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ON THIS DAY: AUGUST
This month we remember, among others, a Scots-born
missionary in South Africa, the first ever Moderator
of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to
meet the Pope, a theologian who influenced both Roman
Catholicism and Protestantism and the inventor of the
world's first calculator.
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1 August: Lammas
Lammas is the old Scottish quarter day when rents were
due, removals took place, and when hiring of labour would
occur. Literally loaf mass/feast,
it was the time when the first bread of the corn harvest
was blessed. A Lammas Fair is still held at St Andrews
and elsewhere.
Also on this day: Andrew
Melville, the scholar and churchman whom many
| consider more important
for the Scottish Church than John Knox, was born
at Baldovie, near Montrose and educated at the University
of St Andrews. Like many 16th century Scots, he
went on to study on the continent, at Paris, Poitiers
(law) and Geneva (theology, under the renowned Beza).
Returning to Scotland, he was to prove an able university
administrator (he was principal of Glasgow University,
then St Andrews) and effected much needed reforms.
He is particularly remembered as a consolidator
of Presbyterianism, speaking against royal attempts
to institute bishops, insisting in the General Assembly
of 1575 that there was no superiority allowed by
Christ amongst ministers. A leading contributor
to the Church’s Second
Book of Discipline, he was an advocate of
the doctrine of the 'two kingdoms', which saw church
and state as separate though conjoined entities,
expressed vividly on the famous occasion when he
called James VI to his face God's
sillie (i.e. simple) vassal. Obviously too
strong for some tastes he was forced to flee, later
becoming imprisoned (1607 to 1611) in the Tower
of London. He was |
Statue of
Andrew Melville
|
then allowed to go into exile, when he taught theology
in France until his death there on this day in 1622. Melville
was four times Moderator of the General Assembly, in 1578,
1582, 1587 and 1594.
Image courtesy of Orr Name Study, to visit the website
click
here. Please note this link will take you out of
the Church of Scotland website and open a new browser
window.
Also on this day: John
Morison was one of those who contributed to that
historic collection, the Scottish
Paraphrases. A feeling had grown that the psalms,
as sole source of sung praise, had become restrictive
and it was decided to make a collection of 'paraphrased'
versions of scriptural passages other than the psalms,
versified so that they could be sung. A collection of
texts was sent down to presbyteries, who deliberated
the matter for more than 30 years. To be fair, issues
relating to Jacobites were much on the Church's mind
at the time. Morison was born at Cairnie, Aberdeenshire
(1756), and a graduate of Aberdeen, becoming a schoolmaster
in Caithness. He was later ordained to Canisbay, where
one of his predecessors had been the renowned cartographer
Timothy Pont, and from there made valuable contributions
to the statistical account and to the topographical
history of Caithness. Among his several contributions
to the paraphrases are the still much loved, Come,
let us to the Lord our God with contrite hearts return
(Hosea 6:1-4) and The race
that long in darkness pined hath seen a glorious light
(Isaiah 9:2-8). He died in 1798, an honorary doctor
of divinity of his old university.
6 August: The Transfiguration
Today is the traditional
date of remembrance of The Transfiguration when on a mountain
top some of the disciples had a preview of the eternal
glory of Christ (see Matthew 17:1-9). It is also the grim
day on which the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, effecting
another kind of transfiguration and ushering in another
kind of world on earth.
8 August: Thomas à Kempis
Thomas à Kempis
is credited as the author of one of the most celebrated
devotional books of all time. His title is after his birthplace
of Kempen, near Cologne in Germany, but he lived for more
than 70 years in relative obscurity as a monk in a community
of Augustinians in the Netherlands, copying manuscripts,
writing, teaching novices. Like his many other writings,
Imitatio Christi (the Imitation of Christ) is imbued
with a deep sense of piety expressed in an attractive
style and language. Two of the themes that dominate are
that a life of austerity is required before one can come
close to God, and the importance of Communion in remaining
strong in the faith. He died in 1471.
9 August: Robert Moffat
Robert Moffat was a Scots born pioneer missionary in southern
Africa. Originally a gardener, he moved to England where
he was influenced by the Wesleyans and their missionary
concern. In 1816 he was ordained and went to Cape Colony
with the London Missionary Society to work among the Tswana
people, eventually settling with his family at Kuruman,
Bechuanaland, which became a centre for Christianity.
