Zacharias Ursinus

And that was also clear in the, uh, quotes I put up in my last video.

Zacharias Ursinus saying, "Yes, they pray for us, but that they know the misfortunes and business of everyone in particular, and that they hear us, we deny." Calvin said something similar, "Yes, they're praying for us, but they don't lose their quiescence, uh, and, and become distracted with earthly cares." In the Anglican tradition, the statement I cited from Archbishop John Tillotson was saying, "Yeah, we don't deny that this is happening, but we...

it goes beyond what we can prove to be dogmatic about it." So I, I think this is a very coherent position to say, "This is totally plausible that the saints and angels in Heaven are praying for us, but we've not been given detailed instruction about this.

We need to be careful not to speculate or go beyond what we know.

In the Apology of the Augsburg Confession in the Lutheran tradition, quote, concerning the saints we concede that in heaven they pray for the church in general.

In the Reformed tradition, Zacharias Ursinus put it like this, quote, we readily grant that the saints in heaven do ardently desire the salvation of the church militant and that their prayers are heard according to the counsels of God, but that the saints know the misfortunes and business of everyone in particular and that they hear the prayers which may be addressed to them we deny.

John Calvin, in the Reformed tradition, said something similar.

Later in the Anglican tradition, Archbishop John Tillotson, quote, that are here on earth, because they may do so for anything we know, but that they do so is more than can be proved.

The Institutes are an influence, and there were some other catechisms that are truly obscure, that unless you study the source-critical background of Heidelberg, you would never have heard of them.

But Erstein has learned one of those by a fellow named Moibanus when he was a boy.

And so he drew from that.

So he drew from a number of important catechisms and other documents and really fashioned something that worked on a rhetorical level, which is an important part of the catechism, The Catechism is particularly well-written, and so it's memorable in that way.

So God endowed him with spiritual gifts and endowed him in creation with you know, concomitant with his creation, not a second blessing, if you will, not a, what the medieval theologians called a donum super additum.

It wasn't a, even though Thomas uses that language, and I actually think that Thomas isn't far from what we're saying, but there's another Latin phrase that I think captures what the Belgic is saying, and I think what Ursinus said, and also I think what maybe Thomas is actually intending to say, and that is donum super That's part of what gets you into the weeds because it's the Franciscans who will really run with this particular understanding of donum super additum, a super added gift.

At any rate, and they're going to do things with it that I think are not very helpful.

In this case, I think we're thinking about, in the frame of reference, is a donum concreatum.

So we're created in righteousness and true holiness with the intent that we might rightly know God, our creator, heartily love him and live with him in eternal blessedness to praise him.

and glorify him.

So Adam had, by creation, everything he needed in order to fulfill what the Belgic Confession calls the commandment of life, what Zacharias or Sinus called in this same period, the covenant of nature.

This is from his larger catechism, which is usually dated about 1561-62.

What does God require in the Fourth Commandment? And the answer is, in the first place, God wills that the ministry of the gospel and schools be maintained.

And schools there has, according to Zacharias or Sinus, who's the principal author of the Heidelberg Catechism, has reference to the education of men for ministry.

And that I, especially on the day of rest, diligently attend church regularly.

to learn the word of God, to use the holy sacraments, to call publicly upon the Lord, and to give Christian alms.

He also mentions an act of consolation and comfort that arises from possession of Christ, but he says this seventh act is not, strictly speaking, part of the essence of faith.

Ursinus, principal author of the Heidelberg Catechism, says...

The act which belongs to faith is to apprehend and apply to itself the righteousness of Christ.

Faith is nothing else than the acceptance itself or the apprehension of the merits of Christ.

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The Heidelberg Catechism by Zacharias Ursinus and Kaspar Olivianus.

Section 1.

Note, this catechism is fully based on the Scriptures.

A.

A.

2 Corinthians 1.20, 2 Timothy 2.13 End of Section 3 End of The Heidelberg Catechism by Zacharias Ursinus and Kaspar Olivianus