There once was a sculptor named Phidias
Whose manners in art were invidious:
He carved Aphrodite
Without any nightie,
Which startled the ultrafastidious.
Hymnody
October 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Looking for information on Hymnody? Try one of the following stories from Christian History magazine;
The Golden Age of Hymns: Did You Know?
Dr. James Townsend is Bible editor at David C. Cook Publishing Co. and author of eight volumes in The Bible Mastery Series
The Hymn Born in a Synagogue
How a Hebrew text and synagogue melody became a well-known Christian hymn.
Dr. James D. Smith III is Senior Pastor of Clairemont Emmanuel Baptist Church and Adjunct Professor of Church History at Bethel Seminary-West, both in San Diego. He is a member of the advisory board of Christian History.
The Golden Age of Hymns: From the Editor – Silent String
KEVIN A. MILLER
The Forgotten Wesley
Often overshadowed by his famous older brother, Charles Wesley has emerged as perhaps “the greatest hymnwriter of all ages.”
Dr. James Townsend is Bible editor at David C. Cook Publishing Co. and author of eight volumes in The Bible Mastery Series
Radicals in Times of Revolution
Dr. James Townsend
Why Wesley Still Dominates Our Hymnbook
Two centuries later, what’s the secret of Charles Wesley’s undiminished popularity?
The Right Reverend Timothy Dudley-Smith is Anglican Bishop of Thetford, Great Britain, and author of A Flame of Love: A Personal Choice of Charles Wesley’s Verse.
The Hymn Explosion
In 1700, there were precious few English hymns. In 1800, there were hymnbooks galore. What happened?
Dr. Robin A. Leaver is Professor of Church Music at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and teaches in the liturgical studies program at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. He is the author or editor of twenty-four books on hymnody and related subjects.
Where Did We Get The Doxology?
The story behind what may be the world’s best-known hymn.
Dr. James D. Smith III is Senior Pastor of Clairemont Emmanuel Baptist Church and Adjunct Professor of Church History at Bethel Seminary-West, both in San Diego. He is a member of the advisory board of Christian History.
The Golden Age of Hymns: A Gallery of the Hymn Writers’ Hall of Fame
The poets who put words in our mouths.
Vinita Hampton Wright is Editorial Assistant for Harold Shaw Publishers. She has written previously for Christian History.
The Golden Age of Hymns: Christian History Timeline
Dr. Paul Westermeyer is Professor of Church Music at Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary in St. Paul and author of The Church Musician
America’s Hesitation Over Hymns
Why did colonial churches resist the first British musical invasion?
Dr. David W. Music is Associate Professor of Church Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, and editor of The Hymn, the quarterly journal of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.
Were Hymns Good Poetry?
They have endured. But does their lasting popularity prove their quality?
Dr. Jan Anderson is Professor of English at Clearwater Christian College.
The Spiritual
In the furnace of slavery, a lasting musical form was forged.
Angela M. S. Nelson is a doctoral candidate in American culture at Bowling Green State University.
What Did Slave Songs Sound Like?
Angela M. S. Nelson
A New Species of Christian Song
Where did the English hymn come from?
Dr. Madeleine Forell Marshall is on the faculty of the University of San Diego and of California State University at San Marcos. She has taught literature at the University of Puerto Rico, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and St. Olaf College. She is co-author, with Janet Todd, of English Congregational Hymns in the Eighteenth Century
Irrational Music Sung By a Mob of Extremists?
Why the Church of England disliked hymns
Dr. Madeleine Forell Marshall is on the faculty of the University of San Diego and of California State University at San Marcos. She has taught literature at the University of Puerto Rico, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and St. Olaf College. She is co-author, with Janet Todd, of English Congregational Hymns in the Eighteenth Century
Three Hymnals That Shaped Today’s Worship
The hymnbooks of John Wesley, John Newton, and John Rippon endured for generations.
William J. Reynolds is professor of Church Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and author of Songs of Glory
October 10 – This Day In History
October 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment
1560 – Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius, the founder of a theology that challenged Reformed assumptions, is born in Oudewater, Netherlands.
