Yesterday was (for most of us) the Feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the Magi’s visit to the Infant Jesus. It’s easy to turn it into something schmaltzy, but this is actually one of the most theologically rich parts of the Bible. Jan de Bray, The Adoration of the Magi (1674) Gold: As I’ve explained before,… Continue reading God, King, Sacrifice: The Gifts of the Magi
Tag: Bible
Jim Crow and the Protestant Bible
In the past, I’ve argued against Protestant special pleading on Tradition. I asked, “if an individual Christian declares that all (or virtually all) Christians on Earth misunderstand core elements of the Gospel, but that he understands it correctly, could he be right?” The answer appears to be no, unless he’s one of the Reformers. Today, I want… Continue reading Jim Crow and the Protestant Bible
The Massacre of the Innocents and the Historicity of the Gospels
The first few days after Christmas Day are a surprisingly bloody affair. On December 26, we celebrated the Feast Day of St. Stephen, sometimes called “the protomartyr,” since he is the first Christian after the Resurrection to be martyred for the faith. Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents, which commemorates Herod’s massacre… Continue reading The Massacre of the Innocents and the Historicity of the Gospels
How Mary Built the Temple that King David Couldn’t
Yesterday’s First Reading was about King David, and his plans to build a Temple for the Lord, to store the Ark. It begins (2 Samuel 7:1-3): Now when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See… Continue reading How Mary Built the Temple that King David Couldn’t
Early Church Fathers on Mary as the New Eve
Last week, I talked about how Mary is presented in Scripture as the New Eve, through a number of remarkable parallels. In that post, I quoted St. Irenaeus, who wrote in 180 A.D. about what he called “the back-reference from Mary to Eve,” namely, that “the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary.… Continue reading Early Church Fathers on Mary as the New Eve
The New Translation: What’s Changed and Why
So, we’re most of the way through Advent* (I know, it’s gone by incredibly fast — if you want to slow it down, try fasting). It seems like a good time to pause and reflect on the new translation of the Mass that was rolled out on the first Sunday of Advent. What’s changed, and why?… Continue reading The New Translation: What’s Changed and Why
Was Sola Scriptura True During the Apostolic Age?
Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”) is the Protestant belief that all Christian doctrines should be taken from Scripture alone. Given this, it seems fair to ask Protestants, “Was sola Scriptura true during the Apostolic age?” That is, during the time of the New Testament, did those Christians believers rely on the Bible alone for their doctrines? The Reformed… Continue reading Was Sola Scriptura True During the Apostolic Age?
Mary, the New Eve
In the past few days, we’ve seen how Scripture depicts Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant, and Mary as the Temple Gate, surrounding Jesus Christ, our perfect Temple. Today’s the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so it’s the perfect time to add a third Scriptural depiction of Mary: Mary as the New Eve.… Continue reading Mary, the New Eve
Jesus Christ, the New Temple
Christians often approach the Temple prophesies found in Ezekiel 40-48 in one of two ways. Either they’ll conclude they’re about another literal Temple to be built in Jerusalem, rushing off to the latest ends-times theory, or they’ll write them off as hopelessly obtuse prophesy. I think Jesus makes it clear Who the Temple is, and I… Continue reading Jesus Christ, the New Temple
Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant
In the comments, Waterloo Region African asked how early Christians thought of Mary as the New Ark. I think that the best answer is that St. Luke lays this out pretty clearly in the first chapter of his Gospel. He draws some incredibly obvious parallels between Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and David’s movement of the… Continue reading Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant