The Vision (7.10.20): Psalm 126: Restoration Song

Image: Phlox David, North Garden, Virginia, July 2020

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Psalm 126.

The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad (Psalm 126:3).

Psalm 126 is set at the time of Israel’s return or restoration from exile. So, it begins, “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion we were like them that dream” (v. 1). This return came after some 70 years of bondage in Babylon with the edict of Cyrus, when the Persians had toppled the Babylonians (see 2 Chron 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-3).

Psalm 126 is, then, a Restoration Song. In v. 3a the Psalmist exults, “The LORD hath done great things for us.” Spurgeon called this verse, “the marrow of the whole Psalm.” The words here recall the words of the old gospel hymn: “Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done.”

We see here the sanctified insight of looking back in hindsight, in retrospect. The exile was a catastrophe, but the Psalmist sees the good that the Lord wrought in those circumstances and the liberation he accomplished.

The last statement in v. 3b is the summary perhaps of the entire Psalm: “whereof we are glad.” This tells us that there is a place in the Christian life for expression of gladness, for exuberant praise.

Christ himself set us a model for this. In Luke 10:21 we read of a time when Christ “rejoiced in the Spirit” and burst into a spontaneous praise to the Father, which began, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth.”

The apostles continued the pattern, as demonstrated when Paul exhorted the Philippians to praise even while he was himself imprisoned: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Phil 4:4). There is a pattern here for us to follow.

Psalm 126 ends with a promise of fruitfulness after tears, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaths with him” (v. 6).

We are here encouraged to be fruitful, to go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, confident not in ourselves, but in the Lord, so that in due time he will bring about a great harvest.

We are reminded overall that tears of suffering, tears of labor, tears of struggle, tears of repentance, most often precede seasons of fruitfulness. So, we are called to perseverance in the faith. This faith is not a sprint, but a marathon.

You may be walking through a season of tears, but joy and fruit will come in the morning (cf. Psalm 130:5). There are for God’s people, corporately and individually, seasons of restoration.

Finally, this Psalm should also cause us to fix our eyes on Christ. Spurgeon, in his exposition of Psalm 126, suggests that “In a fuller, deeper sense, the sower in tears is the Man of sorrows himself.” Adding, “Believers know him thus.” He endured “the sore travail of his soul, the seedtime of affliction” that he might gain “the satisfying harvest when he shall again appear as the reaper of his own reward.”

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Miscellania (7.7.20)

Thanks to Scott Meadows of Calvary RBC in Exeter, NH, who posted this encouraging note about my John Owen book last week (7.1.20):

Also thanks to Dane Jōhannsson, of Agros RBC in Glibert, AZ, who sent me this meme he created from my recent blog post on When Restoration Goes Wrong:

Smiles, JTR

Eusebius, EH.8.7-9: The Egyptian Martyrs

This is an occasional series of readings from and brief notes and commentary upon Eusebius of Caesarea’s The Ecclesiastical History: Book 8, chapters 7-9.

Notes and Commentary:

These chapters describe the sufferings of Egyptian Christians under the Diocletian persecution.

Chapter 7 describes Egyptian believers martyred at Tyre in Phoenicia. Eusebius claims to have been an eyewitness of these things, having seen the martyrs being given over to wild beasts. He reports, however, that as they stood defenseless, naked, and in prayer, they were miraculously protected by divine providence from attack by the beasts. Thus, they were then “butchered with the sword”, and their bodies cast into the waves of the sea.

Chapter 8 describes those who suffered martyrdom in Egypt itself. These included men, women, and children who suffered horrific abuse with some being crucified head-down and kept alive till they died from hunger.

Chapter 9 describe the martyrs of Thebais, an Egyptian province, which included the capital city of Thebes. Their sufferings, Eusebius says, surpassed all others. These included those whose limbs were tied to the branches of bent trees and, when the branches were let lose, they were torn asunder. As many as one hundred men were put to death on the same day, and the persecution lasted for years. Women and young children were not spared.

Eusebius claims to have witnessed so many martyrs suffering decapitation in one day that the axe became dull with use and the executioners exhausted. Most amazing, however, was the zeal of the believers who would confess their faith before the tribunal and go to their deaths with joy and singing. Many of these martyrs were known for their wealth, birth, reputation, and learning.