1821 – Law student Charles Finney, 29, goes into the woods near his home to settle the question of his soul’s salvation. That night, he experienced a dramatic conversion, full of what seemed “waves of liquid love throughout his body.” Finney later became American history’s greatest revivalist and purportedly converted of 500,000 people.
The Martyrdom of Polycarp
October 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Charles H. Hoole’s 1885 translation
The church of God which sojourneth in Smyrna, to the church of God that sojourneth in Philomelia, and to all the settlements of the holy and Catholic Church in every place, mercy, peace, and love from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied unto you.
CHAPTER 1
1:1 We have written unto you, brethren, the things respecting those who were martyred, and concerning the blessed Polycarp, who made the persecution to cease, having as it were set his seal to it by his testimony. For almost all the things that went before happened in order that the Lord might show us from above the testimony that is according to the gospel;
1:2 for he endured to be betrayed, even as did the Lord, that we might become imitators of him, not as considering the things that concern ourselves only, but also the things that concern our neighbours; for it belongeth to true and firm love not only to desire to be saved itself, but also that all the brethren should be saved.
CHAPTER 2
2:1 Blessed, therefore, and noble are all the testimonies that happened according to the will of God, for it is right that we should be the more careful, and should ascribe unto God the authority over all things.
2:2 For who would not admire their nobility and endurance and obedience? who, though they were torn with stripes so that the internal arrangement of their flesh became evident even as far as the veins and arteries within, endured it, so that even the bystanders compassionated them and bemoaned them; and that others even arrived at such a pitch of nobility that none of them would either sob or groan, showing all of us that in that hour the martyrs of Christ departed being tortured in the flesh, or rather that the Lord, standing by, associated himself with them.
2:3 And applying themselves to the grace of Christ, they despised the torture of this world, purchasing by the endurance of a single hour remission from eternal punishment; and the fire of their harsh tormentors was cold to them, for they had before their eyes to escape the eternal and never-quenched fire; and with the eyes of their heart they looked up to the good things that are reserved for those that endure, which neither hath ear heard, nor eye seen, nor hath it entered into the heart of man; but which were shown by the Lord unto them, who were no longer men, but already angels.
2:4 And in like manner they who had been condemned to the wild beasts endured dreadful punishments, lying upon beds of prickles, and punished with various other tortures, in order that, if it were possible, the tyrant might turn them by assiduous punishment to a denial of the faith.
CHAPTER 3
3:1 For the devil contrived many things against them, but thanks be unto God, for he prevailed not against all. For the most noble Germanicus strengthened their cowardice through the patience that was in him, who also in a notable way fought against wild beasts. For when the proconsul would have persuaded him, charging him to have compassion on his youth, he drew upon himself the wild beast by force, wishing to be the sooner freed from their unjust and lawless life.
3:2 From this, therefore, all the multitude, wondering at the nobleness of the God-loving and God-fearing race of Christians, called out, Away with the Atheists; let Polycarp be sought for.
CHAPTER 4
4:1 But a certain man named Quintus, a Phrygian, who had newly come from Phrygia, when he saw the wild beasts, became afraid. This was he who constrained himself and others to come in of their own accord. This man, the proconsul, with much importunity, persuaded to swear and to sacrifice. On this account, brethren, we praise not them that give themselves up, since the gospel doth not so teach.
CHAPTER 5
5:1 But the most admirable Polycarp at the first, when he heard these things, was not disturbed, but desired to remain in the city. But the majority persuaded him to withdraw secretly; and he departed secretly to a villa not far from the city, and remained there with a few men, doing no other thing either by night or day but pray concerning all men, and for the churches that are in the world, as was his custom;
5:2 and as he prayed he fell into a trance three days before he was taken, and saw his pillow burning with fire, and he turned and said prophetically to those who were with him, I must be burned alive.
CHAPTER 6
6:1 And when those who sought him continued in the pursuit, he departed unto another villa, and straightway they who sought him came up. And when they found him not, they apprehended two lads, of whom the one, when put to the torture, confessed.
