Thursday, February 26, 2009

"Rabbi" Duncan


Today is the 139th anniversary of the death of John "Rabbi" Duncan. Now Duncan was not a Rabbi. Rather, he was a Scottish minister who did missions work among the Jews in Hungary. But he was so good with the Hebrew language that people started calling him "Rabbi."  Over the years, Duncan has become well-known for his "aphorisms" (a succinct statement that expresses a truth or opinion). Here are some of them...

On Wesley's Hymns: "I have a great liking for many of Wesley's hymns, but when I read some of them, I ask, 'What's become of your free-will now, friend?'"

On Genius: "Genius lies very much in that region where the profound is simple, and the simple profound. The great thoughts of such men as Chalmers are very simple when expressed; but only a man of genius could think them."

On Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism: "Hyper-Calvinism is all house and no door; Arminianism is all door and no house."

On Aesthetic Religion: "There is no entering into the kingdom of heaven by a mere sense of beauty."

Many, many more of these can be found in the book, "Just a Talker," which can be purchased here.

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