Biographical

On July 23, 1433 the Bohemian Paul Crawar (Kravar) was burnt at the stake for heresy. Crawar was a physician, but also a follower of John Hus. The citizens of Prague had previously adopted John Wycliffe’s teachings and it was they who sent Crawar to Scotland to make contact with Lollards, followers of John Wycliffe, [...]

  During his 27 years of captivity on Robben Island, Nelson Mandela was inspired by a poem of defiance written by the English poet William Ernest Henley, a poem he used to strengthen the spirits of other prisoners. Indeed, the name of this poem became the name of a 2009 film that stars Morgan Freeman and [...]

Marcus Tullius Cicero was an interesting character, remembered as a great orator. Born in 106 BCE, Cicero was a man who openly and incessantly spoke about his lust for fame. In the Roman law courts, speakers skilled in Roman laws and traditions would argue in full view of passers-by. The best way to make a name for oneself [...]

It was fascinating to read about Pompey, the great Roman military and political leader of the first century BCE. In his book The Frenzy of Renown Leo Braudy paints a picture of Pompey as a man with an unquenchable thirst for fame. Pompey loved to identify himself with Alexander the Great: He wore what was [...]

I came across a great quote from one of Luther’s 1522 sermons: I have opposed the indulgences and all the papists, but never by force. I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And then, while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip and my Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened [...]

Both Herod the Great and his son Archelaus were much hated by their Jewish subjects. For good reason. Both were very cruel men. For example, Herod commanded that on his death certain leading scholars be executed to ensure there would be mourning when he died. The cruelty of Herod the Great is also attested in [...]

This morning my wife and I, during our breakfast devotions, read the second half of Philippians 1. One stand-out statement is Paul’s great line, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” In 1763 it was on this text that Henry Venn preached at the funeral of William Grimshaw, whose 300th anniversary will shortly be celebrated. [...]

Last night I was at Cronulla Presbyterian Church listening to a sermon by Ian Stenhouse on 1 Corinthians 4. He opened by stressing the importance of having a proper opinion of oneself, illustrating this from the way Paul spoke about himself. Ian, drawing from an article by John Piper, drew attention to John Owen, whom [...]

Today, on the way back from church Barbara and I listened to Sunday Brunch on ABC Sydney. Simon Marnie was interviewing Eva Cox, prominent for her outspoken views on social policy issues. In the course of the interview she reflected on the horrific things people do to each other. She made the point that everyone [...]