We turn to pages 212–213 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to discuss the mode of reception of the prophetic revelation. In the fourth section of his book, Vos continues to contrast the modernist conception with that of confessional orthodoxy. He stresses that revelation does not originate naturally but is in its essence, "a real communication" from God to the prophets.

Our study of Vos is focused on biblical theology, or what Vos termed "the history of special revelation." A modernized conception of revelation construes history as natural and mechanical in character. History is encased in patterns of natural cause and effect. It is a closed reality. For the Kantian, the mind of man imposes rational categories onto nature. Others view the mind and discovering natural and immutable laws, which don't exhibit any variation. It is an anti-supernaturalist conception of history. For the modernist, supernatural revelation cannot exist in the sphere of natural history.

Vos, however, is unwavering in his commitment to the self-attesting word of God, which is a supernatural word from the transcendent God, who nevertheless condescends voluntarily to speak to those made in his image.

Glen Clary and Camden Bucey speak about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and cessationism. We discuss how the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is a unique event of redemptive-history just as unrepeatable as the death and resurrection of Christ. As individuals are effectually called and united to Christ by faith, they are incorporated into the Spirit-baptized body of Christ.

Jeffrey S. McDonald speaks about his book, John Gerstner and the Renewal of Presbyterian and Reformed Evangelicalism in Modern America (Wipf & Stock, 2017). It is published in the Princeton Theological Monograph Series.

John Gerstner (1914–96) was a significant leader in the renewal of Presbyterian and Reformed evangelicalism in America during the second half of the twentieth century. Gerstner's work as a church historian sought to shape evangelicalism, but also northern mainline Presbyterianism. He wrote, taught, lectured, debated, and preached widely.

Jeffrey S. McDonald is the pastor of Avery Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, Nebraska and an Affiliate Professor of Church History at Sioux Falls Seminary, Omaha.

Christopher Watkin speaks about his book Thinking through Creation: Genesis 1 and 2 as Tools of Cultural Critique. Watkin looks to the early chapters of Genesis for foundational doctrines about God, the world, and ourselves. In so doing, he advocates for a robust engagement with others about contemporary culture and ideas.

Dr. Watkin completed his Bachelor’s and Doctoral degrees at Cambridge University. He lectured at Cambridge for a couple of years before moving with his family to Australia, where he now works as a lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne. He is the author of a number of academic books in the area of modern European philosophy, including Difficult Atheism (2011) and French Philosophy Today (2016), both with Edinburgh University Press. Over the past few years he has written four books published by P&R Press. Three of them are in the Great Thinkers series: Jacques Derrida (2017), Michel Foucault (2018) and Gilles Deleuze (forthcoming).

Links to Thinking through the Bible

• Main site: https://thinkingthroughthebible.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thinking-Through-the-Bible-455889715164228/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_bible

J. V. Fesko has written Reforming Apologetics: Retrieving the Classic Reformed Approach to Defending the Faith (Baker Academic, 2019). In the book, Dr. Fesko criticizes, among others, Cornelius Van Til. In this conversation, we interact with the book and compare its claims with those of Van Til. A central claim of Dr. Fesko's is that Van Til rejects "common notions." He writes:

in the middle of the seventeenth century, philosophers such as John Locke (1632–1704) rejected the idea of common notions. In the twentieth century, this rejection made its way to liberal and conservative Reformed theologians alike, including Karl Barth (1886–1968) and Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987).”[1]

He draws particular attention to Van Til’s discussion of authority and reason on pages 168–169 of Defense of the Faith (3^rd edition).[2] On those pages, Van Til makes an important distinction:

A word must now be said about the idea of ‘common notions’ referred to in the quotation given above. The present writer made a distinction between notions that are psychologically and metaphysically, that is revelationally, common to all men, and common notions that are ethically and epistemologically common.[3]

Van Til continues, “All men have common notions about God; all men naturally have knowledge of God.”[4] So, what is Van Til getting at? There are notions common to all men, but there are some things common to believers and others common to unbelievers. Van Til explains what is also common to natural man as a consequence of total depravity:

It is this actual possession of the knowledge of God that is the indispensable presupposition of man’s ethical opposition to God. There could be no absolute ethical antithesis to God on the part of Satan and fallen man unless they are self-consciously against the common notions that are concreated with them. Paul speaks of sinful man as suppressing within him the knowledge of God that he has. . . . It is these notions of human autonomy, or irrational discontinuity and of rationalistic continuity that are the common notions of sinful or apostate mankind.[5]

---

[1] J. V. Fesko, Reforming Apologetics: Retrieving the Classic Reformed Approach to Defending the Faith (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019), 24.

[2]
Fesko, 24n56.

[3] Cornelius Van Til, Defense of the Faith, 3rd ed. (Philadelphia: P & R Publishing, 1967), 168.

[4]
Van Til, 168.

[5]
Van Til, 168.

[6]
Van Til, 168.

Reformed Forum exists to present every person mature in Christ (Col. 1:28). We do that specifically by supporting the Church in her God-ordained task of accomplishing the Great Commission. In this episode, we discuss our mission and vision and share exciting news about the future of our ministry including Camden Bucey's transition to become our full-time Executive Director.

Reformed Forum is an organization committed to providing
Reformed Christian theological resources to pastors, scholars, and anyone who desires to grow in their understanding of Scripture and the theology that faithfully summarizes its teachings. We are committed to the principles of the Reformation and a redemptive-historical approach to Scripture. We believe these faithfully represent the teachings of the Bible, which is our only standard for faith and practice.

