In this episode we hear some thoughts on John 8 from F.F. Bruce, Dr. James F. McGrath, and Thomas Belsham (pictured here). Only Belsham agrees with Dr. Smith, but all make helpful points, and Belsham quotes several early modern scholars on various sides of the issue, including the great Nathaniel Lardner, who, like Belsham, reads John 8 as Dr. Smith does.I blogged about Belsham previously here.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Trinities: "podcast episode 63 – Thomas Belsham and other scholars on John 8:58"
Check it out here. A taste:
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3 comments:
I question Thomas Belsham's authoritativeness, at least in his own time. From Wm. Ellery Channing, the putative leader of American unitarianism:
http://www.americanunitarian.org/lettertothacher.htm
I very much doubt, whether of these, one individual can be found, who could conscientiously subscribe to Mr. Belsham's creed as given in the Review. The conduct of the Reviewer, in collecting all the opinions of that gentleman, not only on the Trinity, but on every other theological subject, in giving to the WHOLE collection the name UNITARIANISM, and in exhibiting this to the world as the creed of liberal christians in this region, is perhaps as criminal an instance of unfairness, as is to be found in the records of theological controversy. The fact is, that the great body of liberal christians would shrink from some of these opinions with as much aversion as from some of the gloomy doctrines of Calvin. You, my friend, well know, that Mr. Belsham is not acknowledged as a leader by any Unitarians in our country. I have heard from those, who are thought to approach him most nearly in opinion, complaints of the extravagance of some of his positions, as unjust and prejudicial to the cause which he has undertaken to defend.
In other words, in short, there was no love lost between the Arians and Socinians.
Socio-religio-historically speaking, we're about to get into who-gives-a-spit territory.
On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith starts up the Mormons.
2014 US Scoreboard;
Mormons 6,398,889
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-stats
"Unitarians"* ~250,000
https://www.uua.org/documents/info/uua_membership_stats.pdf
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*Belief in any deity of any sort is now optional, although tolerated
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