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

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

J.H. Kurtz: "Offerings, Sacrifices, and Worship in the Old Testament"

Kurtz, J.H. Offerings, Sacrifices, and Worship in the Old Testament (trans. James Martin). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998.

Available at:


http://www.amazon.com/Offerings-Sacrifices-Worship-Old-Testament/dp/1565633954/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376532149&sr=1-1&keywords=J.+H.+Kurtz+Offerings%2C+Sacrifices%2C+and+Worship+in+the+Old+Testament...

J. H. Kurtz (1809-1890) was a prominent German scholar and church historian. He served as professor of church history and Old Testament at the University of Dorpat.

Did the “slaughtering of expiatory sacrifices have signification of poenia vicaria" is the issue Mr. Kurtz seeks to address. He notes that theologians are “widely separated” (10). We are not sure what the antecedent is to which Mr. Kurtz refers, but we suspect it to be incipient and blossoming liberal theology.

Over 453 pages, Mr. Kurtz constructs Four Books.

Book One: The General Basis of Sacrificial Worship in the Old Testament

1. Persons sacrificing: people and priests
2. Place of sacrifice
3. Various kinds of sacrifice

Book Two: Bleeding Sacrifices

1. Ritual of sacrifices
2. Varieties of bleeding sacrifices: theological and ritual characteristics, similarities and distinctions in sin offerings, burnt offerings, peace offerings, and trespass offerings.

Book Three: Bloodless Sacrifices

1. Material of bloodless sacrifices
2. Minchah of the fore-court
3. Minchah of the Holy Place

Book Four: Modification of Sacrificial Worship in Connection with Special Seasons and Circumstances

1. Consecration of people, priests and Levites
2. Adaptation to special seasons and feasts:
 

a. Mosaic idea of Feast
b. Daily, weekly and monthly sacrifices
c. Passover
d. Pentecost
e. Tabernacle
f. Day of Atonement


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4MKOP-vhQ0

A good hymn for Lent and Holy Communion at any day. We do our bounden duty and offer our "sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving," and our bodies and minds as a "reasonable service and sacrifice" in response to the final, sufficient, abiding, definitive and abidingly valid offering and oblation of Christ for His people. Does anyone suggest less than this love to God and our fellow Churchmen as we kneel together?

1. Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

2. Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
’Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.

3. Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

4. For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.

5. Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.



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