6:2 For it was impossible for him to escape their notice, since they who betrayed him were of his own household. For the Eirenarchus, which is the same office as Cleronomus, Herodes by name, hasted to bring him into the arena, that he indeed might fulfil his proper lot, by becoming a partaker of Christ, and that they who betrayed him might undergo the same punishment as Judas.
CHAPTER 7
7:1 Having, therefore, with them the lad, on the day of the preparation, at the hour of dinner, there came out pursuers and horsemen, with their accustomed arms, as though going out against a thief. And having departed together late in the evening, they found him lying in a certain house, in an upper chamber. And he might have departed from thence unto another place, but was unwilling, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
7:2 And when he heard that they were present, he descended and talked with them. And they who were present wondered at the vigour of his age and his soundness of body, and that they had had to use so much trouble to capture so old a man. He straightway commanded that meat and drink should be set before them at that hour, as much as they wished, and asked them to grant him an hour to pray without molestation.
7:3 And when they suffered him, he stood and prayed, being full of the grace of God, so that he could not be silent for two hours, and they that heard him were astonished, and many repented that they had come against so divine an old man.
CHAPTER 8
8:1 And when he had finished his prayer, having made mention of all who had at any time come into contact with him, both small and great, noble and ignoble, and of the whole Catholic Church throughout the world, when the hour of his departure had come, having seated him on an ass, they led him into the city, it being the great Sabbath.
8:2 And the Eirenarch Herodes and his father Nicetes met him in a chariot, who, having transferred him into their car, seating themselves beside him, would have persuaded him, saying, What is the harm to say, Caesar, Caesar, and to sacrifice, and to do such like things, and thus to be saved? But he at the first did not answer them; but when they persisted, he said, I will not do that which ye advise me.
8:3 But they, when they had failed to persuade him, said unto him dreadful words, and thrust him with such haste from the chariot that in descending from the car he grazed his shin. And paying no attention to it, as though he had suffered nothing, he proceeded zealously and with eagerness, being led to the arena, there being such a noise in the arena that no one could even be heard.
CHAPTER 9
9:1 But to Polycarp, as he entered the arena, there came a voice from heaven, saying, Be strong, and play the man, O Polycarp. And the speaker no man saw; but the voice those of our people who were present heard. And when he was brought in there was a great tumult, when men heard that Polycarp was apprehended.
9:2 Then, when he had been brought in, the proconsul asked him if he was Polycarp. And when he confessed, he would have persuaded him to deny, saying, Have respect unto thine age, and other things like these, as is their custom to say: Swear by the fortunes of Caesar; Repent; Say, Away with the Atheists. But Polycarp, when he had looked with a grave face at all the multitude of lawless heathen in the arena, having beckoned unto them with his hand, sighed, and looking up unto heaven, said, Away with the Atheists!
9:3 And when the proconsul pressed him, and said, Swear, and I will release thee, revile Christ; Polycarp said, Eighty and six years have I served him, and in nothing hath he wronged me; and how, then, can I blaspheme my King, who saved me?
CHAPTER 10
10:1 But when he again persisted, and said, Swear by the fortune of Caesar, he answered, If thou art vainly confident that I shall swear by the fortune of Caesar, as thou suggestest, and pretendest to be ignorant of me who I am, hear distinctly, I am a Christian. But if thou desirest to learn the scheme of Christianity, give me a day to speak, and hearken unto me.
10:2 The proconsul said, Persuade the people. But Polycarp said, I have thought thee indeed worthy to receive explanation, for we have been taught to render such honour as is fitting, and as does not injure us, to the powers and authorities ordained by God; but those I consider not worthy that I should make my defence before them.
CHAPTER 11
11:1 But the proconsul said unto him, I have wild beasts; I will deliver thee unto them, unless thou repentest. But he said, Call them, for repentance from the better to the worse is impossible for us; but it is a good thing to change from evil deeds to just ones.
11:2 But he said again unto him, I will cause thee to be consumed by fire if thou despisest the wild beasts, unless thou repentest. But Polycarp said, Thou threatenest me with fire that burneth but for a season, and is soon quenched. For thou art ignorant of the fire of the judgment to come, and of the eternal punishment reserved for the wicked. But why delayest thou? Bring whatever thou wishest.