During the Modernist-Fundamentalist Controversy of the early twentieth century, E. J. Young wrote to J. Gresham Machen, the founder of Westminster Theological Seminary and key figure in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which had yet to be formed:

Within the church there should be an organization, entirely independent of the formal church, which would act as leaven. This organization should be composed of ministers, elders and laymen of the new church alone, who not only believe the Westminster Confession but who are on fire with it. The purpose of this organization should be to propagate and to defend the Reformed faith, to point out the errors of modernism, sacerdotalism, premillennialism, Arminianism, Trichotomy, and so much of the anti-Scriptural evangelism of today. Furthermore, this group would seek to propagate Reformed literature, such as your book, Christianity and Liberalism, Boettner’s book and works of that type. It would seek to propagate this literature not only among the clergy but also among the laity. In other words, it would be a missionary agency whose primary field is the church. Further, it would eventually seek to promote truly Reformed Bible Conferences and Evangelistic Campaigns, would seek to start Reformed Bible classes and prayer meetings and would seek to encourage Reformed radio broadcasts, etc.

E. J. Young, letter to J. Gresham Machen, October 2, 1935.

---

Seventy-three years passed before Reformed Forum was founded and much has changed regarding technology, but providentially we have become such an organization. There is a need today just as there was then, because the theological challenges persist. We are committed to be faithful to Scripture to the end that Christ would be glorified in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Many different interpretations have been offered regarding the phrase "all Israel shall be saved" in Romans 11. In this episode, we speak about five different interpretations, focusing on the three that are represented in confessionally Reformed and Presbyterian Churches.

Resources

• Cornelis P. Venema, "In This Way All Israel Will be Saved: A Study of Romans 11:26" Mid-America Journal of Theology 22 (2011) 19–40.
• Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., "Theonomy and Eschatology: Reflections on Postmillennialism" in Theonomy: A Reformed Critique, edited by Williams S. Barker and Robert Godfrey

We welcome Richard M. Gamble, Professor of History, Anna Margaret Ross Alexander Chair in History and Politics at Hillsdale College, to speak about Julia Ward Howe's poem, which came to be know as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Gamble is the author of A Fiery Gospel: The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the Road to Righteous War (Religion and American Public Life), which discloses the history of the hymn as well as its position within an overall intellectual history of civil religion within the United States.

Other Books by Richard M. Gamble

• The War for Righteousness: Progressive Christianity, the Great War, and the Rise of the Messianic Nation. Wilmington, DE: ISI Books, 2003.
• The Great Tradition: Classic Readings on What It Means to be an Educated Human Being. Wilmington, DE: ISI Books, 2007.
• In Search of the City on a Hill: The Making and Unmaking of an American Myth. New York: Continuum/Bloomsbury, 2012.

From the Publisher

Since its composition in Washington's Willard Hotel in 1861, Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic" has been used to make America and its wars sacred. Few Americans reflect on its violent and redemptive imagery, drawn freely from prophetic passages of the Old and New Testaments, and fewer still think about the implications of that apocalyptic language for how Americans interpret who they are and what they owe the world.

In A Fiery Gospel, Richard M. Gamble describes how this camp-meeting tune, paired with Howe's evocative lyrics, became one of the most effective instruments of religious nationalism. He takes the reader back to the song's origins during the Civil War, and reveals how those political and military circumstances launched the song's incredible career in American public life. Gamble deftly considers the idea behind the song―humming the tune, reading the music for us―all while reveling in the multiplicity of meanings of and uses to which Howe's lyrics have been put. "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" has been versatile enough to match the needs of Civil Rights activists and conservative nationalists, war hawks and peaceniks, as well as Europeans and Americans. This varied career shows readers much about the shifting shape of American righteousness. Yet it is, argues Gamble, the creator of the song herself―her Abolitionist household, Unitarian theology, and Romantic and nationalist sensibilities―that is the true conductor of this most American of war songs.

A Fiery Gospel depicts most vividly the surprising genealogy of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and its sure and certain position as a cultural piece in the uncertain amalgam that was and is American civil religion.

Jim Cassidy speaks about his experience teaching a New Testament survey at South Austin OPC in South Austin, Texas. Surveys of the Old Testament, New Testament, and the entire Bible are useful for provide historical, cultural, geographical, and other forms of context in order to help us deepen and widen our understanding of God's plan and purpose for his covenant people.

In the incarnation, the eternal Son of God assumed a human nature. He did this without giving up his divinity. He retains his immutability, omniscience, omnipresence, and all the attributes according to his eternal, divine, and necessary existence.

In this episode, we discuss how these two natures relate to the person in the hypostatic union. By looking at Scripture, the Council of Chalcedon, and our confessional tradition, we review an orthodox grammar for speaking about these matters.

An error in the doctrine of God or Christology, however minor it may seem, will inevitably compound as other doctrines are developed. We should always seek to maintain confessional orthodoxy by reviewing the basics from which we never graduate.

The sabbath principle is established in Genesis 2:1–3, immediately upon the completion of God's work of creation. This Sabbath rest principle is a function neither of redemption nor theocracy. It is part of God's creation order. We trace this theme through Scripture with particular attention to worship. Glen Clary recently addressed this subject in a conference for the Amarillo Reformed Fellowship.

Will Wood, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia, joins us to speak about the blessings and promises of the New Covenant as described in Deuteronomy 30:1–10.

Links

• Mellel word processor

What does suffering have to do with the life of the Christian? Is suffering something we just have to endure until that time that we will have the victory in Christ? To address this matter, we turn to a classic article by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., "The Usefulness of the Cross," The Westminster Theological Journal, Vol. 41 No. 2 Spring 1979, pp. 228–246.

Links

• Audio of Dr. Gaffin delivering this paper

Danny Olinger, author of Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theology, Confessional Presbyterian, joins us for a special conversation. We take a brief break from Vos's book Biblical Theology to discuss the influence of Vos upon several other theologians. We then open the floor to questions from people participating in our live webinar.

