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Twenty-Four Elders – Twenty-Four Books
People sometimes see what they want in allegory. If a modern Protestant sees the number 66 in an allegory, he naturally thinks of the 66 books of the Bible. If the chapter divisions in Isaiah were original, we would be tempted to place significance on that point. If a modern Protestant sees 27 or 39…
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Response to Jerome’s Response to Helvidius – Part 4a
Jerome wrote a response to Helvidius regarding the virginity of Mary. This post is the first part of a fourth in a series of responses to what Jerome wrote. Jerome wrote: 4. Let us take the points one by one, and follow the tracks of this impiety that we may show that he has contradicted…
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Response to Jerome’s Response to Helvidius – Part 3
Jerome wrote a response to Helvidius regarding the virginity of Mary. This post is the third in a series of responses to what Jerome wrote. Jerome wrote: 3. His first statement was: “Matthew says, [Matthew 1:18-20] Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph,…
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Response to Jerome’s Response to Helvidius – Part 2
Jerome wrote a response to Helvidius regarding the virginity of Mary. This post is the second in a series of responses to what Jerome wrote. Jerome wrote: 2. I must call upon the Holy Spirit to express His meaning by my mouth and defend the virginity of the Blessed Mary. I must call upon the…
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Response to Jerome’s Response to Helvidius – Part 1
Jerome wrote a response to Helvidius regarding the virginity of Mary. This post is the first in a series of responses to what Jerome wrote. Jerome: 1. I was requested by certain of the brethren not long ago to reply to a pamphlet written by one Helvidius. I have deferred doing so, not because it…
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Justification by Faith Alone – An Affirmative Rebuttal
I am still waiting to conduct my debate on Justification by Faith alone. I appreciate the comments left on my proposed Affirmative Constructive, but I thought I would share an Affirmative Rebuttal as well. The constructive sets forth the truth of Sola Fide from Scripture. The rebuttal addresses the historical question: if this is true,…
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Jerome’s Hebrew Questions on the Book of Genesis
There is a translation of Jerome’s Hebrew Questions on Genesis done by C.T.R. Hayward and published by Clarendon Press at Oxford. The text of the “Questions” is not very long, and probably not valuable on the whole to most readers. There are not a lot of profound exegetical thoughts, for example. On the other hand,…
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Formal Sufficiency of Scripture: Fifth Century Fathers (Guest Series) (Bonus: Two Early Roman Bishops)
Formal Sufficiency of ScriptureStated and Examined from Scripture and the Fathers, with scholarly confirmation regarding the Fathers’ views. This series first defined the nature of formal sufficiency (i.e. the Reformed view) in an introduction section (link) and then demonstrated Scripture’s own testimony to its sufficiency (link). Although that discussion was enough, we have continued by…
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Magisterium More Sufficient than Scripture? (Part 4)
[Cont’d from previous section] Is the Roman Catholic Magisterium More Sufficient than Sacred Scripture?Bryan Cross answered on the subject of the ability of the Scripture to interpret Scripture sufficiently, from Scripture, reason, and tradition. (Part 4) Caesarius of Arles (about A.D. 470-543) commenting on Rev. 22:10: Just as the divine Scriptures are sealed for those…
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Necessity of Scripture Reading – Whitaker and the Fathers
William Whitaker: Nay, the fathers also confess, that a knowledge of, and acquaintance with, the scriptures is necessary for all Christians. Jerome in his commentary upon the Colossians, iii. 16, says: ” Hence we see that the laity ought to have not only a sufficient, but an abundant knowledge of the scriptures, and also to…