I. INTRODUCTION “The greatest amongst the School-divines.”[1] These are the words by which Richard Hooker, a sixteenth-century Anglican priest and theologian, expressed his admiration for S. Thomas Aquinas. Regarding Hooker’s admiration for S. Thomas, the Rev. Dr. David Neelands writes that while “Thomas is explicitly cited by Hooker … probably only about eight times in…
Participants in gracious comedy, Francesca and Lotario agree, Find Pleasure sat with Duty, king and queen Upon two wine-dark thrones. Aghast at losing Face, each blamed the other. Pleasure, pale And drained, with croak complained, “Six arduous pails Of sweat and tears without one drop of blood,” While Duty, bloated, raised his fiery head To…
Introduction “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). This cryptic verse and its cognates were fiercely contested during the Reformation.[1] Rome argued that…
I first read Becoming Human Together: The Pastoral Anthropology of St. Paul for a class on the Apostle. The discussion of anthropology was important in the parish where I was serving at the time and I was hoping to find an entry that could contribute to a more classical Anglo-Catholic understanding of the human person. Further, I…
The hermit hangs his habit out to dryIn new sun. Once upon a time he hadTwo habits: one good habit and one bad.Down to one, he’s bare. Today God’s eyeProbes every part of him. The tumbled skyThat shines through broken tesserae of cloudQuickens and touches him. The creek is loudWith springtime. Wading in, he wonders…
In my last piece, the first part of this overview of the annual cycles of Bible reading in the Prayer Book, I discussed the Calendar with Table of Lessons for Morning and Evening Prayer (that is, the daily lectionary) and the Epistles and Gospels for the Lord’s Supper (that is the Communion lectionary). These are…
This letter is in response to an article found here. Dear Mr. Ramsey — It is of course discouraging to pour your heart and soul into something and for the first response to be a total broadside, but I shall try not to be bitter. I wish to address: (1) implied over-statements, (2) the principle…
Liturgically speaking, Anglicanism is remarkably simple. Sure, the Prayer Book requires something of a learning curve, especially modern Prayer Books with all their options and possibilities and multi-year lectionaries. But when you compare the historic Prayer Book tradition to the other great liturgical traditions, particularly Rome and the East, ours is far simpler to follow,…
Reading the thoughts of many of the highest profile Christian writers and leaders, we are led to believe that God must have very little to do with great and calamitous events like the COVID-19 pandemic. N.T. Wright’s encouragement to lament instead of advance to explain might have come as welcome pastoral advice if it was…
1137 What were you? What benighted ritual functionserved you? Did you catch from slaughtered calvesthe ruby of their veins, and mete its halvesbetween strange gods and men who begged their unction?Would still man’s breast rekindle dark desireshould I from Eve’s lips wrest the unbit apple?I wrought the pagan archway in my chapel,yet still the kings…