William Boekestein speaks about eschatology and the life of the Christian. While many limit eschatology merely to the consideration of millennial views, Rev. Boekestein calls all Christians to understand how our view of the future in Christ shapes all of life.

Boekestein is the author of The Future of Everything: Essential Truths about the End Times (Reformation Heritage, 2019).

Dr. Vern Poythress speaks about the hermeneutical issues of interpreting Genesis 1–3 and how biblical interpretation relates to contemporary scientific study.

Dr. Poythress is Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Biblical Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary and the author of Interpreting Eden: A Guide to Faithfully Understanding and Reading Genesis 1–3 (Crossway). The publisher writes:

Christians have long discussed and debated the first three chapters of the Bible. How we interpret this crucial section of Scripture has massive implications for how we understand the rest of God’s Word and even history itself. In this important volume, biblical scholar Vern Poythress combines careful exegesis with theological acumen to illuminate the significance of Genesis 1–3. In doing so, he demonstrates the sound interpretive principles that lead to true understanding of the biblical text, while also exploring complex topics such as the nature of time, the proper role of science, interpretive literalism, and more.

In this episode of #VosGroup, we turn to pages 200–201 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to continue our discussion of critical theories of prophetism.

Jim Cassidy speaks about his recent trip to Colombia to lecture on Van Til's apologetic. Jim, Glen, and Camden also speak about books they are currently reading or have read.

Links

• Video of Jim Cassidy teaching at Iglesia Cristiana Biblica Raah
• Alan Strange, The Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church in the Ecclesiology of Charles Hodge
• Gustavo Gutierrez, A Theology of Liberation
• Jemar Tisby, The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism
• Haley Goranson Jacob, Conformed to the Image of His Son: Reconsidering Paul's Theology of Glory in Romans

Carl Trueman speaks about the Marburg Colloquy, a meeting called by Philip I of Hesse to unite the Protestant states in a political alliance. To accomplish such a union, he sought theological agreement between Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli. While Luther and Zwingli could agree on fourteen theological points laid out at the meeting, they could not come to terms on the real presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper.

Dr. Trueman is professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College.

Dr. Cornelis Van Dam, Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, joins us to speak about the biblical office of deacon and the Church’s responsibility to provide for those in need.

Dr. Van Dam has written The Deacon: Biblical Foundations for Today’s Ministry of Mercy (Reformation Heritage Books, 2016). In this excellent book, Van Dam addresses the office of deacon, including the Old Testament background, New Testament times, the history of ancient, medieval, and Reformation practice, and the current functioning of the office.

Dr. Van Dam has also written The Elder: Today’s Ministry Rooted in All of Scripture (P&R Publishing). His bibliography is available online through the seminary.

Today we provide an introduction to the doctrine of justification with a consideration of several basic categories. We begin with a confessional doctrine of justification from the Westminster Standards. We then consider justification’s relationship to faith. Then we turn to the believer’s relationship to the person and work of Christ and consider how we are united to him. Finally, we speak about the relationship of that union to faith.

As is our annual custom, we’ve selected several clips from the episodes we released over the last year. We spoke with many people and had many fascinating conversations. I hope we’ll pique your interest, and you’ll go back to listen to many of the full conversations represented by these highlights.

Thank you to everyone who visited reformedforum.org/donate throughout the year. We are tremendously grateful for your generous support. Be assured that we’re setting the stage for another big year as our board continues to think and pray about our next steps.

We’re looking forward to another full year of Christ the Center. January 25 marked our 10th anniversary. Jeff, Jim, and I recorded that first episode during my first year in seminary—three homes and three children ago. Things have changed over the years, but our goal has stayed the same. Our mission is to present every person mature in Christ (Col. 1:28).

Episodes

• 524 — Marcus Mininger, Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16–3:26
• 533 — Michael Kruger, How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church
• 540 — The Nature of Apostasy in Hebrews 6
• 542 — Bill Dennison, Karl Marx
• 551 — The Impeccability of Jesus Christ
• 555 — Darryl Hart, Still Protesting
• 556 — The Deeper Protestant Conception
• 566 — Glen Clary, The Liturgies of Bucer, Calvin, and Knox
• 570 — Danny Olinger, Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian
• 571 — Cory Brock and Nathaniel Gray Sutanto, Bavinck’s Philosophy of Revelation

In this installment of #VosGroup, we turn to pages 198–199 of Vos’ book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider critical theories of prophetism. We extend and amplify the material in these pages more than usual by connecting Vos's teaching to the theology of Karl Barth and other modernist approaches.

Broadly, the term can be associated with “instrument of revelation” and this is so important to note. For Vos, contra Barth, there is a direct, organic disclosure of God’s revealed truth in our calendar-time history. It is not in a distinct, third-time dimension that Barth calls Geschichte that “revelation” occurs. For Barth, revelation is Jesus Christ in a distinct time dimension, God’s third time for us, that “revelation” occurs. Revelation is Jesus Christ. The Scriptures, the prophets and calendar time history are not themselves revelation–they only point to revelation. Revelation is a “supra-historical” event in a time dimension altogether different from our calendar time.

But Vos would say this is fundamentally wrong–it is a different religious conception of “revelation” altogether. God speaks directly to Adam in the Garden of Eden in terms of positive, special, verbal revelation. God’s voice can be heard, speaking with inerrant and inescapable authority, in Eden. It is this initial self-revelation from God, in the Garden of Eden, prior to the fall, that supplies us with our conception of revelation. God both acts and speaks in calendar time history, and that special is initially given to Adam under the covenant of works. God’s revelation in nature (image of God) is by divine design subordinate to God’s revelation in positive categories. In other words, Genesis 2:7 (image of God) and Genesis 2:15–17 (Covenant) demand the idea that God reveals himself with absolute authority and clarity directly in history.