CHAPTER 12
12:1 While he was saying these and more things, he was filled with courage and joy, and his face was filled with grace; so that he not only was not troubled and confused by the things said unto him, but, on the contrary, the proconsul was astonished, and sent his herald into the midst of the arena to proclaim a third time: Polycarp has confessed himself to be a Christian.
12:2 When this had been said by the herald, the whole multitude, both of Gentiles and Jews, that inhabit Smyrna, with irrestrainable anger and a loud voice, called out, This is the teacher of impiety, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of your gods, who teacheth many neither to sacrifice nor to worship the gods. Saying these things, they shouted out, and asked the Asiarch Philip to let loose a lion at Polycarp. But Philip replied that it was not lawful for him to do so, since he had finished the exhibition of wild beasts.
12:3 Then it seemed good unto them to shout with one voice that Polycarp should be burnt alive; for it was necessary that the vision that appeared unto him on his pillow should be fulfilled, when seeing it burning, he prayed, and said prophetically, turning to the faithful who were with him, I must be burnt alive.
CHAPTER 13
13:1 These things, therefore, happened with so great rapidity, that they took less time than the narration, the multitude quickly collecting logs and brushwood from the workshops and baths, the Jews especially lending their services zealously for this purpose, as is their custom.
13:2 But when the pyre was ready, having put off all his garments, and having loosed his girdle, he essayed to take off his shoes; not being in the habit of doing this previously, because each of the faithful used to strive which should be the first to touch his body, for, on account of his good conversation, he was, even before his martyrdom, adorned with every good gift.
13:3 Straightway, therefore, there were put around him the implements prepared for the pyre. And when they were about besides to nail him to it, he said, Suffer me thus, for he who gave me to abide the fire will also allow me, without the security of your nails, to remain on the pyre without moving.
CHAPTER 14
14:1 They, therefore, did not nail him, but bound him. But he, having placed his hands behind him, and being bound, like a notable ram appointed for offering out of a great flock, prepared as a whole burnt-offering acceptable unto God, having looked up unto heaven, said, O Lord God Almighty, Father of thy beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received our knowledge concerning thee, the God of angels and powers, and of the whole creation, and of all the race of the just who lived before thee,
14:2 I thank thee that thou hast deemed me worthy of this day and hour, that I should have my portion in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, unto the resurrection of eternal life, both of the soul and body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. Among these may I be received before thee this day as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, even as thou hast prepared and made manifest beforehand, and hast fulfilled, thou who art the unerring and true God.
14:3 On this account, and concerning all things, I praise thee, I bless thee, I glorify thee, together with the eternal and heavenly Jesus Christ thy beloved Son, with whom to thee and the Holy Spirit be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
CHAPTER 15
15:1 And when he had uttered the Amen, and had finished his prayer, the men who superintended the fire kindled it. And a great flame breaking out, we, to whom it was given to see, saw a great wonder; for to this end also were we preserved, that we might announce what happened to the rest of mankind.
15:2 For the fire, assuming the form of a vault, like the sail of a vessel filled with the wind, defended the body of the martyr roundabout; and it was in the midst of the flame not like flesh burning, but like bread being baked, or like gold and silver glowing in the furnace. And we perceived such a sweet-smelling savour, as though from the breath of incense, or some other precious perfume.
CHAPTER 16
16:1 At last these wicked men, perceiving that his body could not be consumed by the fire, commanded the slaughterer to come near and plunge in a sword. And when he had done this, there came out a dove and an abundance of blood, so that it quenched the fire, and all the multitude wondered that there was such a difference between the unbelievers and the elect.
16:2 Of whom this most admirable martyr Polycarp was one, having been in our time an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and bishop of the Catholic church which is in Smyrna. For every word which he uttered from his mouth both hath been fulfilled, and shall be fulfilled.
CHAPTER 17
17:1 But the evil one, who is the opponent and envier, who is the enemy to the race of men, beholding both the greatness of his testimony and his conversation blameless from the beginning, how he was crowned with a crown of immortality, and how he carried off a prize that could not be spoken against, contrived that not even a relic of him should be taken by us, though many desired to do this, and to communicate with his holy flesh.
