Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Friday, August 30, 2013

Mr. (Dr. Prof.) Richardson: Odes of Solomon, Irenaeus, & 2nd Cent. Resources


Richardson, Cyril. Early Christian Fathers. New York: Macmillan Publishers, 1970.

“Introduction to Early Christian Literature”

Two volumes below are of note as indicated by Mr. (Dr. Prof.) Richardson.  Odes of Solomon, an early Greek hymnbook written before 150 B.C. and Irenaeus' Against Heresies. We plan to get the first; we do not have it; this will probably afford significant insights to early theology. We have the second and will, Lord willing, review Mr. Irenaeus. Some notes from Mr. Richardson. He taught at Union Seminary, New York. We have most of his references below and need to retour them.

Mr. (Dr. Prof.) Richardson lays out six groupings:

1. Letters predominate: (a) The Letter of the Church of Smyrna to the Church at Philomilium giving details about Polycarp’s Martyrdom, (b) Letter of Barnabas, (c) 1st Clement, (d) Letter to Diognetus

2. Apologists. Apologies of Aristides, Justin, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus and later in the 2nd century, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian. Here,

Mr. Richardson, summarizes them as “showing the superiority of Christianity” and the “weakness of paganism.”

3. Apocryphal literature. He calls this “Christian romance,” filling in the un-expounded sections of the canonical Gospels with numerous fancies.

4. Poetry. Odes of Solomon.  The first Christian hymnbook. Written in Greek before 150 B.C. This looks like an absolute must-get. Available at:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Earliest-Christian-Hymnbook-Solomon/dp/1606086464/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377838367&sr=8-2&keywords=odes+of+solomon

5. Stories of Martyrdoms. We’ve mentioned Polycarp’s. But, there were accounts from Lyons and Vienne.

Owen, E.C.E. Some Authentic Acts of Martyrs. It is noted, but is unavailable as per:
http://www.amazon.com/Some-Authentic-Acts-Early-Martyrs/dp/B0017ATXKK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377838807&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=E.C.E.+Owen+Some+Authentic+Acts+of+Martrys

Also, Grant, R.M. Second Century Christianity. SPCK London, 1946.
http://www.amazon.com/Gods-One-Library-Early-Christianity/dp/0664250114/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377839005&sr=8-2&keywords=R.M+Grant+Second+Century+Christianity 


6. Gnostics. Justin, Rhodo, Melito, Theophilus, but, notably, Irenaeus’s Against Heresies.

Available here:
http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Irenaeus-Lyons-Against-Heresies/dp/1453624600/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377839190&sr=8-2&keywords=irenaeus+against+heresies

All five books by Mr. Irenaeus are available online at:
http://books.google.com/books?id=WsQUAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=irenaeus+against+heresies&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tiggUt2XF4mwsQTNxYGIBw&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=irenaeus%20against%20heresies&f=false .

Mr. Richardson states (claims) that Irenaeus is “neither a penetrating nor a systematic thinker” but “he sums up the main lines of Catholic development” (18).

But, as always, with all secondary sources and commentators, one has to do one's own reading of the primary documents.

7. Hegisippus’ 5 books have been lost except for fragments in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History.  Hegisippus is largely, allegedly, a polemic against Gnosticism, although it includes accounts of martyrs.

Mr. Richardson makes an interesting note that “Judaizing” or “Judaizers” continued into Ignatius’s time and down to Epiphanius’ times (19). Of note, some Palestinian Christians maintained their Jewish rituals and involvements, not requiring such of Gentile Christians. Another faction of Palestinian Christians did require such of believers. In this brief note, he alludes or quickly refers to a complexity within Palestinian Christianity.

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