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Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. Well great is the mystery, but it wasn't without controversy, was it?
Oh, you're so right. Yes, yes. I mean Messiah is a repost to the rising tide of scepticism, scientific discoveries, enlightenment philosophy, ethical rationalism, the sundering of church and state. These were all issues at Jennens's time which made devout Christians like him feel the fabric of life has been destroyed. Messiah states that the Christian creed, the Anglican creed is valid, and especially the mystery of it. Churchmen were responding to rational enlightenment philosophy on its own terms with reason. Jennens is saying very boldly, "No, no. That's the wrong thing to do. Faith is a mystery and we should say so, and not be ashamed of it." And so you're right. When he says "Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness." Oh, yes. There was controversy. In fact, occupying more column inches than anything else in the papers, only Jennens had the inspiration to see that a statement of faith riding as it were on Handel's music would be more effective than any number of sermons or tracts. Messiah has survived with Handel's music when all these sermons and tracts are long forgotten.
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发表于 2016-7-10 18:17:38