side to Bavinck: he was a churchman with pastoral concern for the practical Christian faith of the average believer.

The Sacrifice of Praise was first published in Dutch in 1901 and went through several reprintings and editions over the next twenty years. The editors of this edition estimate that around 40,000 copies of the work were produced during that time. In 1920 the work was translated into English by John Dolfin a Reformed pastor in western Michigan. The translators of this work wanted to capture Bavinck’s style more directly and fix some errors in the translation. They also wanted to highlight the many Scriptural references in Bavinck’s writing by providing chapter and verse references — using the text of the English Standard Version (ESV) where possible.

As for the content of this work, it “is best understood as a work of catechetical theology, suitable for sharing with baptized Christians on the occasion of their public profession of faith and admission to the Lord’s table” (pg. xi-xii). The book focuses on the call for Christians to publicly confess Christ. “Lips that acknowledge [Christ]” are “a sacrifice of praise,” according to Hebrews 13:15; and it is this passage which gives the book its title.

Bavinck writes with warmth and life. Each page is replete with biblical references. He treats all sides of his topic and goes from baptism and parental instruction, to church confessions, to Christian unity in the faith and Christian duty in the public sphere, and ends with an exultation in the ultimate confession the Church will share with Christ in heaven. He exults in his Lord and his joy is contagious.

I must admit I found the first four chapters (of 12) a bit challenging. They contain a heavy dose of traditional covenant theology and an assumption of infant baptism (albeit with a distinction made that baptism does not regenerate or save the child). The background provided in the introduction prepares the reader by rehashing some of the Dutch Reformed Church controversies of the era when Bavinck wrote. As a Baptist who appreciates Reformed theology I still found those chapters slightly difficult. The rest of the work was more directly relevant, but even in those first few chapters there is much that can be gleaned on the importance of training our children to know and confess Christ. As a side note, I found it intriguing that Bavinck admits “in the New Testament baptism was mostly administered to adults” and only later “became generally acceptable” (p. 34).

Baptist quibbles aside, I found the work practical and helpful. He covers the topic from both a personal and familial perspective as well as from a corporate and even universal point of view. He details the opposition that we face in standing up for Christ and laments the loss of Christian unity in his day. His thoughts, grounded in Scripture as they are, remain helpful for every era. A concluding paragraph from his chapter on the universality of confession provides a sample of Bavinck’s style:

Thus godliness is beneficial toward all things, having the promise not only of the future but also of the present life. Whoever seeks first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, to them all things will be added [Matt. 6:33]. The best Christian is the best citizen. With their confession, they neither stand outside of nor in opposition to the natural life. But highly and proudly, they carry their confession into the world and everywhere plant the banner of the cross. The gospel of Christ is a joyful message for all creation — for mind and heart, for soul and body, for family and society, for science and art. For it delivers from guilt and redeems from death. “It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” [Rom. 1:16]. (p. 57)

Now for a small amount of criticism: I believe the editors missed several Scripture references. The first sentence in the quote above could have a reference to 1 Tim. 4:8; Rom. 14:17 could be added on p. 10, Eph. 6:4 on p. 16, and 1 Thess. 1:9 on p. 85, to name a few more. Additionally, the ESV is used for the verses at the top of each chapter, yet there is an odd case with chapter 5. There the verse quoted is Acts 8:37 (found in the footnote but not the text). I would think at least a note would be in order explaining that the verse in Bavinck’s text is not included in modern versions (like the ESV) today (and why). There was also one glaring misprint in the endnotes section (note 1 for chapter 4 appears as note 49).

To sum up my review, I found The Sacrifice of Praise to be an attractively packaged book and a helpful introduction to Bavinck and his theological writing. I greatly enjoyed interacting with his material. Even if you are not Reformed, you will benefit from this book.

