Starting a new section today in Bucer's 1535 letter to Bullinger, on that perennially vexed question of Franco-German relations. Bucer on the Gauls Concerning our response to the Gauls: For me, in Christ there is neither Gaul nor German, and it is not permitted to...
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“O Fellow-Throned”: A Greek Poem-Prayer to Christ
It's been a little while since I translated a poem from the first book of the Greek Anthology. So here's another one--a hymn of praise and prayer to Christ. First is the Greek text as found in the Loeb (volume 67), followed by the Loeb translation (in prose) by W.R....
Bucer to Bullinger (9): On a Council
Below is the rest of the section on the possibility of a council from Martin Bucer's 1535 letter to Bullinger and Leo Jud. The new material begins with "If the Lord has accomplished such things...". Bucer on a Council Concerning a council: A long time ago, under the...
Bucer to Bullinger (8): On a Council
After a brief hiatus, we are back with the next section of Bucer's letter to Bullinger and Jud, this one on Christendom and councils, of no little relevance to ongoing debates about church and state. This is the first of two posts on this topic. Bucer on a Council...
“Our Dear Lord Still Changes Water into Wine”: Luther on the Estate of Marriage
The appointed Gospel reading for this past Sunday was John 2:1-11, on the wedding at Cana. It is remarkable that Christ chose to work his first miracle at the celebration of a wedding, thus honoring and dignifying marriage and the domestic estate. The high calling of,...
“Sold for Silver, Sacking Hell”: A Fifth-Century Hymn (8)
At long last, we bring to a close a translation begun in the first week of December. Below you will find the final two verses of Sedulius's A solis ortus cardine (Y, Z), on Christ's triumph over hell and the Devil and his journey back to heaven. Hope you've enjoyed it...
“Burst Forth Living from Death’s Womb”: A Fifth-Century Hymn (7)
This is the penultimate post of the translation of Sedulius's A solis ortus cardine. It covers three verses (T, V, X), but, because of differences in the Roman and English alphabets, five letters (T, U, V, W, X). Between that and having to start a line with the letter...
The Gifts of the Magi
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...
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...