There he translated the New Testament into Setswana –
the first (1840) in any southern African language. His
widely read English publications included Missionary
Labours and Scenes in
Southern Africa, and to the interested public in
Britain he came to be regarded as the leading missionary
in that part of the world, not least because of his great
friendship with native African leaders, and his contacts
with the Matabele and the Ndebele. On a visit to Britain
in 1840 he persuaded David Livingstone (his future son-in-law)
to go out to Africa. Returning to Britain in 1870, as
celebrated as those today who promote the cause of Africa,
he continued to advocate the cause of missions until his
death aged 88 on this day in 1883.
10 August: Blane
Blane was a 6th century Celtic monk who gave his name
to one of Scotland's cathedrals. A legend attached to
him is similar to that of Kentigern [see
On this day: January], a mother pregnant but
unwed cast adrift as a punishment in a boat without oars,
but the frequency of this legend casts doubt on its authenticity.
Born on the island of Bute, or indeed in an open boat,
he is said to have been educated at the great monastery
of Bangor in Ireland, returning to work with his uncle,
Catan, in Scotland. His monastery was likely to have been,
not on the site of Dunblane Cathedral itself, but on higher
ground a little to the north of Scottish Churches House,
the Scottish ecumenical centre and home of Action for
Churches Together in Scotland. The place names of Blanefield
and Strathblane suggest activity also in the Fintry Hills,
north of Glasgow. Blane (or Blaan) died, perhaps at Kingarth
on Bute, circa 590.
12 August: William Blake
William Blake died on this day in 1827 at the age of 70.
This London born engraver, artist and poet was a man out
of his time. He criticised his day's championing of reason
and emphasized the insight, especially spiritual insight,
that came from the development of the imagination. He
also attacked the current conventional picture of the
meek and humble Christ, feeling that this emptied the
Gospel of its revolutionary content. His theological views
were very individual, being intuitive rather than well-read,
and his works and life evinced a great suspicion of the
authorities and power structures of the day. He is remembered
as a poet (Songs of Innocence,
Songs of Experience - which includes the well known
Tiger, tiger, burning bright)
and as an engraver (a set on the book of Job is his most
famous), and will ever be celebrated as the author of
Jerusalem, which has,
set to Parry's music, become a national hymn within the
UK.
13 August: Ira D. Sankey
Ira D. Sankey who died
on this day in 1908 was the musician who accompanied his
fellow American Dwight L. Moody in evangelistic tours
to Britain in 1867 and then 1872 to 1875, and finally
in 1881 to 1884. Sankey was singer, composer and organist,
whose distinctive contributions added greatly to the success
of these evangelistic occasions. One of Sankey's most
famous compositions was a tune to the hymn by Scottish
author Elizabeth Clephane, There
were ninety and nine that safely lay, of particular
interest because it was not composed in the normal sense
but improvised during a meeting and remembered and written
down later. His popular 'music hall' style compositions
are still loved and sung, mostly taken from the great
collections which appeared at the time, such as the Moody
and Sankey Hymn Book (1873), Sacred
Songs and Solos, and Redemption
Songs.
17 August: The Scots Confession
John Knox statue, Edinburgh |
The Scots Confession was approved
by the Reformation Parliament on this day in 1560.
Drawn up by six 'Johns': Knox, Willock, Winram,
Spottiswoode, Row, and Douglas in supposedly six
days, it has an attractive freshness and immediacy
about it. Positive, warm, and evangelical in tone,
in its 25 articles it asserts, inter alia, the real
presence in the Sacrament, the supreme authority
of God’s Word, and the catholicity of the
Church, made distinctive by three characteristics:
the true preaching of the Word, the right administration
of the Sacraments, and discipline - the outward
form and expression of these characteristics. |
Confessions were common in the new reformed churches,
both to show what beliefs were continuous with the old
church and what doctrines and practices newly-discovered
or newly-appreciated. Other emphases in the Scots Confession
included the doctrine of justification by faith (good
works are done not to achieve acceptance by God but because
of our acceptance by God), and the role of the civil magistrate
as God’s lieutenant. A document with a missionary
quality to it, it is to be ranked in importance alongside
the Arbroath Declaration and the National Covenant. The
Confession (a Latin version was published in 1572) was
accepted by Presbyterians and Episcopalians alike until
the Westminster Confession of 1647, which may have superseded
but did not abrogate it.
