Epiphany was one week ago today. At that time, we looked at Sedulius's treatment of the gifts of the Magi in his Paschale carmen. Niels Hemmingsen, too, provides a spiritual reading of the gifts in the sermon for Epiphany in his Postils, but it is different from the...
E.J. Hutchinson
Bucer to Bullinger (7): On the Scholastics
In the last two posts, we looked at Bucer's statements on the Wittenberg theologians in his 1535 letter to Bullinger and Leo Jud. Today we move on to a new topic, one that has of late garnered much attention and generated much debate: the role of Scholastic...
“Tearful Faith’s Extended Hand”: A Fifth-Century Hymn (6)
Sedulius is back with three more verses. Today we have three more miracles (Q, R, S): the raising of Lazarus (John 11); the healing of the woman with an issue of blood (Matthew 9); and the healing of a paralytic (Matthew 9). As in the past, I've included all the...
Bucer to Bullinger (6): On the Wittenbergers
Last time we started Bucer's comments on the Wittenberg theologians. Today we finish that section. He has some firm words for his Swiss friends. I've included the previous passage as well. The new material begins with "It is possible...". Bucer to Bullinger on the...
Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter
How does Epiphany remind us of both Good Friday and Easter?
Bucer to Bullinger (5): On the Wittenbergers
Today we move on to a new topic in Bucer's letter to Bullinger and Leo Jud. (I don't think I mentioned previously that Jud is also a recipient of the letter, even though the inscription of the letter is to Bullinger alone. This helps to account for the second person...
“Unwatered Wine”: A Fifth-Century Hymn (5)
He's a day late, but Sedulius is back and he's got three more verses to add (N, O, P). All three verses this week are about Christ's miracles: the turning of water into wine in Cana (John 2); the healing of the centurion's servant (Matthew 8); and Peter walking on...
The Name of Jesus
Happy New Year! January 1 was the Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus. The appointed Gospel reading for the day is a single verse, Luke 2:21: "And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so...
Bucer to Bullinger (4): On the Holy Supper
Here is the fourth installment of a 1535 letter (really, a smorgasbord treatise in miniature) from Martin Bucer to Heinrich Bullinger. This is the last section (for the moment) on the Lord's Supper. As in the previous posts, I've included all the previous material for...
“The Battered Brood of Baby Boys”: A Fifth-Century Hymn (4)
We're back this week with three more verses from Sedulius's A solis ortus cardine (K, L, M). The timing works out well, because the "K" verse is about the Holy Innocents, and Tuesday (12/28) is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, of whom Auden, in For the Time Being, had...