Among the noteworthy martyrs were Philoromus, an imperial administrator in Alexandria and Phileas, bishop of Thmuites. Though urged even by their judge to spare themselves and their families by recanting, they stood firm and were beheaded.

Conclusion:

These chapters continue the narrative of the Diocletian martyrs, focusing on those from Egypt who stood firm in the face of death. The manner of their sufferings is described with gruesome detail. The scale of the persecution was vast. It is also noteworthy that Eusebius can claim to have been a personal eyewitness to many of these things. Despite the degree of suffering, Eusebius’s main focus is on the ability of the believers to remain faithful, even during this worst time of persecution.

JTR

The Vision (7.3.20): A Song for Exiles: Psalm 137

Image: Gaillardia (aka, Fire-Wheel, Indian Blanket) flowers, Topsail Island, North Carolina, July 2020.

Note: Devotional taken from last Sunday's sermon on Psalm 137.

How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land? (Psalm 137:4).

Psalm 137 was composed after the fall of Jerusalem by one carried away into exile in Babylon. The central section, vv. 4-6, expresses a resolution to faithfulness in the midst of great distress.

It begins with a rhetorical question: “How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land?” (v. 4).

There are several angles to this question. From one perspective, it may be asking, how can we possibly sing praises to God in the midst of such despair and loss?

Have you ever found it hard to coax your heart to sing praises unto your God?

There is another angle to this question: How shall we sing the song of Jehovah, the one true and jealous God, in a land filled with idols and pagan deities?

Next, the Psalmist expresses a resolution never to forget Jerusalem, never to forget the temple where the one true God was worshiped.

The Psalmist vows, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning” (v. 5); “If I do not remember thee, let tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy” (v. 6).

I once heard a sermon on Psalm 137 in which the preacher rightly suggested that the new covenant believer might substitute the word “Christ” for “Jerusalem” in vv. 5-6: If I forget Christ, let my right hand become useless; if I do not remember Christ, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Christ above my chief joy.

I recently read a book by a Russian scholar who described how for over 70 years communism tried to stamp out the Christian faith in that land. This author then addressed Christians in the West who are fearful of entering what has been called a modern “post-Christian” age. He closed with the following: “The post-Christian age will come only after the second coming of Jesus Christ. As long as the history of mankind continues on earth, Christ will continue to act in history. His divine countenance will always attract people, and generation after generation will become Jesus generations” (Hilarion Alfeyev, Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 1, 537).

Like the Psalmist of old, whatever our present circumstances, we will continue to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land and resolve to stand firm in the faith, prizing Christ above our chief joy.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff

Symeon the New Theologian on the boundless sea of the glory of God

Image: Sunrise, Topsail Island, North Carolina, July 2020

2.11 When a man stands on the seashore he can see the endless waves of the ocean, but he can appreciate only a fraction of their whole extent. It is the same when a man has been counted worthy to gaze through contemplation on the boundless sea of the glory of God and to perceive him with his mind. He does not then see him as great as he is, but sees him only as great as is possible for the inner eyes of the soul that sees him.

2.12 It is like a man standing by the sea. If he is not content just to look, he can go into the waters as deeply as he wants. And if spiritual persons want it, they too can enter into participation with the light of God by means of contemplation, to the extent that they are inspired by desire and knowledge.

From Paul McGuckin, trans., Symeon the New Theologian, The Practical and Theological Chapters (Cistercian Publications, 1982): 65-66.

JTR

WM 167: Why do Muslim Apologists love the Modern Critical Text?

I have posted WM 167: Why do Muslim Apologists love the Modern Critical Text? Listen above. Notes below:

Those of us who defend the traditional text of Scripture have often been accused, especially by one PIA, of having no meaningful apologetic. We are told that we cannot use our approach “in the real world” while at the same time we are told that in order to meaningfully speak with non-Christians, and especially Muslims, that we must embrace the modern approach to text criticism. We must convince Muslims that the text of the Bible, though it has supposedly been corrupted, it can be reconstructed, and its past corruptions do not affect the Bible’s authority and reliability.