For those who are Reformed, the foreword mentions that this work by Bavinck could be read with two other similar works intended to teach believers: The Wonderful Works of God (an overview of Christian doctrine from a Reformed perspective – to be republished by Westminster Books later this year), and Saved by Grace: The Holy Spirit’s Work in Calling and Regeneration (a work explaining/defending infant baptism). These works may be worth getting and reading along with this fantastic work.

Learn more about this book by looking at the preview available at Amazon or Christianbook.com.

Blurbs:
“Herman Bavinck is best known as a dogmatician of great depth and scope. Yet like all of the greatest theologians, his concern for the church cannot be reduced to his scholarly contributions. He was also earnestly desired to encourage and nurture other believers in their faith, a fact to which these short addresses give remarkable testimony. In them, he discusses the whole idea of confessing Christ in the various stages of Christian discipleship, from baptism through to the Lord’s Supper and beyond. This is practical Reformed piety at its best: rooted in the Word, connected to the sacraments, and focused upon Christ.”
—Carl R. Trueman, Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies Grove City College, Pennsylvania

“In Bavinck’s own biography, participation in the Lord’s Supper was far from inconsequential. As Clausing and Parker note, the student-era Bavinck first took part after extended, careful reflection on the gospel and its fruit in his own life. Having done so, the sacrament proved a regular source of spiritual comfort to him. In The Sacrifice of Praise, we find a set of reflections on the Supper that are richly theological, pastoral, and practical. We owe Clausing and Parker a debt of gratitude for their work in presenting this text to us in a fresh new form.”
—James Eglinton, Meldrum Lecturer in Reformed Theology New College, University of Edinburgh

Where to Buy:
This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Westminster Bookstore, Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, or direct from Hendrickson.

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

Book Briefs: “Revival: Faith as Wesley Lived It” by Adam Hamilton

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

John Wesley is a pivotal figure in the history of Evangelicalism. His ministry resulted in both the Methodist church and the Wesleyan church. Adam Hamilton, an influential United Methodist Church pastor in Kansas city, takes us on a tour of Wesley’s life and ministry. This tour is replete with photos and recommended stops should the reader actually visit the places in question. The book is more than just a historical survey or tour guide for Wesley’s life. Hamilton aims to go back to the roots as a way of encouraging personal and corporate “revival.”

Hamilton makes clear this is not a biography as such, instead it is a spiritual overview of Wesley’s life and a study of it that is intended to further the spiritual growth of those who read this. The book then functions as a text for small groups or Sunday Schools and is replete with Hamilton’s own personal reflections and insights. That being said, it still gives a good overview of Wesley’s life, and does an admirable job pointing to other resources for further study.

The book is also an advertisement, of sorts, for Methodism. Wesley’s vision and his Church is held up as a standard. A perfect blend of head and heart, evangelism and social concern, conservatism and liberalism. Even those of other traditions can appreciate the desire to paint your own Church in the best light, but this feature of the book will diminish its usefulness in other church contexts. Truth be told, Wesley’s ideas cannot always truly be a “via media” or middle way with the best of both worlds. He did plow his own path, and Methodism does have some deficiencies.

As someone blessed by the Reformed tradition, I found his explanation of Wesley’s stance on prevenient grace and his opposition to Calvinism too simplistic an account of the debate. Intriguingly, while George Whitfield is mentioned as an evangelist who both spurred Wesley on (showing him the usefulness of open air preaching) and yet was influenced by Wesley (as one of the first Methodists), he is not mentioned as an antagonist to Wesley. Whitfield disagreed with Wesley’s stance on grace, holding to a Reformed position. The interaction between Whitfield and Wesley is quite well-known and important historically, yet reading this book would not clue you in that Whitfield and Wesley split over this — and importantly it wouldn’t imply that other good evangelists might conclude differently than Wesley on this point.

All told, the book is a helpful look at Wesley’s life and the inclusion of numerous historical pictures adds to the value of the work. Wesley’s own writing concludes the book as an appendix. His work “The Character of a Methodist” is given and fleshes out the picture of Wesley we find in these pages. Conservative evangelicals and those of Reformed persuasion will perhaps chafe at the unabashed embrace of a social gospel. Hamilton’s seeming desire to include everyone as a preChristian or a Christian diminishes the seriousness of Wesley’s call that we beware lest we find ourselves “almost Christians.” So I recommend the book with some cautions. Still, the book can encourage faith and promote the kind of balance that is helpful for Christians of every persuasion today.