Vos says, “But the Reformed have always insisted upon it that at no point shall a recognition of the historical delivery and apprehension of truth be permitted to degenerate into a relativity of truth. The history remains a history of revelation. Its total product agrees absolutely in every respect with the sum of truth as it lies in the eternal mind and purpose of God."

Jeff Waddington speaks about the characteristics of natural and special revelation and their relationship to one another. Jeff recently delivered a lecture at Westminster Theological Seminary on the subject.

William Perkins (1558–1602), often called “the father of Puritanism,” was a master preacher and teacher of Reformed, experiential theology. Greg Salazar speaks about Perkins's works on predestination and his influence upon the Puritan and Reformed tradition. In speaking of predestination, we also cover related topics on Perkins's theology such as his Christology, his understanding of the ordo salutis, and even his views on Christian forms of memory recall.

Dr. Salazar is Assistant Professor of Historical Theology for the PhD program at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Along with Dr. Joel Beeke, he has edited volume six of Perkins's works with Reformation Heritage Books.

Cory Brock and Nathaniel Gray Sutanto speak about Herman Bavinck's Philosophy of Revelation (Hendrickson Publishers). Drs. Brock and Sutanto have edited a new annotated edition of Bavinck's Stone Lectures, which were delivered at Princeton in 1908. Other than his Reformed Dogmatics, this is Bavinck's most important work. We are blessed to welcome new editions and translations of these works. Along with James Eglinton, Brock and Sutanto are also editing Bavinck’s Christian Worldview, scheduled to be published by Crossway next year.

Cory Brock is Minister of Young Adults and College at First Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Jackson, MS. He also serves on the faculty of Belhaven University teaching biblical studies. Nathaniel Gray Sutanto is Assistant Pastor at Covenant City Church in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Danny Olinger speaks about the life and thought of Geerhardus Vos. Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. has identified Vos as the father of Reformed biblical theology and we take the time to speak of his contribution and legacy. Rev. Olinger is General Secretary for the OPC Committee on Christian Education. He has written a tremendous biography of Vos, titled Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian. The book is published by Reformed Forum and available for purchase.

Lane Keister speaks about features of Ezekiel 9–10 that help us understand the identity of the man of linen in the passage. Rev. Keister's article, "The Man in Linen: A New and Old Interpretation of Ezekiel 9–10" is published in issue 14 of the Confessional Presbyterian Journal (2018). Lane Keister is the pastor of Momence OPC in Momence, Illinois and a PhD student at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 194–197 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the biblical conception of prophetism. We discuss the Greek and pagan conceptions and their connection to contemporary modernist conceptions.

Vos has in view here a Hellenic, and not New Testament, conception of the prophet. Some would seek to understand prophet as a foreteller, which brings into view predictive prophecy—a telling of a situation in advance of the actual occurrence of the situation. However, it is not proper to take the concept in this direction only. While there is a predictive element present in much of what the prophets communicate, it is better to take them as foretellers in a local sense. This means that prophet is one who speaks an oracle from God. It is a place in time where one speaks on behalf of God.

However, the Greek terms, as it appears in a Hellenic, extra-biblical context, has a different connotation, and this is critical to grasp, that we must reject. That connotation is this: the prophet in this Greek conception is an interpreter of a fundamentally opaque, hidden utterance from god. Pythia (the name of the high priestess of the temple Apollo at Delphi), would be the interpreter of this fundamentally hidden oracle—a dark saying that needed a human interpreter in order to be rendered intelligible.

The Greek prophet does not stand in a direct relation to the deity, as in the Old Testament prophet, who spoke, by inspiration, directly from God, a word from God. Rather than being a mouth-piece of the deity, as is the case with the Nabi, the prophet in the Old Testament sense of the term, the prophet in the Greek, Hellenic sense, is an interpreter of the deity’s oracle. The oracle comes from the Deity but requires interpretation, an interpretive act, from a prophet, to render that message intelligible or clear. The prophet, in this Hellenic conception, is therefore not one who speaks the words of the deity. Rather, he is one who intercepts a supra-rational, intrinsically opaque, communication from a deity. It is precisely this conception of the prophet that Vos sees being appropriated by the liberals of his day.

The Westminster Larger Catechism, Question and Answer 154 describes the ordinary and outwards means of grace as the Word, sacraments, and prayer. We discuss these ordinary means and how they apply to the day-to-day ministry of the local church.

Glen Clary compares and contrasts the Reformation liturgies of Martin Bucer, John Calvin, and John Knox. Studying each of these helps us to understand the significance of worship reformed according to Scripture and focuses our attention upon worship in our present day.

Further Reading

• Knox Liturgy
• Genevan Liturgy
• Catholic Describes Communion Service in Calvin's Church
• John Knox and Public Prayer

Glen Clary and Camden Bucey discuss the apostle Paul's teaching in Romans 8:28–30. Paul speaks of the purpose of God's foreknowledge and predestination—leading to conformity to the image of Christ.

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28–30, ESV)

Dominic Legge, O. P. speaks about the deep connection between Thomas's Christology and his trinitarian theology. Dr. Legge is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Thomistic Institute Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies. He is the author of The Trinitarian Christology of St. Thomas Aquinas (Oxford University Press, 2017).

https://youtu.be/vXK23papdC0

Dr. Whitney Gamble speaks about antinomianism and the Westminster Assembly. She has written Christ and the Law: Antinomianism at the Westminster Assembly, which is part of the Studies on the Westminster Assembly series published by Reformation Heritage Books.