Defenders of the TR have pointed out that such an approach is, in fact, a capitulation to Muslims who gleefully embrace scholarly rejections of the Bible’s textual integrity and abandonment of the doctrine of providential preservation of the text.

We all know there is one apologist who quite frequently humble-brags (humble-boasts) about being invited to give presentations on the text of the Bible before Muslim audiences and within Muslim mosques, where he concedes its textual corruption. He never seems to stop and wonder why it is that the Muslims are so eager to have him “dialogue” with them, or why they so often post extended clips of his teaching (not taken out of context but given in full context) to their own apologetic social media sites.

Along these lines, I would commend to you the CB Roundtable #3 from May 26, 2020 in which Pastor Pooyan did a presentation on the TR and Apologetics, explaining that in fact it is the traditional text that is most useful in doing evangelism with non-believers and with those who Muslim backgrounds, in particular. One of the things that stood out was that Pastor Pooyan noted that the ministry of religion in the Iranian government is actively involved in translating scholarly materials from the West (including works of prominent evangelicals) on the text of the Bible. Why are they doing this? Not to promote Christianity but to undermine it and to further the Muslim narrative on the hopeless corruption of Scripture.

So, let’s move on to the first clip. This was sent to me a couple of months ago by a friend. It is a video from the Muslim apologist Adnan Rashid from a 4/17/20 titled “Will David Wood Accept Islam?” Start at the 15:22 mark.

Notice how Rashid draws on Bruce Metzger, Bart Ehrman, as well as Michael J. Kruger to make his point.

Next, let’s go to a more recent clip. This comes from an online debate between the Eastern Orthodox internet philosopher Jay Dyer (perhaps POIA, Popular Orthodox Internet Apologist) in a debate with Shabir Ally from June 6, 2020 where the topic was “Is Jesus God Incarnate?” What is interesting here is the fact that while they were debating the Trinity, Ally drew upon James White as an ally to disregard the CJ. Listen to 50:45-54:30.

So, “Why do Muslim Apologists love the modern critical text of the Bible and those who promote it?”

Sadly, the answer is because it fits their narrative of the Christian Scriptures as being textually corrupted, hopelessly confused, and not providentially preserved by God?”

It is, in fact, only those who hold to the historic Protestant view of the Bible as “kept pure in all ages” who will be able to offer a meaningful apologetic to Muslim and other skeptics.

We are living in some strange times. It is sad to see historical monuments begin torn down without regard for the history and traditions which undergird them. And it is equally sad to see a literary monument come under withering attack (since the nineteenth century) and unrelenting attempts to topple it.

As noted here more than once, such attacks seem to continue to be resisted and frustrated by at least a remnant. To what do we attribute the tenacity of the traditional text? Ignorance? Naivete? Threadbare tradition? Perhaps, but there is another explanation for this tenacity. Perhaps it continues to persist, because it is the Word of God.

JTR

The Vision (6.26.20): Hope, when all hope seems lost

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 2 Kings 25.

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison (2 Kings 25:27).

Last Sunday we completed a 51-part expositional sermon series through 1-2 Kings (for the 1 Kings series look here and for the 2 Kings series here).

2 Kings ends in chapter 25 with the devastating fall of Judah and Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, and the exile in Babylon. The conclusion is bleak, even though God’s judgement of Judah was just.

The gloomy chapter concludes, however, in vv. 27-30 by noting that when a new king took the throne in Babylon he “lifted up the head” of Judah’s exiled King Jehoiachin. He even spoke kindly to the Jewish king and set his throne above the thrones of the other conquered and exiled kings (v. 28). He changed his prison garments and gave him to eat bread continually (v. 29), and he also gave him a good allowance (v. 30).

This ending has been variously interpreted. Some have seen it as a final tragic insult, but others (and I think this more likely) see it as a sign of hope.

Just as God was with Joseph even when he was sold into slavery by his brothers and cast into prison by Potiphar, so God would be with Judah.

Just as God was with Sampson, even after his hair was cut, his strength lost, and his eyes gouged out, and yet we read, “Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he as shaven” (Judges 16:22).

So, the LORD would continue to be with the people of Judah in exile. The exile would be the worst of times, but it would also be the best of times. The people would understand that God was with them even in their chastisement, even in their failure and suffering. They would understand that their God was not just the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but the God of the nations.

Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah was that a rod would come forth from “the stem” of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). To get the rod or shoot, Judah had to be cut down to a stump.

What lessons do we learn from 2 Kings 25?

First, we are taught here to fear the wrath of God. We deserve what Judah got, and we would receive it had not Christ interposed his precious blood (Romans 5:9: “we shall be saved from wrath through him”).

Second, we should understand how the Lord sovereignly uses the circumstances and powers of this world as instruments in his hand to bring about his greater purposes. Ours is not to know every detail but to trust with childlike faith. As the old hymn puts it, “What’er my God ordains it right.”

Third, we reminded that even when all hope seems lost, there is still hope for all those who place their faith in Christ. We can look to his blameless life, death, burial and resurrection. The rod has come from the stem of Jesse, and he will come again, and he will set all things right!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Eusebius, EH.8.5-6: The Martyrs of Nicomedia

This is an occasional series of readings from and brief notes and commentary upon Eusebius of Caesarea’s The Ecclesiastical History: Book 8, chapters 5-6.

Notes and Commentary:

These chapters continue to describe the Diocletian persecution, focusing on the sufferings of Christians in Nicomedia (now the modern city of Izmit, Turkey), which Diocletian had made capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in AD 286, and in the imperial circles.

Chapter 5 notes that when the edict against Christians were announced, one unnamed upper-class Christian boldly took down a publicly posted copy and tore it to pieces. A footnote explains that this was probably the martyr Euethius, adding, “Tradition, however, identified him with St. George of England” (263, n. 2).

Chapter 6 describes the sufferings of those in the imperial household. The eunuch Dorotheus and Gorgonius were strangled.

An imperial servant named Peter suffered violent torture on the gridiron.

Anthimus, the bishop of Nicomedia was beheaded.

After a fire broke out in the palace, Christians were blamed and many more were “butchered with the sword” or burned, and the bodies of many were cast into the sea for fear that Christians would “worship” them if they were placed in tombs.

After an uprising in Melitene in Armenia, an imperial command was given for the “presidents” of the churches and other officers to be arrested and imprisoned. Further letters urged that the church officers to either sacrifice or face mutilation and torture. This led to numerous martyrdoms in each province and city.

Conclusion:

These chapters note that among the first to suffer in the Diocletian persecution were those in the imperial household and in the city of Nicomedia. Christians were blamed for fires and insurrection to give cover to their persecution. This persecution is presented by Eusebius as the most serious and widespread faced by early Christians, and yet the believers remained faithful to death.

JTR

When Restoration Goes Wrong

Image: The original depiction of Mary by Bartolome Esteban Murillo before its "restoration"

The story broke this week of yet another botched art restoration (read this article).

A priceless seventeenth century Baroque depiction of Mary by Bartolome Esteban Murillo was “cleaned and repaired” by a private art collector, but the restoration effort was something of a failure. A second attempt did not make things any better. Here are the two restoration efforts below:

This brought to mind the botched effort to restore a fresco titled Ecce Homo in a Spanish church eight years ago and now dubbed the “Monkey Christ.” See here:

Readers of this blog probably know where I am going with this. Can we draw an analogy from these recent calamitous attempts to “restore” master works of visual art  with parallel effort to "fix and repair" the traditional text of Scripture, leaving a masterpiece mangled and distorted? Food for thought.

JTR

WM 166: Wasserman & To Cast the First Stone

I have posted WM 166: Wasserman & To Cast the First Stone.

This is the first WM on text criticism I have posted since April.

In the first part of this episode, I offer a "historical" review of some previous conversations had on this blog, which began in WM 163: Gurry, Parker, Text, & Postmodernism.

In the comments of the WM 163 article, Swedish Baptist scholar Tommy Wasserman offered this rejoinder:

You cited me (and Jennifer Knust) again in your last comment, so perhaps I should emphasize again that it is not an either-or for me. I think that polarization is so unfortunate.

1) I do not believe the pericope adulterae belongs in the initial text of the Gospel of John, it entered in the early third century.

2) Our focus in this book was not on the initial text ... we did not find the pericope there. The focus was on the available textual objects, etc.