17:2 He suborned, therefore, Nicetes, the father of Herodes, and the brother of Alce, to make interest with the governor so as not to give his body to the tomb, Lest, said he, they abandon the crucified and begin to worship this man. And these things they said at the suggestion and instance of the Jews, who also kept watch when we were about to take the body from the fire, not knowing that we shall never be able to abandon Christ, who suffered for the salvation of the whole world of those who are saved, the blameless on behalf of sinners, nor to worship any one else.
17:3 Him we adore as the Son of God; but the martyrs, as the disciples and imitators of the Lord, we love according to their deserts, on account of their incomparable love for their King and Teacher, with whom may it be our lot to be partners and fellow-disciples.
CHAPTER 18
18:1 Therefore, the centurion, seeing the strife that had risen among the Jews, placed the body in the midst of the fire and burned it.
18:2 Thus we, having afterwards taken up his bones, more valuable than precious stones, laid them where it was suitable.
18:3 There, so far as is allowed us, when we are gathered together in exultation and joy, the Lord will enable us to celebrate the birthday of the martyrs, both for the memory of those who have contended, and for the exercise and preparation of those to come.
CHAPTER 19
19:1 Such were the things that happened to the blessed Polycarp, who together with those from Philadelphia was the twelfth who suffered martyrdom in Smyrna; but he alone is held in memory by all, so that he is spoken of in every place even by the Gentiles; not only being a distinguished teacher, but also an eminent martyr, whose testimony we desire to imitate, since it happened according to the Gospel of Christ.
19:2 For having overcome by patience the unjust governor, and so having received the crown of immortality, rejoicing together with the apostles and all the just, he glorifieth God and the Father, and blesseth our Lord Jesus Christ the Saviour of our souls, and the pilot of our bodies, and the shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world.
CHAPTER 20
20:1 Ye therefore desired that the things that had happened should be shown unto you more at length; but we for the present have related them unto you briefly by means of our brother Marcus. Now do ye, when ye have read these things, send on the letter to the brethren who are further off, that they also may glorify the Lord, who is making a selection from among his own servants.
20:2 To him who is able to bring us all in, by his grace and gift, into his eternal kingdom, through his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ; to him be the glory, honour, strength, majesty for ever. Amen. Salute all the saints. They who are with us salute you, and Evarestus who wrote these things, and all his house.
CHAPTER 21
21:1 Now the blessed Polycarp was martyred on the second day of the month Xanthicus, on the twenty-fifth of April, on the great Sabbath, at the eighth hour. But he was apprehended by Herodes, when Philip of Tralles was high priest, Statius Quadratus being proconsul, and Jesus Christ king for ever, to whom be glory, honour, majesty, and eternal throne, from generation to generation. Amen.
CHAPTER 22
22:1 We pray, brethren, that you may fare well, walking by the word of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to God and the Father, and the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of the holy elect, even as the blessed Polycarp hath born witness, in whose steps may we be found in the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
22:2 These things have been transcribed by Gaius, from the manuscripts of Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, who also was a fellow-citizen to Irenaeus. But I, Socrates, made a copy in Corinth from the copies of Gaius. Grace be with you all.
22:3 But I, Pionius, afterwards copied them from the above written, having sought them out, after that the blessed Polycarp had made them manifest to me by a revelation, as I will show in what follows; having gathered them together, when they had already become almost obliterated by time, in order that the Lord Jesus Christ may gather me also together with his elect, unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
Christian Persecution & Martyrdom
October 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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The following are helpful resources from Christian History magazine on Christian persecution and martyrdom:
Persecution in the Early Church: Recommended Resources
Recommendations provided by Kenneth R. Calvert, Th,M. candidate in patristics at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The “Edict of Milan”
Selections from an agreement, made in 313, that changed the course of history
Nero’s Cruelties
An account from Roman historian Tacitus (C. 115)
Emperor Hadrians moderate policies
This rescript, c. 124, protected Christians
Persecution in Early Church: Did You Know?
by EVERETT FERGUSON — Dr. Everett Ferguson is professor of Bible at Abilene Christian University and author of Backgrounds of Early Christianity
Tomb of the Unknown Christians
KEVIN A. MILLER
Persecution in the Early Church: Did You Know?