Dr. Gamble is associate professor of biblical and theological studies at Providence Christian College. She holds a PhD in historical and systematic theology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, a master of theological studies from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a B.A. in biblical studies from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Gamble is a frequent guest on The White Horse Inn podcast, speaking on issues ranging from the doctrine of justification to the theology of Christmas movies: https://www.whitehorseinn.org/host/whitney-gamble/

Her first book, Christ and the Law: Antinomianism at the Westminster Assembly, is forthcoming with Reformation Heritage Books. Along with seventy other leading scholars from around the world, she is contributing a chapter in the forthcoming multi-volume series, The History of Scottish Theology, published by Oxford University Press. https://www.historyscottishtheology.div.ed.ac.uk

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 191–194 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the conception of prophecy in Scripture.

Ken Golden speaks about the Lord's Day throughout redemptive-history and what it means to seek our heavenly rest in Christ. In his book, Entering God's Rest: The Sabbath from Genesis to Revelation (Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, 2018), Rev. Golden seeks to move beyond a checklist of do's and don'ts to consider the deeper significance of finding our joy in the Lord.

Dr. Lawrence Feingold brings us a Catholic's perspective on Thomas Aquinas and the important connection between his doctrines of the Eucharist and the Beatific Vision.

Jeff Waddington previews his address for the 2018 Theology Conference. He speaks about Pseudo-Dionysius, a key influence upon Thomas Aquinas. Dionysius attempted to integrate neoplatonism with Christianity. The result was a Christianization of the great chain of being. Register for the upcoming conference.

Reading List

• Daria Spezzano, The Glory of God's Grace: Deification According to St. Thomas Aquinas
• Dominic Legge: The Trinitarian Christology of St. Thomas Aquinas
• Lawrence Feingold: The Natural Desire to See God According to St. Thomas and His Interpreters
• Hans Boersma, Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition

[embed]https://youtu.be/L4sTPjFyBPU[/embed]

We discuss how a return to sola scriptura through confessional Reformed theology spares us from the errors of Roman Catholicism and modernism. Reformed covenant theology, broadly considered, is facing a crisis regarding what constitutes “reformed” theology. The situation currently is one of chaos and confusion. Some claim that the way forward is by way of retrieving the theology of Thomas Aquinas, the angelic doctor of the Roman Catholic church, in the service of a so-called “Reformed” apologetic. The line of this argument is that if you follow the Roman Catholic theology and method of Aquinas, you will arrive at Protestant conclusions. Others enlist Aquinas in conversation with the likes of John Webster and Karl Barth, in the interest of retrieving “catholic” tradition in the development of a reformed theological identity. Still others, outside of our reformed circles, are engaged in ecumenical dialogue between Thomas and Barth (Bruce McCormack and Thomas Joseph White’s Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth: An Unofficial Dialogue, or Keith Johnson’s Karl Barth and the Analogia Entis, which helpfully to my mind points out the significant points of convergence between the two theologians). It is very much worth pointing out that Van Til virtually predicted this in advance in his sadly neglected but highly important work Confession of 1967, where he says, “If now we live in a dialogical age and if only the church as ecumenical can meet the needs of such an age, then surely the Roman Catholic too must learn to see this fact. As Martin Marty says, “If Protestants and Roman Catholics wish to make possible a creative coexistence, to enrich our pluralistic society, and to profit from each other’s separate histories, they will have to participate in dialogue.…” And what does such “dialogue” look like? Again, Van Til says, “It was Hans Urs von Balthasar who, more than anyone else, has helped Barth to see that Roman Catholicism also begins its theology from the Christ-Event. Roman Catholicism, says von Balthasar, does not believe in direct revelation any more than does Barth. To be sure, Rome does speak of “faith and works,” of “nature and grace,” of “reason and revelation.” But this “and” is not, as Barth thinks, fatal to the idea of the primacy of Christ and of faith in Christ. The whole discussion between Barth and the Roman Catholic position may therefore start from the idea that revelation is revelation in hiddenness. ”The difference between Barth and Roman Catholicism will therefore be not of principle but of degree” (Confession, 119). [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9xyz5RQhfQ[/embed]

Darryl G. Hart, Distinguished Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College, joins us to speak about his book, Still Protesting: Why the Reformation Matters (Reformation Heritage Books). This book addresses the divide between Protestants and Roman Catholics, considering some of the reasons that prompted the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. It emerges particularly from the context of the increasing number of Protestants who convert to Roman Catholicism, and Hart's aim is to address some of the most frequent reasons given for abandoning Protestantism. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG2G2j8LkdA[/embed]

Links

• DGH at Patheos
• Old Life

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 187–190 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the word of God and prophetism. Prophetism is restricted to the word as its instrument. The prophetic ministry was a declarative, spiritual authority of one who speaks and writes in the words of Jehovah himself. There is the closest possible connection, then, between the prophetic office and the declaration of the Word of the Lord, as that Word is given by the superintending agency of the Spirit, who breathes out the prophetic Scriptures (cf. 1 Pet. 1:10–11; 2 Tim. 3:16). The effect of being restricted to the ministry of the Word of God was a heightening of the “spiritualizing” relation between Jehovah and Israel. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DFJ7eccK58[/embed]

The impeccability of Christ is an important, though debated point. It involves not only the sinlessness of our savior, but whether it was possible for him to sin. As we consider the issue, we turn to F. W. Kremer’s article, “The Impeccability of the Lord Jesus Christ” published in Reformed Quarterly Review, Volume 26, April 1879.

We discuss the tendency to consider Christ’s humanity independently of his divinity. It’s not merely that people recognize the natures are distinct, but that they implicitly acknowledge that his humanity can be abstracted from his divinity. In the abstract, we could acknowledge that Jesus’s human nature had the capability of sinning. For example, his body was physically capable of taking a sword and murdering someone. But we cannot consider Christ’s human nature in the abstract. He is the second person of the trinity who has assumed a true body and a reasonable soul. Sin involves a moral agent. Does the human nature of Christ constitute a full moral agent apart from the person of the son? This also raises serious issues regarding God’s decree. Throughout the episode, we maintain that if it was possible for Christ to sin, it was possible for Christ to fail.

