This Church History minute is about Jean Astruc Who was he? A French doctor, specifically specializing in the field of dermatology, which was still in its infancy, in the early and mid 1700s. He read quite widely and was familiar with most biological breakthroughs of the time. His family, although likely originally Jewish, had been…
Category: Church History Minute
Basil is not a spice (Church History Minute)
This is the first of three Church history Minutes on the Cappadocian Fathers, this week “Basil the Great” (aka Basil of Caesarea) Who was he? An early Christian bishop who, together with Gregory of Nyssa (his little brother) and Gregory Nazianzus, made up the Cappadocian fathers, a set of early defenders of Nicene Christianity. Nicene…
Wait Lenscrafters is Heretical? (Church History Minute)
Today I’m talking about Baruch (sometimes Benedict) Spinoza, not the glasses-in-under-an-hour chain. Who was he? Spinoza was a 17th century Jewish person raised in the Portuguese Jewish community living in Amsterdam (having been expelled from the Iberian peninsula). At the age of 23 he was expelled from the Jewish community through cherim (similar to excommunication)…
It’s like history “Inception”: Martin Kähler
Today’s Church history minute is about Martin Kähler, someone who was wildly influential, yet who is not very well known outside of Academia. I say it’s like history inception, because Kähler talked about history, in terms of history and this is a “Church history minute” so…wait I’m confused. Who was he? Kähler was a 19th…
Worst. Quest. Ever.
Church History Minute: The Quest for the Historical Jesus What was/is it? The quest for the historical Jesus is something of a misnomer. There were actually three different “quests” for the historical Jesus (one of the going on today), and even they are somewhat loosely defined. However, the “first” quest for the historical Jesus began…
You think you’ve got it bad, don’t talk to Athanasius
Today’s church history minute is about Athanasius Who was he? Athanasius was a fourth century bishop in Alexandria. He is famous for his opposition to the Arians. Arianism revolved around a controversy with respect to who Christ was. It amounts to a denial of the full Trinity. While Arius said Jesus was divine, he claimed…
The Bible used in the Bible
Today’s Church history minute is all about The Septuagint (or LXX). What is it? The Septuagint was the first comprehensively translated AND widely used translations of a religious text from a source language into a cultural language. It was a translation of what we know as the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible) into Koine (or…
Menno Simmons: The “Stupid Priest”
It’s back! The church history minute! I can hear the groans and crickets now. Who was he? Menno Simmons (Minne Simens) was an Anabaptist Reformer after having left the Roman Catholic Priesthood about twenty years after the beginning of the Reformation. Previously the Melchoirites and Münsterites were anabaptist groups, though they tended to readily accept…
Quick word for the new year
Just a quick word of hope on this, the second day of the New Year. In the words of John Calvin, “Post tenebras Lux” It translates “After darkness, light,” and though it appeared in various times throughout Church History, it was used most frequently and effectively by John (Jean) Calvin, before being adopted by most…
St Nick isn’t always so Jolly
So, I wasn’t posting to my blog in the lead up to Christmas. But if you were friends with me on Facebook, you may have seen these pictures before. Even though Christmas has passed, we are still, technically, in the midst of the 12 day Christmas season (yes that is the origin of the song,…
