Category Archives: theology

Defy Everything: Martin Luther in 1520

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Matthew Phillips

“Let us…commit the affairs of men to God in faithful prayer, and be calm.  What can they do? Will they kill [me]?  Will they revive [me] again in order to kill [me] again? Will they brand me [me] a heretic?  … Continue reading →

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The Price of Satisfaction: Bernard of Clairvaux’s View of Redemption

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Matthew Phillips

“You lived, O man, in darkness and the shadow of death through ignorance of the truth; you were a prisoner and your sins were your shackles.  He [Jesus] came down to you in your prison, not to torture you but … Continue reading →

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The Languor of Love

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Matthew Phillips

“Love is an affliction, and the suffering of a soul that is sick.  The authority of the poet [Ovid]–even though it seems unworthy and unsuitable–affirms the truth of this, when he says, ‘Woe is me, for no herb can cure … Continue reading →

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An Infallible Truth

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Matthew Phillips

“It is an infallible truth that no person is righteous unless he believes in God, as stated in Rom. 1 [:17]: ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’  Likewise, ‘He who does not believe is condemned already” [John 3:18] … Continue reading →

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The Art of Love

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Matthew Phillips

“The art of arts is the art of love.  Nature, and God, the Author of nature, has reserved to himself the teaching of it.  Love itself has been planted [in us] by the Creator of nature; so if its natural … Continue reading →

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Luther on Becoming a Theologian

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Matthew Phillips

“If anybody wishes to become a theologian, he has a great advantage, first of all, in having the Bible.  This is now so clear that he can read it without any trouble.  Afterward he should read Philip’s Loci Communes.  This … Continue reading →

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The Annunciation and Fishing

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Matthew Phillips

“On this holy day the Incarnation of Christ is announced through the angel, just as today is celebrated devoutly by the entire Church.  It is read that on that day and at the same hour at which the first man … Continue reading →

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Hugh of St. Victor on the Sacred Scriptures

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Matthew Phillips

“For the whole Divine Scripture is one Book, and the one Book is Christ, for the whole Divine Scripture speaks of Christ and is fulfilled in Christ.  Our purpose in reading Scripture is that, by gaining knowledge of what He … Continue reading →

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The Strongest Consolation

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Matthew Phillips

“Thus the most precious treasure and strongest consolation we Christians have is this: that the Word, the true and natural Son of God, became man, with flesh and blood like that of any other human; that He became incarnate for … Continue reading →

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The Freedom of the Christian

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Matthew Phillips

“To make the way smoother for the unlearned—for only them do I serve—I shall set down the following two propositions concerning the freedom and the bondage of the spirit:                 A Christian is … Continue reading →

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