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 185–188 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the unfolding of God's plan as it moves from the period under Moses to that of the prophets. Prophetism marks an epochal movement in OT revelation. In other words, the “new happenings” of God’s mighty deeds in redemptive revelation bring enduring advancement toward consummation—each epoch builds upon and brings advancement to what has proceeded.

The new feature is “the organization of the theocratic kingdom under a human ruler” (185). God is seeking to confer himself on a holy people through a holy king in a holy theocratic realm. As such, Prophetism is a “Kingdom-Producing Movement (186–187). This is a critical point to grasp: prophetism is attached to the advancement of the theocratic kingdom. Prophetism therefore has no independent significance. Its entire rationale grows out of the producing and advancement of the theocratic kingdom of Jehovah.

This comes into even greater clarity as we recognize that the Word is the instrument of Prophetism (187–88). The essence, formally, of prophetism is that it “restricts” itself to the Word of God—the Word from the mouth of Jehovah. The Word of God “in reality did more than anything else towards the spiritualizing of the relation between Jehovah and Israel” (187).

In this episode, we speak about the free offer of the gospel. The real point in dispute in connection with the free offer of the gospel is whether it can properly be said that God desires the salvation of all men. This issue was related to several theological controversies of the 1940s and stemming back decades earlier. Much of this particular issue comes the split of 1924 within the Christian Reformed Church which led to the formation of the Protestant Reformed Church under the leadership of Herman Hoeksema. For some, the antithesis is so absolutized that there can be no real transition from wrath to grace and no free offer of the gospel. Cornelius Van Til spoke of the antithesis as an ethical rather than metaphysical antithesis. In a letter to Jesse de Boer, he indicated that it was merely another way to speak of total depravity. As we walk through a study committee report delivered to the 15th General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, we are confronted with the great mystery of God's will and his infallible revelation to us in Scripture.

Links

• OPC Study Committee Report (15th General Assembly, 1948)
• Abraham Kuyper, Common Grace
• Cornelius Van Til, Common Grace and the Gospel

The first paragraph of chapter twenty-nine in the Westminster Confession of Faith sets forth the institution of Lord’s Supper and the uses and ends for which it is designed:

Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of his body and blood, called the Lord’s Supper, to be observed in his church, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death; the sealing all benefits thereof unto true believers, their spiritual nourishment and growth in him, their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe unto him; and, to be a bond and pledge of their communion with him, and with each other, as members of his mystical body.

In this episode, we discuss the five purposes of the Lord's Supper detailed in the confession:

1. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper as a commemorative ordinance for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death.
2. The Lord’s Supper is a confirmatory sign (cf. Rom. 4:11) for the purpose of sealing all the benefits procured by Christ’s death unto true believers.
3. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper for the spiritual nourishment and growth of believers in him.
4. Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper for believers for their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe unto him.
5. Finally, Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper to be a bond and pledge of believers’ communion with him, and with each other, as members of his mystical body.

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 175–182 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider ancestor worship and animism before moving to a summary of Part I of the entire book and specifically, revelation during the period of M

We speak with Dr. Stephen G. Myers about Ebenezer Erskine and the important events of Presbyterian history with which he was involved.

William Vandoodewaard speaks to us about Martin Bucer, John Knox, and the development of pastoral care during the Reformation.

Bill Dennison speaks about Karl Marx, leading us through his biography, influences, and his intellectual effects upon social and political history.

Jonathan Gibson and Mark Earngey speak about Reformation worship. Their new book Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present, is an irenic plea for the Church (and especially her ministers) to engage again in the two-millennia-old question: "How then shall we worship?"

Hebrews 6 has been a challenging passage to interpret for ages. What does it mean to fall away? What is the specific nature of the apostasy? Do majority interpretations do justice to all the features of the text?

Camden Bucey and Jim Cassidy discuss Lamentations, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. Camden recently wrote a 12-week study on the books for Crossway's Knowing the Bible series.

Alan Strange speaks about the doctrine of the spirituality of the church in the ecclesiology of Charles Hodge and how it was formed in the years leading up to and during the American Civil War. Dr. Strange's dissertation on the topic has been published in P&R Publishing's Reformed Academic Dissertations series as The Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church in the Ecclesiology of Charles Hodge. Dr. Strange previously addressed the topic in episode 443 of Christ the Center, but in this episode, we focus more on the Presbyterian General Assemblies and how they wrestled with the theological and political issues surrounding the war.

Vos Group takes an excursus to discuss Vos's Reformed Dogmatics. In this series, like all of his works, Vos presents the "deeper Protestant conception" of covenantal union and communion with the Triune God. We discuss how the immutable Creator does n

In this episode, we answer questions from our listeners and discuss a few things we've been contemplating recently. We discuss a proposed reading list for the works of Cornelius Van Til, worshiping in Sunday, Evangelicals and Catholics Together, and African worldview and theology. It's a wide-ranging conversation and one we hope you enjoy.

Dissertations/Theses Mentioned

• Leonardo de Chirico, Evangelical theological perspectives on post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism
• Trevor H. G. Smith, Christian Theology Emerging from the Akan Single-Tiered Unitive Perspective on Reality

Eden and Canaan are earthly projections that both reveal yet veil the glory of the heavenly dwelling place of God. Had Adam passed probation, he would have been translated into the highest heavens in the presence of God where he would enter Sabbath Rest (Genesis 2/Ez. 28:14 and the mountain of God). When Christ finished his wilderness sojourn, he ascended into that very reality of Sabbath Rest—rest the first Adam did not enter (Heb. 1:3; 8:2, 5; 9:23–24; 10:12; 12:24; 4:9–10). Christ, as ascended, has entered rest—a rest he in the process of conferring on the church in this age (4:3) and will bring to consummation in the age to come (4:9–11).

