On This Day in Church History...

Two giants of the Reformation died.

Johannes Huszgen, or Oecolampadius, was born in 1482 and died on this day in 1531. A able biblical scholar, he aided Erasmus in the preparation of the Greek New Testament. But he is more often remembered for his assistance to Zwingli and as a professor at the University of Basle. Like Melancthon, Oecolampadius was a quiet giant whose place in history has been overshadowed by his greater peers - Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin.

Also, on this day in 1572 the great John Knox died. Theologian, churchman, educator, historian, but most predominately preacher, Knox was the leading figure of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. Probably converted through the ministry of George Wishart, Knox was also influenced by Calvin during his stay in Geneva during the Marian exile. Upon his return, Knox laboured to initiate a large-scale national and religious reform. His works include The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women and a History of the Reformation in Scotland. He also contributed to the Genevan Bible (aka the breeches bible!), Scottish Confession of Faith, and the Book of Discipline.

ETS Papers

Most of you are probably aware, but papers from last week's Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) meeting will be distributed free of church by Zondervan, click here for more info. For ETS papers from the 2001-2004, including papers from the Institute for Biblical Research (IBR), click here.

Richard Hooker on the Spirit

I found a downloadable PhD dissertation (2005) while doing some searches on Google Scholar which will surely be of interest to most of you. Go to Google Scholar and run a search on "Hooker Spirit". Look for "Richard Hooker's Doctrine of the Spirit by J.H. Stafford." The main text examined is Hooker's Of the laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. Among those whom he interacts with on Hooker's attitude to reform are Perkins, Ames, Baxter, and Owen.