3) I am very interested in the reconstruction of the initial text and wrote another book with Peter Gurry whom you debate here. I think the easiest hypothesis is the assumption that the initial text is the authorial text.

4) I think the position that the Textus Receptus is God's word exclusively is completely untenable from both a logical–scientific and a theological viewpoint. I have no desire to debate with proponents of the Textus Receptus (I have done my share of that, and urge those who want more knowledge to first study the manuscripts and read an introduction to New Testament textual criticism).

Wasserman then offered a post on The Goal(s) of New Testament Textual Criticism on the Evangelical Textual Criticism blog, in which he again lamented the insistence of an "either-or" approach to text criticism.

The conversation continued in WM 164: Has there been a "major shift" in the goal(s) of text criticism?

Here also is a link to the audio of my debate with Stephen Boyce on the authenticity of the PA.

In the second part of this episode I offer a draft of my review of Jennifer Knust & Tommy Wasserman, To Cast the First Stone: The Transmission of a Gospel Story (Princeton University Press, 2019).

Enjoy!

JTR

The Vision (6.19.20): Discerning the Times

A friend of mine, Mark Tuso, a pastor in Florida, recently shared the devotion below, relating to discerning the times in which we live:

According to God’s design from the Bible, there are three main institutions:

The home;

The Church;

The state.

According to the Bible, God gave each of them a means of restraining/correcting evil/sin:

The home - the rod – Proverbs 22:15;

The Church - the keys – Matthew 16:19;

The state - the sword – Romans 13:4.

Satan has been working together through the world to break down the first institution of the home and to remove the rod, effectively removing the restraints of evil and sin designed to be used during the formative years of children born into sin.

We have also seen Satan, working through the world, to oppose the church in general, rejecting the Word of God, and the church of God, undermining what she teaches and her role in society.  In turn, we have seen churches across the country abandon God’s design for the church including the use of the keys (church discipline), effectively filling churches with unregenerate members free to sin without restraint.

Now, we are watching, for the first time in this country, a full attack by Satan on the third institution, and especially on its means of restraining and correcting evil in the cries and the moves to defund and abolish the police department.  Make no mistake, Satan’s aim is to ensure sin rules the day, and to remove any and all obstacles to it, while encouraging men and women and children to reject God and embrace their depravity.

JTR

Eusebius, EH.8.1-4: The Beginning of the Diocletian Persecution

This is an occasional series of readings from and brief notes and commentary upon Eusebius of Caesarea’s The Ecclesiastical History: Book 8, chapters 1-4.

Notes and Commentary:

These opening chapters set the stage for book 8.

Chapter 1 provides a prelude to the great persecution suffered by the church under the emperor Diocletian.

As noted at the end of book 7, Eusebius sees the events recorded here as marking a significant transition in the Christian movement.

He begins by describing the freedom and privileges enjoyed by the church before this persecution. The Roman rulers allowed Christians to practice their faith, even as members of their households. Christian men like Dorotheus and Gorgonius were esteemed. Spacious church buildings were constructed in various cities.

With greater freedom, however, there also arose pride and sloth. Christians began to rail against one another and break into factions. When the persecution began among Christian brothers in the army, Eusebius says that the church did not seek the favor and goodwill of God.

Chapter 2 turns to the persecution itself. Eusebius notes that he was an eyewitness of “the houses of prayer” being cast to the ground, of the scriptures being “committed to the flames” in the marketplaces, and of pastors either hiding or being captured and mocked by their enemies.

He notes that the persecution began in the nineteenth year of Diocletian’s reign (c. 303) with the issuing of an imperial letter at the time of the “the festival of the Savior’s Passion.” This letter was promulgated which ordered, “the razing of churches to the ground and the destruction by fire of the Scriptures,” as well threatening loss of liberty to Christian leaders and ordinary believers. Later letters instructed the “presidents of the local churches to be imprisoned and pressured to make sacrifices.”

Chapter 3 describes the sufferings of the rulers of the churches. Some contended with stout hearts, while others proved cowardly and weak at the first assault. He gives several examples of those who stood firm in the faith.