The whole point of the land of Canaan in Hebrews—the way it relates to this big-picture creational concern—is that it was a place of rest (Psalm 95:7–11 is quoted in Hebrews 3:7–11). Israel was seeking to leave the wilderness and enter into the “rest” of God in Canaan. Canaan was a local, earthly expression of a corresponding heavenly Sabbath Rest (95:11/Genesis 2:2 as the two theme texts in Hebrews 3 and 4).

Canaan was an earthly type of Sabbath Rest, and some in Israel failed to enter the earthly typical land of rest because they lacked faith in the promised Messiah (Heb. 3:19). In a parallel way, the author of Hebrews grounds his exhortation that the church in this age press on to Sabbath Rest by faith in the ascended Messiah, so that none of us fail to enter that Rest.

Dr. Vern Poythress speaks with us about his book, Theophany: A Biblical Theology of God's Appearing, published by Crossway. Each time God appears to his people throughout the Bible—in the form of a thunderstorm, a man, a warrior, a chariot, etc.—he comes to a specific person for a specific purpose. And each of these temporary appearances— called theophanies—helps us to better understand who he is, anticipating his climactic, permanent self-revelation in the incarnation of Christ.

Describing the various accounts of God’s visible presence from Genesis to Revelation, Dr. Poythress helps us consider more deeply what they reveal about who God is and how he dwells with us today.

We also spoke about the upcoming Westminster Conference on Science & Faith to be held  April 6–7, 2018 at Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (see map). They will explore the relationship between theistic evolution and the Christian faith. Register at wcosaf.com.

Dr. Poythress is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

In Episode 38 of Proclaiming Christ, our newest panelist, Jim Cassidy, provides our listeners with a model of biblical interpretation through an introduction to the book of Hosea.

Ryan Noha shares several rare books just added to the Reformed Forum online store.

Michael J. Kruger joins us to speak about his book Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church.

Jim Cassidy discusses Darren O Sumner's book, Karl Barth and the Incarnation.

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 174–175 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider totemism and Vos's deep critique of biblicistic modernism.

Dr. Eric Watkins, Pastor of Covenant OPC in St. Augustine, Florida, joins Jim Cassidy, Chris Hartshorn, and Dale Van Dyke for a discussion on his book, The Drama of Preaching: Participating with God in the History of Redemption. Dr. Watkins explains how the idea of drama informs our understanding of peaching. Preaching is the telling of God's drama of redemption in which believers find themselves as active participants. He further explains how the drama motif gives the church a ready entry point with a postmodern world in which story is so highly valued.

Dr. Marcus Mininger, Associate Professor of New Testament Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, speaks about the theme of revelation in the book of Romans. In his book, Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16–3:26: Discovering a New Approach to Paul's Argument (Mohr Siebeck), Dr. Mininger argues for approaching Romans 1–3 through a new interpretive paradigm that features revelation over reading Paul's words primarily through a soteriological or sociological framework. In this fourth episode of a brief series with Dr. Mininger, we look into a revelation-historical interpretation of Romans 3:21–26 and draw several conclusions in summary to our entire discussion.

Listen to the Series

• Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16–3:26
• A Revelation-Historical Interpretation of Romans 2:1–29
• A Revelation-Historical Interpretation of Romans 3:1–20
• A Revelation-Historical Interpretation of Romans 3:21–26

Danny Olinger speaks about the life of E. J. Young, long-time Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary.

We continue our #VosGroup series in pages 173–174 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider uncleanness and purification, a deep structure of Scripture, what Vos says, "forms a fundamental conception, which . . . has entered into the permanent fabric of biblical religion."

Dr. Marcus Mininger, Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, speaks about the theme of revelation in the book of Romans. In his book, Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16–3:26: Discovering a New Approach to Paul's Argument (Mohr Siebeck), Dr. Mininger argues for approaching Romans 1–3 through a new interpretive paradigm that features revelation rather than reading Paul's words primarily through a soteriological or sociological framework. This is part three of our discussion.

Dr. Marcus Mininger, Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, speaks about the theme of revelation in the book of Romans. In his book, Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16–3:26: Discovering a New Approach to Paul's Argument (Mohr Siebeck), Dr. Mininger argues for approaching Romans 1–3 through a new interpretive paradigm that features revelation rather than reading Paul's words primarily through a soteriological or sociological framework. This is part two of our discussion.

Dr. Marcus Mininger, Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, speaks about the theme of revelation in the book of Romans. In his book, Uncovering the Theme of Revelation in Romans 1:16–3:26: Discovering a New A

We continue our #VosGroup series starting on page 170–172 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider the variety of Old Testament offerings and sacrifices. Vos addresses the different types of offerings and how they relate to one another and to the eschatological plan of salvation in Jesus Christ.

We look back at some of our favorite guests and moments from 2017.

In this episode, Rev. Andrew Compton, Assistant Professor of Old Testament Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary, speaks about the book of Proverbs. While many have approached Proverbs as a source for personal guidance or a collection of general life lessons, Compton argues that Proverbs possesses a canonical awareness and presents itself as the divinely inspired source of true wisdom, as well as the infallible norm for the wisdom of God, against which all other so-called "wisdom" must be tested.

Jeff Stivason joins us to speak about his article, "Benjamin B. Warfield and True Church Unity," published in the Westminster Theological Journal 79 (2017): 327–43. He argues that Warfield developed a theology that requires the existence of denomination

Matthew Patton speaks of Augustine's hermeneutical principle of totus Christus, which emphasizes how Christ as head as well as the Church as his body provide the eschatological fulfillment of the Old Testament.

Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey discuss pages 166–168 of Vos' Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments.