Disclaimer: this book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

This book is available for purchase at the following sites: Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, or direct from Abingdon Press.

About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.

Book Briefs: “Still Protesting: Why the Reformation Matters” by D. G. Hart

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment

500 years ago the Reformation was transforming Europe. Politics and nation-states would be affected, but the relationship of the average Christian to the Church was forever altered. Protestant Evangelical Christians look back on the Reformation with gratitude. The Reformation recovered the Christian Gospel of grace after all. But the contemporary Church has wandered far from the faith of its fathers, and more than ever before calls for denominational unity and even ecumenical togetherness with Rome are hitting home. Secularism is a threat to Catholic and confessing Protestant alike, so why not band together? How big, after all, are the points that separate us? Didn’t the Roman Catholic Church reform in the wake of the Reformation too?

It is these questions and this concern that D. G. Hart addresses head on in his recent book Still Protesting: Why the Reformation Matters (Reformation Heritage, 2018). Hart expertly unfolds the history of the Reformation and evaluates key evangelical truths (including the important “5 Solas”) as compared to the historical Roman Catholicism of that day. He goes on to examine whether the Roman Catholic Church has truly changed in its stance on these points over time. In his case against Rome, Hart also finds liberal Protestantism and lackadaisical evangelicalism at fault as well. He argues that the Reformation is still needed and a return to the faith of our fathers may well help American Christianity as it faces its own cross-roads.

An intriguing feature of the book is his examination of conservative political theory in America in relation to “anti-Catholic” sentiment. Historically, Protestants looked at the “golden age” of America as an advance in the history of the West (almost a postmillennial viewpoint) and lauded the rise of democracy and liberty. However “Roman Catholics saw those same developments negatively, as declension from an ideal time when church, government, society, and culture coexisted harmoniously under the sacred canopy of Christian influence” (p. 152). As progressive politics moved on to promote social change and “progress” in general – Catholicism’s opposition to unfettered equality and freedom became more in-step with conservatism’s resistance to progressive politics. For those who have wanted to “dissent from the logic and momentum of progressive politics” more help is found “for political conservatism in Roman Catholic sources” (p. 159). This leads to the pain-point that Hart is addressing: many political conservatives today claim that to be a true conservative, you must become a Roman Catholic. In response, Hart points to Abraham Kuyper (an evangelical leader and Prime Minister of The Netherlands) and J. Gresham Machen (founder of Westminster Theological Seminary) as examples of Protestant contributions to conservatism.

What sparked my interest in that section of the book was his point that American Protestantism had developed a “form of patriotism that unhealthily equated the faith with democracy and liberty” (p. 159). Protestantism’s fight against Catholicism mirrored democracy’s fight against the Monarchy. The founders of our country very much fit in with this patriotic version of faith. Indeed, this patriotism must have enabled the onset of the “social gospel.” Today’s patriotic, “God and Country” version of evangelical “faith,” which is “unhealthy” and unbiblical, has a long history indeed.

Those well-versed in the Reformation are sure to find new insights and connections in the pages of this book. Readers less familiar with the Reformation will also be helped. Anyone interested in what really separates Protestants from Catholics will find this book useful. I highly recommend it.

Pick up a copy of this book at any of the following online retailers:
Westminster Bookstore, Amazon, ChristianBook.com, or direct from Reformation Heritage.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.

Mining the Archives: Good Friday, The Day the Moon Turned to Blood

~ Bob Hayton ~ Leave a comment


From time to time, I’ll be mining the archives around here. I’m digging up my blog’s best posts from the past. I hope these reruns will still serve my readers.

Today’s post was originally published April 6, 2012.