Chapter 4 notes again how early attacks upon Christians began among those “in the camps” (i.e., in the army) with some leaving the military lest they should become renegades in the faith. A particular “supreme commander” (whom Oulton identifies in a footnote as Veturius) is mentioned, who, in the early stages, deprived some Christians of their rank if they disobeyed the command to sacrifice and even took the lives of several. In time to come there would be countless martyrs in all the cities and the countryside.

Conclusion:

These chapters introduce the beginnings of the devastating Diocletian persecution which began with imperial letters in AD 303. This persecution would include the destruction of many churches and copies of Scripture, as well as producing numerous martyrs from the church’s officers and laymen. Eusebius saw this period as pivotal in the history of the Christian movement.

JTR

Church History Matters Podcast Interview: Eusebius, Father of Church History (Part Two)

Part Two of the interview I did on the Church History Matters podcast discussing Eusebius of Caesarea's Ecclesiastical History has been posted. You can listen above or find here. For Part One, look here.

Enjoy!

JTR

The Vision (6.12.20): When Reformation Fails

Image: Rose, North Garden, Virginia, June 2020

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on 2 Kings 23:

2 Kings 23:27 Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.

2 Kings 23:1-24 describes the unprecedented efforts at spiritual reformation in Judah brought about by godly King Josiah. These reforms involved not only the removal of what was wicked (like the “high places”) but the restoration of what was right (like the celebration of the Passover). True revival involves both mortification (removing the evil) and vivification (including the right).

In the end, however, the historian must report that Josiah’s reformation failed. The announcement begins with these jarring words: “Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his wrath….” (v. 26). Judah would be destroyed and carried off into exile (see v. 27).

Even the godliness of Josiah, great as it was, could not, in this instance, overcome the wrath that had been stored up against Judah. Dale Ralph Davis observes: “It is very sobering: there is such a thing as the hot heat of Yahweh’s anger that no amount of repentance or reform can dampen or douse” (2 Kings, 330). Davis then adds another intriguing observation: “But Josiah’s is a faithfulness that does not confuse obedience with pragmatism and so pushes on, not because it will change anything but simply because God demands it” (2 Kings, 330).

We are reminded that pragmatism is not the reason to be faithful. We may never be able to bring revival to our land, but that is no reason for the church to cease to be faithful. We live a faithful life not for what we can get or accomplish, but because the Lord is worthy of our obedience.

We can also be thankful that though there was no hope for faithless Judah who would be defeated by the Babylonians and carried away into exile, there is always hope for faithless and sinful men. In the last moments of his life, the thief on the cross heard Christ say, “Today thou shalt be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). I was born in South Carolina where the state motto is the Latin dictum dum spiro, spero, “while I breathe, I hope.” If you are alive, there is still hope for you in Christ.

Josiah was not able to bring ultimate revival to Judah. He could not overcome their sin, as earnest and faithful as his efforts at reformation were. But we have one who is greater than Josiah, and who can bring salvation and reformation to sinful men. He is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Hilarion Alfeyev on Pauline Authorship of Hebrews

Image: Dunes, Topsail Island, North Carolina, June 2020

I'm continuing to work my way through Volume 1 of Hilarion Alfeyev's Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching. In an overall discussion of how the prologue of John and Hebrews serve as "manifestos of the faith of the ancient church" in Jesus as not a mere prophet but as the Son of God (369-370), Alfeyev adds this footnote on the authorship of Hebrews:

Here and later in the present book, as well as in other books in the series Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, we will refer to the epistle of the Hebrews as one of the general epistles of the apostle Paul, in accordance with the attribution accepted in the tradition of the Church. An analysis of the polemics surrounding the authorship of this epistle is outside the scope of our investigation (369, n. 8).

It is interesting that though conversant with the findings of modern historical-critical methodology on this subject (the authorship of Hebrews), as on other topics, Alfeyev's orientation is to adopt the traditional perspective.

JTR

Eusebius, EH.7.32: The Calm in the Churches Before the Storm of Persecution

This is an occasional series of readings from and brief notes and commentary upon Eusebius of Caesarea’s The Ecclesiastical History: Book 7, chapter 32.

Notes and Commentary:

This final chapter in book 7 begins with a summary of the succession of bishops in various cities.

In Rome Felix was followed by the short-lived rule of Eutychianus. Next came Gaius, and then Marcellanius.