Also on this day: The
Solemn League and Covenant (1643) was a religious-civil
agreement between the then powerful General Assembly
and the hard-pressed English Commons desperate for an
ally against Royalist forces in the English Civil War.
To the English it was a pragmatic expedient later to
be disregarded as the Parliamentarians became victorious.
To many Scots with high and perhaps foolish hopes it
was a holy pact not only to secure Presbyterianism in
Scotland but to further it in Britain. It led in the
short term to the Westminster Assembly of Divines and
the Westminster Confession of Faith – the subordinate
doctrinal standard of the Church of Scotland. In the
long term, adherence to the Solemn League by Covenanters
during the Restoration Period (1660 to 1689) led to
much suffering and persecution. Burns was to write:
"The Solemn League and Covenant, Now brings a smile,
now brings a tear. But sacred Freedom, too, was theirs:
If thou’rt a slave, indulge thy sneer."
18 August: Inan
Inan is associated with
Beith and Irvine in Ayrshire. This 9th century Celtic
saint was known as a 'confessor' and a 'doctor' (i.e.
teacher in the church). He is said to have made pilgrimages
to both Rome and Jerusalem. He lived at the time of Kenneth
MacAlpin and died in 839 at Irvine, where his grave was
a destination for pilgrims.
Also on this day: Marnock
first appears as a boy who dared to touch Columba's
cloak on a visit later in his life to Ireland. In spite
of attempts to chase him away, Columba spoke to him
and prophesied that he would be an eloquent preacher.
In due course he became a monk, and like many at the
time he 'went wandering' for Christ. Little is known
but the proliferation of place names, such as Kilmarnock
- 'Kil' meaning 'church of' - and Marnoch near Huntly
echoing his name testify to an active and widespread
life of evangelism. The Scottish town of Kilmarnock,
however, remembers the saint annually on 25 October.
19 August:
Alexander Henderson
Alexander Henderson has been described as the
'Second Reformer' (i.e. after John Knox) and occupies
one of the highest places in the annals of the Church
of Scotland. Born in Creich, Fife, in 1583, he distinguished
himself at St Andrews University where for a time (and
as an Episcopalian) he was a regent. Becoming minister
at Leuchars, he in time, and probably after hearing
Robert Bruce of St Giles preach, became a convinced
Presbyterian. For 25 years he was a diligent, quiet
parish minister but 'cometh the hour cometh the man'.
He emerged in 1637 to oppose Charles I’s attempts
to enforce episcopacy and a prayer book on the Scottish
Church, organising the great National Covenant of 1638,
of which he was co-author. "Incomparably the ablest
man of us all for all things", he was elected Moderator
of the Glasgow Assembly of that year, which overthrew
Episcopacy. Minister in Edinburgh of Greyfriars' and
then St Giles' he been described as "the greatest,
wisest, and most liberal of the Scottish Presbyterians
…a cabinet minister without office." Maybe
not the most tactful, though! As chaplain to King Charles,
he rebuked him for playing golf on Sunday. Though no
republican, he led the opposition to the absolute rule
of kings, not least in the Solemn League and Covenant
of 1643, playing a significant role in the subsequent
Westminster Assembly of Divines and the drafting of
the Westminster Confession. While in Edinburgh he was
responsible for the building of the college library.
He died on this day in 1646.
Also on this day: Blaise
Pascal was one of those rare authors who has written
a book which has never gone out of print. Being born in
France in 1623, the Auld Alliance probably saw to it that
his works and his fame circulated in Scotland. But he
was as notable as a pioneer scientist as a literary giant.
| At the age of 16 he astounded Descartes
with his mathematics, going on to prove that nature
abhors a vacuum, and to invent the syringe, the
barometer, the hydraulic press, and the first calculator.