This post is long but especially appropriate for today (Good Friday). I have taken the liberty of slightly editing the original post.

Today is Good Friday. We celebrate the death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ today. When we think back to all that happened on Good Friday, we of course focus on Jesus’ becoming the “propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2).

But I want you to also think about all the signs and wonders which were on display that day. The sky turned dark, there was an earthquake and many who were dead came back to life. The veil of the Temple ripped from the top down. And on top of all of this, the weeks leading up to Jesus’ death were filled with all the talk of his many miracles including the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

Peter’s Sermon at Pentectost

Keep these signs and wonders in view as you look at Acts 2 with me, as Peter tries to explain another miraculous event – the mighty, rushing wind, tongues of fire, and the miraculous speech that enabled the 120 who were gathered in the upper room to tell the Good News to people of a multitude of languages, who all heard the Gospel in their native tongue.

For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” [quoted from Joel 2:28-32]

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it….

This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (Acts 2:15-24, 32-33)

Put in this light, you can see what Peter is doing. He’s comparing both the signs and wonders that were seen on Pentecost with the larger story of all that was seen surrounding Jesus – and all of this is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophesy, which Peter quotes. We have the men and women speaking in tongues (the first part of Joel’s prophecy), and we have a darkened sky and other wonders (the second part). Peter is making a point that the “last days” have now come. He adds the words “last days” to Joel’s prophecy for this very reason (Joel has “and afterward”). The “signs of the times” as it were, were already being seen – and Peter felt like he was living with the “day of the Lord” in the near future.

Some object to this view of Peter’s sermon in Acts 2. They claim that Peter was just making an anlogy with Joel 2 to the current situation. Others claim that just the first part was being fulfilled, not the heavenly signs – which would obviously be in the future tribulation period. I won’t delve into all the arguments, but suffice it to say that the view that the New Testament authors understood the “last days” to have begun is quite strong and is attested to throughout the New Testament (see 1 Cor. 10:11, Heb. 1:2, 1 Pet. 1:20, 1 John 2:18).

Going back to Acts 2 now, let me quote from a book I’ve been reading: 40 Questions About the End Times by Eckhard Schnabel (Kregel, 2012):

The connections of the “wonders” and “signs” of Joel’s prophecy with Jesus’ ministry and death provide the basis for Peter’s subsequent arguments concerning the status and the significance of Jesus. The reference to the “last days” establishes how Peter reads the prophets: God has begun to fulfill his promises; the last days have arrived with Jesus’ ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension, and his bestowal of the Spirit. (pg. 21-22)

I agree with Schnabel’s conclusion, but I was especially intrigued with another point he made, almost in passing, in this chapter.

The Moon Turned to Blood

The suggestion that Acts 2:19 refers to a lunar eclipse during which the moon assumes a dull, red color, which was visible in Jerusalem at Passover in A.D. 33, is intriguing; however, it requires a later date for Jesus’ crucifixion, which is more plausibly dated in the year A.D. 30. (pg. 20)

Ever since I read Harold Hoehner’s Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Zondervan, 1978), I have held to a Friday crucifixion and to April 3, A.D. 33 as the most likely date for Jesus’ death. This view, that A.D. 33 to be the most likely year of Christ’s death and resurrection, is commonly held by a wide number of evangelical scholars. So I was not put off by Schnabel’s preference for A.D. 30. Instead I was very much intrigued by his reference to the moon turning to blood being explained by a lunar eclipse.

I must be honest in admitting that while I have understood Peter to be saying Joel 2 is fulfilled, I was thinking the literal fulfillment focused on the Pentecost event not on the darkening of the sun at Christ’s death. Or at least I hadn’t thought very much about this. So I was eager to read the paper that Schnabel cited which dealt with this lunar eclipse. I was happy to find that the paper is freely available online. It is titled, “The Jewish Calendar, a Lunar Eclipse and the Date of Christ’s Crucifixion” by Colin J. Humphreys and W. Graeme Waddington (Tyndale Bulletin 43, 1992).