In Antioch, Domnus was followed by Timaeus, and then Cyril. It is noted that during Cyril’s time, the eunuch Dorotheus came to prominence, who was skilled in reading the OT in the original Hebrew. After Cyril came Tyrannus, who was bishop when the attack upon the churches “was at its height.”

Next, Eusebius turns to the community at Laodicea. Here he notes that Socrates was followed by Eusebius of Alexandria as bishop. He was apparently drafted for this office when he came from Alexandria for the synod regarding Paul of Samosata. After him came another bishop from Alexandria named Anatolius, a learned man who, Eusebius states, had been deemed worthy by those of Alexandria to establish a philosophic school there in the tradition of Aristotle.

Eusebius then relays a rather lengthy anecdote to illustrate the worthiness of both Eusebius and Anatolius, from a time when they were both in Alexandria and the city came under siege, and they were able to arrange for the protection of and provision for innocent civilians, suffering under the siege.

To illustrate Anatolius’s gifts, Eusebius offers an extended citation from “The Canons of Anatolius on the Pascha.” This work was dedicated to determining the proper calendar for the celebration of the Pascha.  Translator and editor J.E.L. Oulton offers an extended note on this work, which begins, “The Paschal Table of Anatolius is based on the supposition that after the lapse of every cycle of nineteen years the full moons recur on the same days of the month, and at the same hours” (see pp. 244-245). Though noting that his method of calculation was not “strictly accurate”, he adds that Anatolius rightly insisted that “the pascal full moon must fall after the equinox, as opposed to those … who regarded the full moon (“the fourteenth day”), if it fell on the day before the equinox, as the pascal moon” (p. 245).

Eusebius further notes that Anatolius had written an Introduction to Arithmetic in ten treatises. He had originally been sought out by Theotecnus of Caesarea in Palestine to succeed him as bishop, but he was pressed into serve at Laodicea after the death of Eusebius while traveling to Antioch for deliberations on Paul. After Anatolius, Stephen was made bishop in Laodicea, “the last bishop before the persecution.” Though much admired before the persecution, Eusebius relays that Stephen did not prove to be a “true philosopher” but a dissembler and a coward. Things were, however, in the providence of God, set right when the worthy Theodotus became bishop after Stephen. Theodotus, it seems, had been a prominent physician who had reached “the first rank in the science of healing bodies” but was second to none in “the curing of souls.”

In Caesarea of Palestine, Theotecnus was succeeded by the worthy Agapius, distinguished in his care for the poor. Eusebius notes that in Agapius’s day he had come to know the presbyter Pamphilius, who became his mentor, whom he describes as “as most eloquent man and a true philosopher in his mode of life.” For more on Pamphilius Eusebius refers readers to his work on his life.

He adds notes on other godly men including the presbyter Pierius of Alexandria and Meletius, bishop of Pontus. Pierius, he says, was noted for his “life of extreme poverty and for his learning in philosophy.” Meletius was an accomplished scholar, called “the honey (Greek: melu) of Attica,” a gifted orator, who spent seven years fleeing from persecution in Palestine.

In Jerusalem, Hymenaeus was followed by Zabdas and then Hermo, the last bishop before the persecution. It is noted that the “throne” of the bishop of Jerusalem (see 7.19) was preserved up to that day.

In Alexandria, Maximus was followed by Theonas. At this time the presbyter Achillas was entrusted with “the school of sacred faith.” After Theonas came Peter who ruled three years before the persecution and nine years afterwards and was eventually crowned with martyrdom, by beheading, after twelve years as bishop.

At the close of this book, Eusebius notes a transition in this narrative. Heretofore the narrative has covered roughly the first 305 years of Christianity from the birth of Christ up to the Diocletian persecution and “the destruction of the places of prayer.”

Conclusion:

This chapter continues Eusebius’s pattern of tracing the succession of bishops in the key city centers of early Christianity and the prominent bishops, writers, and theologians of the era. With the end of book 7, Eusebius sees this as a turning point as the movement is on the verge of experiencing its greatest period of persecution. There is a sense, however, that it will be able to endure due to the stability, giftedness, and faithfulness of its leaders. The churches were enjoyed a calm before the storm of persecution.

JTR