He is also notable for his Christian commitment
(he was something of a mystic) and his espousal
of the reformed rediscovery of God's grace freely
given. Against the prevailing view, he insisted
that people could only be brought to God through
Jesus Christ alone. The book in question is the
Penseés, a brilliant and perceptive statement
of the truth of Christianity. He died in 1662. |
Blaise Pascal
|
20 August: Rognvald
Rognvald was the Norse
Earl of Orkney who in fulfilment of a vow began with his
father the building of St Magnus’ Cathedral in Kirkwall
circa 1137. Something of a warrior, unlike his more saintly
uncle Magnus, he was like him killed/martyred, in 1159
in Caithness. Never formally canonised but acclaimed a
saint, it was said of him: "he had been a friend
in need to many a man, liberal in money matters, equable
of temper, steadfast in friendship, skilful in all feats
of strength, and a good skald" (poet/bard).
Also on this day:
Bernard of Clairvaux was
of a noble Burgundian family who became a Cistercian
monk, and who later at Clairvaux in Champagne established
a reformed house of the order. He was a prominent figure
in the mediaeval church and was sometimes described
as 'the last of the Fathers' (a reference to earlier
theologians like Augustine who established the intellectual
foundations of Christianity). A studious and prolific
writer with a fervent piety, he combined mystical absorption
with concern for others and service to the institutional
church, being an influential member of several church
councils and a confidant of popes. Among the achievements
of this very eloquent preacher and teacher (the 'mellifluous
doctor', he was called) were the foundation of over
70 monasteries, the drawing up of the statutes for the
Knights Templar, and the promotion of the Second Crusade
(1147 to 1149). His warm piety and grasp of doctrine
was an antidote to the dryness of scholasticism, though
he did not hesitate to oppose with severity those with
whom he disagreed. He died in 1153.
Also on this day:
John White was a name
to be conjured with for a great deal of the first half
of the 20th century in Scotland. Born in Kilwinning
in 1867, he was a brilliant student at Glasgow and proved
himself to be a man of great vision and organizational
ability. A considerable orator, he was successively
minister of Shettleston, South Leith, and the Barony
of Glasgow. His great achievement was the 1929 union
between the old Church of Scotland and the United Free
Church for which he had worked hard, and appropriately
he was elected the first Moderator after the union.
Another achievement, and this at a time of economic
depression, was that of church extension of which he
was a great advocate. A chaplain in World War I, he
was a staunch Tory, a patriot, and a great believer
in the supremacy of the Church of Scotland and its Presbyterian
structure, which partly explains his contribution to
negative reactions towards Irish Roman Catholic immigrants,
of which people have recently been made aware. John
Baillie and others came to criticise his conservative
stance as tending to alienate the Church from the working
class. Made a Companion of Honour, he died in 1951.
Also on this day: William
Booth of the Salvation Army was an ordained Methodist
minister who resigned in 1861 to become an itinerant evangelist
and helper of the poor in London.
William Booth
|
With his wife Catherine he organised
the Christian Mission, later to be re-named the
Salvation Army in 1878, of which he was the first
general. With its basis in religious enthusiasm,
a concern for the outcasts of society, and with
an expansionist policy, it was organised along military
lines. The 'Sally Army' is still noted for its uniformed
personnel, its bands, its special appeal in joyous
music, its personal testimonies, and free prayer,
together with ambitious programmes of social concern
in some 70 countries. Booth also co-authored a book
(In Darkest England and
the Way Out, 1890) which proposed a social
programme for alcoholics, released prisoners, and
the marginalised. The army, with its |
3,000 welfare establishments, has adhered to this, generally
seeing its work as an arm of the Church. Booth died in
1912.
Image courtesy of The Salvation Army International
Heritage Centre.
24 August: Massacre of St Bartholomew’s
Day
Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Day was a day of infamy
in Christendom when, almost certainly at the instigation
of the dowager Queen Catherine de Medici, fearful of Protestant
influence over her sons, Roman Catholics turned on Huguenots
(those of the French Reformed Church) in Paris on this
day in 1572. Some 3,000 to 5,000 Huguenots, including
many leaders, were butchered with rejoicing in Rome and
Madrid. The knock-on effect led to a total of deaths through
France of possibly 50,000. The savagery shocked Protestant
Europe and helped perpetuate Christian division.
25 August: Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday although born in 1791 near London and
spending his career as a notable experimental physicist
in England, has a Scottish connection in that he, a devout
Christian, was a member and preacher in a Glasite (Sandemanian)
congregation, a sect which originated in Scotland and
which sought a return to primitive Christianity. His contribution
to the advancement of science included the discovery of
electro-magnetic rotation, the isolation of benzene, the
synthesis of chlorocarbons, and the definition of the
laws of electrolysis. He died in 1867.
