TRF has touched on the topic of Luther and predestination during the 1530s and 1540s – obviously, not in any sort of comprehensive way – in previous posts (here, here, here). So, I was studying Luther’s doctrine of the Trinity and reading his sermon for Trinity Sunday of 1537. Luther was commenting on this passage… Read More Luther and Predestination: Romans 9-11
by Matthew Gaetano TRF has addressed Christian confrontations with slavery in the past (here, here, here). Kidnapping of West Africans or other raiding expeditions during the transatlantic slave trade of 12.5 million human beings did occur (and here). It is also true that the Portuguese and others purchased human beings already in some form of… Read More “We need … no other goods except wine and flour for the holy sacrament”: Christian Kongo and Slavery
by Matthew Gaetano TRF has discussed Philo (here, here, here) and slavery (here, here) before. Here are two passages that combine these themes. Even though scholars debate whether Philo accurately presents these two first-century Jewish communities, we can see here the possibility of opposition to slavery in theory and practice in this context. In Every… Read More Philo and Slavery
by Matthew Gaetano I was talking with a student a couple of days ago, and we discussed two fascinating moments where figures across the Christians confessions were being linked together in rather unusual ways. The first is John Adams’s letter to Thomas Jefferson on 16 July 1814. He expresses his belief that “the Christian Religion… Read More Two strange “ecumenical” moments
Here is the rest of Martin Luther’s discussion on predestination in his lecture on Genesis 26:9 (Concordia ed., vol. 5, pp. 46-50) (continued from here): But you will say: “I cannot believe.” Thus many are troubled by this trial, and I recall that at Torgau a little woman came to me and complained with tears… Read More Luther and Predestination – Genesis Lectures (part 2): “Predestination will shine” from “the wounds of Christ”
I’m thankful for the engagement on the previous post. Calvinists and Lutherans argued for decades – perhaps centuries – about whether De servo arbitrio or On the Bondage of the Will (1525) supported their side of the debate over predestination for decades. Here are a couple of a major Reformed figures in Reformed orthodoxy (p.… Read More Luther and Predestination – Genesis Lectures (part 1)
In light of the reflections of religious persecution last week, I had a rich discussion today about our confidence in the power of the proclamation of the Gospel. This confidence in preaching also came to mind because today is 793rd anniversary of the death of the famous Franciscan preacher, Anthony of Padua (or Lisbon). Moreover,… Read More “Not many were powerful” (1 Cor. 1:26)
by Matthew Gaetano TRF hosted some interesting debates about religious freedom, the Second Vatican Council, and the development of doctrine back in 2017. For the last several years, there has been quite a lot of debate about Integralism, Christian nationalism, and other post-liberal (or often pre-liberal!) approaches to state and society. Back in 2019, Pater… Read More Religious Freedom in the Early Modern Period (part 1)
Quite a topic for a Friday in June! I was digging around for something in Martin Luther’s Table Talk – informal remarks of the reformer to his students, friends, etc. – and stumbled upon this passage from Spring 1533 (vol. 54 of Concordia Edition, p. 87, no. 502): Concerning the statement, “It depends not upon… Read More Luther and Predestination
by Matthew Gaetano The appreciation of the celebration of Christmas varied among the early Reformers. Bruce Gordon touches on some of that history here, though see R. Scott Clark’s account here as well. Martin Luther’s love of the festival was particularly strong, as can be seen in his Christmastide sermons of 1544. Within a couple… Read More “All things laugh”: Martin Luther and Christmas