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

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

10 June 323 AD. Alexander the Great Dies


10 June 323 AD. Alexander the Great dies.  As an idolater and pagan, the insatiable one was never satiated in his lust for fame and glory. 

Dr. Rusten tells the story.  Rusten, E. Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year Christian History. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003. Available at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Christian-History-Books/dp/0842355073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393302630&sr=8-1&keywords=rusten+church+history

Alexander III of Macedon was born in 356 BC. 

He was a successful conqueror.  He is important in Daniel 2, 7, 8, and 11.

Being Reformed and conscious of God’s sovereignty, we cite Daniel 11.3-4:

Daniel 11: 3-4


1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

But a [a]mighty King shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his pleasure.

And when he shall stand up, [b]his kingdom shall be broken, [c]and shall be divided toward the [d]four winds of heaven: and not to his [e]posterity, nor according to [f]his dominion, which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up even to be for others besides [g]those.

Footnotes:


  1. Daniel 11:3 That is, Alexander the great.
  2. Daniel 11:4 For when his estate was most flourishing, he overcame himself with drink, and so fell into a disease: or as some write, was poisoned by Cassander.
  3. Daniel 11:4 For his twelve chief Princes first divided his kingdom among themselves.
  4. Daniel 11:4 After this his Monarchy was divided into four: for Seleucus had Syria, Antigonus Asia minor, Cassander the kingdom of Macedonia, and Ptolemy Egypt.
  5. Daniel 11:4 Thus God revenged Alexander’s ambition and cruelty in causing his posterity to be murdered, partly of the father’s chief friends, and partly one of another.
  6. Daniel 11:4 None of these four shall be able to be compared to the power of Alexander.
  7. Daniel 11:4 That is, his posterity having no part thereof.
    He reportedly was fearless as a lad.  He tamed a horse called Bucephalus, a horse that would accompany his world conquest.
    He was tutored by Aristotle. 
    At age 16, he became a co-regent of Macedon with his father, King Philip, a man who had united much of Greece including the League of Corinth.
    At 20, Alexander’s father died and he took command.
    He went on the offensive.  Asia Minor fell. Palestine fell.  He rampaged around the Mediterranean coastline.  He founded and named a city after himself, Alexandria. 60 other cities adopted the namesake.
    He headed east.  The Persians fell.  He made it to India by 327, but his wearied troops forced his retreat westwards.
    He allegedly accepted homage “as a god,” as Dr. Rusten tells it. 
    He died 10 June 323 at age 33.  In 13 years, he had rampaged around the world and brought much of the ANE under his influence.  His kingdom was split:

  • Macedonia and Greece went to Antipater
  • Thrace and Asia Minor went to Lysimachus
  • Syria went to Seleucus
  • Egypt and Palestine went to Ptolemy

The latter two categories of influence would affect Israel’s history.

One result was the ubiquity of Greek as the lingua franca.   The New Testament was written in Greek and the OT Septugint was in Greek. Lauded by many, he died a reprobate from eternity past.  The Final Judgment will settle things up.

Nahum 1:2-3


1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

God is [a]jealous, and the Lord revengeth: the Lord revengeth: even the Lord [b]of anger, the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

The [c]Lord is slow to anger, but he is great in power, and will not surely clear the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind, and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Footnotes:


  1. Nahum 1:2 Meaning, of his glory.
  2. Nahum 1:2 With his he is but angry for a time, but his anger never assuageth toward the reprobate, though for a time he defer it.
  3. Nahum 1:3 Thus the wicked would make God’s mercy an occasion to sin, but the Prophet willeth them to consider his force and justice.
    Sources
    Milns, R.D. “Alexander the Great.” ABC. 1: 146-150.
    Thompson, J.E.H. “Alexander the Great.” ISBE. Rev. ed. 1:87-9.

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