Beginning as a despised, illicit religious sect, Christianity endured 300 years of hostility to emerge as the dominant force in the Roman Empire.
by Dr. Everett Ferguson
When Christianity Triumphed
The achievement brought new difficulties.
Dr. William H. C. Frend, clerk in holy orders for the Diocese of Peterborough (U.K.), is professor emeritus of ecclesiastical history at Glasgow University and author of Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church
Perpetua & Polycarp: Two Heroic Martyrs
The Piety of the Persecutors
In the Roman mind, there were valid religious reasons to halt the spread of Christianity.
Dr. Robert L. Wilken is the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia. He is author of The Christians as the Romans Saw Them
Rome’s Religious Ferment
The first-century Empire swirled with an exotic mix of religions.
by Dr. Herbert Schlossberg, Project Director, Fieldstead Institute.
Persecution in the Early Church: A Gallery of the Persecuting Emperors
by Mark Galli, associate editor of Leadership Journal.
Controversial Constantine
The famous emperor ended the persecution of Christians. But was he a true believer, or merely a superstitious political opportunist?
by David F. Wright, Dean of the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh.
Constantine’s Famous Emblem
The chi-rho symbol he adopted is now displayed in churches throughout the world.
David F. Wright
Persecution in the Early Church: A Christian History Timeline
How the Early Church Viewed Martyrs
Christians held a theology of martyrdom that gave them courage to endure.
by William G. Bixler
The Gallery: Martyrs and Confessors
by Dr. John 0. Gooch, editor of youth/adult curriculum for The United Methodist Publishing House in Nashville, Tennessee.
Cowards Among the Christians
by JOHN O. GOOCH
From the Archives: Cyprian’s Letter to Banished Christians
Encouragement for believers sentenced to the Roman mines.
Persecuted Christians Today
by JAMES REAPSOME , Evangelical Mission Information Service
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Coins During the Time of Joseph?
October 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment
It is generally believed that coins were invented in the East (China) sometime around 900 B.C, and in the West (Lydia) sometime around 700 B.C. However, coins from Egypt’s National Museum seem to be telling a different story. The following comes from The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing:
Egyptian coins minted during the era of biblical Joseph have been discovered in boxes “carelessly” stashed away for years in Egypt’s National Museum. The discovery, originally reported by Egypt’s Al Ahram newspaper and translated into a report by Middle East Media Research Institute, said that coins with Joseph’s name and image were found in a pile of unsorted artifacts that had been stored at the museum.
News of this discovery counters claims by some historians that barter was used for trade in Egypt — not coins — at the time the Bible records that Joseph and the Israelites migrated there. But, the report carried an explanation of the discovery by researcher Sa’id Muhammad Thabet: “What most archeologists took for a kind of charm, and others took for an ornament or adornment, is actually a coin. … First, many such coins have been found at various [archeological sites], and also they are round or oval in shape, and have two faces: one with an inscription, called the inscribed face, and one with an image, called the engraved face — just like the coins we use today,” said the report.
The newspaper called the find “unprecedented” and noted that the Quran indicates clearly “that coins were used in Egypt in the time of Joseph.”
The MIMRI report explained, as well, that other texts from the Third, Sixth and Twelfth Dynasties also talk about coins. “The archeological finding is also based on the fact that the inscribed face bore the name of Egypt, a date, and a value, while the engraved face bore the name and image of one of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs or gods, or else a symbol connected with these. Another telling fact is that the coins come in different sizes and are made of different materials, including ivory, precious stones, copper, silver, gold, etc.,” the newspaper reported.
Of the 500 coins discovered, one even had the image of a cow “symbolizing Pharaoh’s dream about the seven fat cows and seven lean cows, and the seven green stalks of grain and seven dry stalks of grain. … Joseph’s name appears twice on this coin, written in hieroglyphs: once the original name, Joseph, and once his Egyptian name, Saba Sabani, which was given to him by Pharaoh when he became treasurer. There is also an image of Joseph, who was part of the Egyptian administration at the time,” the report said. [WorldNetDaily.com, Biblical Archaeology Review, Memri.org]
God’s Name in the 10 Commandments
October 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
An emperor asked a Rabbi: “Why is God’s Name mentioned in the first Five Commandments and not in the last Five?”