I encourage you to read the entire paper (available here), but for my purposes I will excerpt the chief evidence presented for understanding a lunar eclipse to be in view with the prophecy that the moon would turn to blood.

Evidence from Early Christian Writings

In addition to quoting from the apocryphal “Report of Pilate”, the authors of the paper cite Cyril of Alexandria (A.D. 412) as evidence:

The so-called ‘Report of Pilate’, a New Testament apocryphal fragment states, ‘Jesus was delivered to him by Herod, Archelaus, Philip, Annas, Caiphas, and all the people. At his Crucifixion the sun was darkened; the stars appeared and in all the world people lighted lamps from the sixth hour till evening; the moon appeared like blood’. [No matter the authenticity of this later document,] there must have been a tradition that at the Crucifixion the moon appeared like blood….

Further evidence is provided by Cyril of Alexandria, the orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria in AD 412. After stating that there was darkness at the Crucifixion he adds, ‘Something unusual occurred about the circular rotation of the moon so that it even seemed to be turned into blood’, and notes that the prophet Joel foretold such signs. (pg. 342)

The Technical Nature of the Phrase “Moon Turned to Blood”:

The moon turning to blood is a graphic description of a lunar eclipse. The reason an eclipsed moon appears blood-red is well known and the effect has been well documented. Even though during an eclipse the moon is geometrically in the earth’s shadow, some sunlight still reaches it by the refraction of light passing through the earth’s atmosphere. The light reaching the moon is red since scattering by air molecules and very small particles along its long path through the atmosphere preferentially removes the blue end of the spectrum. The phrase ‘moon turned to blood’ has been used by writers and historians to describe lunar eclipses for many centuries, and the expression dates back to at least 300 BC….

In the medieval European annals compiled by G.H. Pertz there are so many lunar eclipses described by ‘the moon turned to blood’ that the phrase appears to be used as a standard description. (pg. 343-344)

For additional corroboration, see the picture at the top of this post (taken from this article about a lunar eclipse in Brooklyn from 12/21/10). In that article, the moon is described as going “dark red” — very similar to the “blood red” description of the medieval era.

Conclusion

On this point, the authors put forth the following conclusion:

There is therefore strong evidence that when Peter, the ‘Report of Pilate’, and Cyril of Alexandria refer to the moon turning to blood on the evening of the Crucifixion, they were describing a lunar eclipse. It is surprising that this deduction does not appear to have been made before, although F.F. Bruce almost reaches this conclusion. He states, with reference to Peter’s Pentecost speech, ‘It was little more than seven weeks since the people in Jerusalem had indeed seen the sun turned into darkness, during the early afternoon of the day of our Lord’s Crucifixion. And on the same afternoon the paschal full moon may well have appeared blood-red in the sky in consequence of that preternatural gloom’. Presumably Bruce and other commentators have not been aware that a blood-red moon is a well-documented description of a lunar eclipse. (pg. 344)

The paper goes on to document how there was only one lunar eclipse that would have been visible from Jerusalem during the Passover in any of the years that are possible dates for his death. That eclipse is dated to Friday, April 3, A.D. 33 – the most likely date of the crucifixion.

This study has forced me to see the Crucifixion anew — to realize what a world-shattering event it really was! The death of Christ and His resurrection marked the end of the old age and the beginning of a new one. And miraculous signs in the heavens and on earth all attest to the prophetic undertones of what is happening. This also should serve to wake us up to the importance of the Cross of Christ and the Empty Tomb. The Gospel of Christ really is world-shattering. The realities we are sharing through the indwelling Spirit and our present realization of the blessings of the Gospel are all a brand new experience which is a foretaste of even greater things to come!

We are living in the last days and Jesus’ return draws near. May we live soberly and righteously in light of all that Christ has done for us. And may we not forget that the power of His resurrection has been given to us — we can live lives that testify to the glory of the age to come.

UPDATE: You can read my review of 40 Questions About the End Times here.