Jeff Waddington speaks about his chapter in the new festschrift for Vern Poythress, Redeeming the Life of the Mind (Crossway). Jeff's chapter, titled, "Jonathan Edwards on God's Involvement in Creation," is an examination of "Miscellanies," no.

What did the Tree of Life symbolize in the Garden of Eden? Why does it reappear in Revelation 2:7 and 22:2? We discuss the symbolism of the tree and the eschatological mode of life it signifies and seals.

We speak about God's original intent for the image of God and how his offer to Adam in the garden was of a higher, consummate mode of life.

Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey discuss pages 165–166 of Vos' Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments.

This episode was recorded just prior to our 2017 Theology Conference on The Reformation of Apologetics. We discuss Scholasticism as it relates to the theology of Thomas Aquinas, the Reformers, and Cornelius Van Til.

This episode was recorded live at our 2017 Theology Conference on The Reformation of Apologetics.

Dan Ragusa speaks about Herman Bavinck's Trinitarian theology and its implications for a revelational epistemology and worldview.

Chad Van Dixhoorn speaks about the Westminster Assembly and its reform of the pulpit ministry.

Ryan Noha, the Indiana Jones of Reformed books, speaks about several rare books to be added to the Reformed Forum online store.

Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey discuss pages 161–165 of Vos' Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments.

Camden Bucey and Jeff Waddington discuss the image of God and whether man retains the image after the fall into sin.

Chad and Emily Van Dixhoorn discuss studying the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Glen Clary and Camden Bucey discuss Ole Hallesby's classic book on prayer.

Jim Cassidy walks us through the major themes of the book of Hosea.

Jim Cassidy and Camden Bucey discuss theological methodology in light of Calvin's view of natural theology.

Dr. Robert J. Cara speaks about his book, Cracking the Foundation of the New Perspective on Paul: Covenantal Nomism versus Reformed Covenantal Theology (Mentor, 2017), which is published in the Reformed Exegetical and Doctrinal Series. The New Perspective on Paul is broadly united on its view of Second Temple Jewish literature. Arguing that these documents do not contain a doctrine of works righteousness, Paul certainly cannot be arguing against such a view—quite simply because it didn't exist. Dr. Cara examines the Jewish sources and "cracks the foundation" of the NPP by demonstrating how they incorporate meritorious works and thus establishing the traditional Protestant view of Paul and his doctrine of justification.

Lane Tipton and Camden Bucey discuss pages 159–161 of Vos' Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments.

We took to Facebook to broadcast a live Q&A session. With questions submitted through email and the live comment thread, we covered Lord's Day observance, fasting and gluttony, and membership in the New Covenant.

We celebrate five-hundred episodes of Christ the Center.

We continue our #VosGroup series by opening pages 157–159 of Vos' book Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments to consider offerings, gifts, and sacrifices within the Mosaic economy.

Chris Castaldo compares the respective doctrines of justification of the Reformer Peter Martyr Vermigli and the Roman Catholic John Henry Cardinal Newman.

In June 2011, we spoke with Bill Dennison, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Covenant College, about Transformationalism and Christian Higher Education. In that episode, we touched upon his article, "Dutch Neo-Calvinism and the Roots for Transformation: An Introductory Essay" from the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 42/2 (June 1999). We only had a few minutes to discuss the article in episode 180, and so today, we pick up where we left off. Dennison contends that while Dutch neo-Calvinism sought to transform culture in response to the threat of the Enlightenment, they stood upon a foundation of Enlightenment principles to do it. Many of the themes discussed in this episode were developed and applied in our twelve-part series on Christ and Culture, in which Dennison debated Darryl Hart, Nelson Kloosterman, and Doug Wilson.

Previous Episodes with Bill Dennison

• In Defense of the Eschaton
• Transformationalism and Christian Higher Education
• Machen and Bultmann at Marburg
• Paul’s Two-Age Construction and Apologetics

We welcome Brandon Crowe back to the program to speak about the gospel of Matthew. Dr. Crowe is assistant professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is the author of the article, "Fulfillment in Matthew as Eschatological Reversal" in Westminster Theological Journal 75 (2013), pp. 111–127. Matthew's use of the Old Testament has perplexed interpreters for years. It is difficult to ascertain precisely how Jesus "fulfills" the prophets in several of Matthew's references. Dr. Crowe argues that Jesus not only fulfills the Old Testament as the new Israel and consummate Davidic king, but according to Matthew's formulae, he does so by reversing Israel's pattern of covenant infidelity.

Other Episodes with Brandon Crowe

• The Last Adam: A Theology of the Obedient Life of Jesus in the Gospels
• The New Testament Foundations of Trinitarian Theology
• The Message of the General Epistles
• The Virgin Birth of Christ
• Deuteronomy and Christology in the Gospel of Matthew

Today, we speak with Andrew Abernethy about his book, The Book of Isaiah and God's Kingdom: A Thematic-Theological Approach from IVP Academic's New Studies in Biblical Theology series. Abernethy contends that thematic points of reference can help one to encounter Isaiah and its rich theological message. Dr. Abernethy is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. He is the author of Eating in Isaiah: Approaching Food and Drink in Isaiah's Structure and Message and coeditor of Isaiah and Imperial Context: The Book of Isaiah in Times of Empire.

Rob McKenzie hosts the interview with Dr. Abernethy. And so in the episode, we also took the opportunity to speak about the latest addition to our podcast family, Theology Simply Profound, which he produces with Bob Tarullo. Rob and Camden speak about the program and how it fits within our lineup, helping us to bring Reformed theology to more people. Rob is sales representative for trade, academic, and special markets at IVP and a distant student at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.

Jim Cassidy and Camden Bucey revisit Paul Woolley's article, "Discontent!" as it pertains to the ministry of the church. While Woolley wrote in 1944, his lessons are just as applicable today.