The Rabbi answered: “Your statue is placed in clean places, but not in unclean. By the same token, God did not care to place His Name in the Commandments dealing with thieves, adulturers, murderers, false witnesses and those who covet their neighbors’ goods.”
(Pesikta Rabbati, Piska, 21. Vide, Hezkuni to Jethro.)
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Related Content
- Marcus Aurelius and Rabbi Judah I
- Paradise and Gehenna According to the Talmud and Midrash
- Master List of Great Quotes
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Marcus Aurelius and Rabbi Judah
October 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment
According to the Talmud (Abodah Zarah, 10), the following exhange took place between Marcus Aurelius (son-in-law of Antoninus Pius) and Rabbi Judah I;
Antoninus, the Emperor, onse said to Rabbi Judah I: “Two things I wish the Senate to do for me: to elect my son, Annias Verus Codemus, as my successor, and to make Tiberias a free city so that students of the Torah may be released from taxes. I know, however, that they will grant me only one of these two favors.”
The Rabbi thereupon had one man climb on the other’s shoulders, and the man above was handed a dove. The then said to his royal friend: “Command the man below to command the man above to release the dove.”
Antoninus then understood the Rabbi’s counsel. He was to ask the Senate to ratify the election of Codemus, and Codemus, when Emperor, would make Tiberias free.
The Emperor then said: “The patricians torment me. What shall I do?”
The Rabbi led him to a garden and pulled out a plant. The following day he pulled another. Antoninus then understood. He should rid himself of his adversaries one by one, and not engage in quarrel with them all at one time.
Antoninus was accustomed also to send to the Rabbi golden coin in sacks of wheat, with some wheat at the top of each sack. Rabbi Judah informed him that he had no need for gold, but the Emperor said: “My successors will doubtless demand much gold from your successors. Hence, in time it will all be returned to its source.”
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Paradise and Gehenna According to the Talmud and Midrash
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Baptist Origins
June 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Where did the Baptists come from? Christian History has published an excellent synopsis. Below is an excerpt for your consideration . . .
The traceable historical roots of the Baptists as we know them today are to be found in the English church of the early 17th Century.
During the tumultuous 70-year period from the Act of Supremacy in 1534 and King Henry VIII’s separation from Roman Catholicism, to the Hampton Court Conference in England in 1604 when the hopes of the Puritans were thwarted by King James I, the English church was inescapably intertwined with the shifting affairs of the state and monarchy. Intense and often violent struggles ensued as the reform movement progressed. Fundamental questions related to the nature of the church, its doctrine, polity, practice and relationship to the state were tested and debated in the crucible of a rapidly changing society.
It was the English Baptists and the European Anabaptists that would put the church and its whole self understanding to the a more severe test than any other group as they embraced a collection of doctrines and principles that shattered the old world synthesis.
The Baptists originated among the Separatist movement. The Separatists themselves had come from the Puritans. The Puritans were loyal members of the established church and sought to advance the reform movement and “purify” the church from within.
The “Separatists” became impatient with the possibility of the established church ever being purified and called for a “separation” from the state church to form congregations that would pattern themselves after New Testament teaching and practice.
From the Separatists during the reign of James I would emerge the Pilgrim fathers who went to America, and the first Baptists. The two figures who can be identified as among the earliest Baptists are John Smyth (1570–1612) and Thomas Helwys (?–1616).
August 28
May 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
August 28, 430
As Vandals invade Roman North Africa and overwhelm Hippo refugees, Augustine dies of a fever. Miraculously, his writings, including City of God survived the Vandal takeover, and his theology became one of the main pillars on which the church of the next 1,000 years was built.
August 28, 1828
Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist and social reformer, is born. Though the Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated him in 1901, his later works emphasized Christian love and the teachings of Jesus.
August 28, 1840
Ira D. Sankey is born in Pennsylvania. For 25 years he led the music when D.L. Moody preached.