27 August: A. C. Craig
A. C. Craig ('Archie') was the first Moderator ever of
the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to meet
the Pope, which gave rise to a much repeated joke. The
apocryphal parting of the Pope and the Moderator is said
to have ran: "So long, John! Arrivederci, Erchie!"
However, Craig was distinguished for much more. He personified
the very best of Scottish 20th century ministers: erudite
and eloquent as a preacher, dedicated and diligent as
a pastor. He was awarded the Military Cross in recognition
of his service during World War I. Appointed the first
full-time chaplain in recent times of the University of
Glasgow in 1930, his tenure of this office was a notable
one and contained the seeds of the later ecumenical initiatives
for which he became celebrated. He was general secretary
of the British Council of Churches 1942 to 1946, deputy
leader of the Iona Community 1946 to 1947, and then became
lecturer in biblical studies in the University of Glasgow.
He was active in negotiations for church union in Scotland
and did much to establish the structures of co-operation
which are now in place. He died in 1985, much honoured
academically and held in great affection by many.
28 August: Augustine
Augustine was the greatest thinker, theologian and personality
of the ancient church whose influence on both Roman Catholicism
and Protestantism has been enormous and is still very
significant. Born in North Africa in 354, he was a brilliant
student first of rhetoric and law, then of literature,
then of philosophy, which led him, absorbed with the problem
of evil, to become a Manichaean, an heretical sect which
believed human beings had the power to transform themselves.
The influence of his mother Monica and others led him
to 'mainstream' Christianity. Becoming baptised (387)
he returned from his academic posts in Rome and Milan
to North Africa where he lived a monastic life, ultimately
being persuaded to seek ordination. He became bishop of
Hippo circa 396 and it was as he led the dialogue with
three influential heretical 'misreadings' of Christianity
that he evolved the foundational statements that the church
has drawn on ever since, statements both biblically based
and the outcome of deep personal experience. Though largely
responsible for defining the doctrine of original sin,
he viewed the world as fundamentally good but that salvation
was due to grace alone and not to human efforts. He regarded
the church as 'one' through the mutual love of its members,
and 'holy' not on account of her members but because of
her purposes. His City of God
is a monumental commentary on life and doctrine,
balanced by his great spiritual biography, The
Confessions. He died in 430 as the vandals were
besieging Hippo.
31 August: Aidan
Statue of Aidan
at Lindisfarne
|
Aidan was a 7th century monk of Iona
sent to Northumbria at the request of King Oswald.
He established a bishopric at Lindisfarne (Holy
Isle) opposite the royal centre of Bamburgh. Lindisfarne
with its church, monastery and divinity school whose
students included Chad (first bishop of Lichfield),
Cedd (who converted the East Saxons) and Eata (of
Melrose) became second only to Iona in importance
and fame. Aidan’s missionary work extended
over northern England and south west Scotland. He
is noted for his close friendship with the king
and his son and successor King Oswin. The Anglo-Saxon
historian Bede praised him for his achievements,
his learning, his piety and simplicity of life –
despite Aidan being in the Celtic 'camp' with their
different views about church festivals, church organisation
etc. |
Aidan died in 631, supposedly of grief after Oswin’s
martyrdom. The influence of Lindisfarne was to wane after
the Danish raids which began in 793.
Also on this day: John
Bunyan who is forever associated with The
Pilgrim’s Progress, partly written in his
second term in Bedford gaol, possibly the most famous
allegorical novel of all time, which besides being readable
yet combines psychological experience and deep biblical
piety.
| Bunyan was a 'tinker'
(a worker in metal) who had served in the Parliamentary
Army and undergone a deep spiritual experience which
is expressed in his Grace
Abounding. A member of an independent congregation,
his imprisonments were due to his unlicensed preaching
during the Restoration period. His many books are
for the most part written in plain and attractive
English, with strong biblical undertones, many having
proven enduring and influential. A strong opponent
of Quakerism and fearful of Romanism, his last years
were spent in evangelistic work (nothing |
Painting of John Bunyan
|
mattered to him but the soul’s salvation) till in
London on this day in 1688, like Mr Standfast in Pilgrim's
Progress, "he passed over and all the trumpets
sounded for him on the other side".
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