John Brown of Haddington

Thursday, 24 June 2010 The Nativity of St. John the Baptist Community Chapter Sermon (Fr. Donald) for the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John Baptist. The Baptist: Nativity, John in the Desert, Beheading, Precursor, Herald, Great of all the Prophets. John’s Dad, Zachary, already was an expert in the Scriptures. How much was John the Baptist to learn of the Scriptures? Where are his writings? Were any scrolls or manuscripts to find in his cave in the wilderness? This morning I checked our Library (or making of a Library) and found at least two copies of the large bible of John Brown of Haddington The story of John Brown of Haddington is told to students by Greek grammarian A. T. Robertson. “At the age of sixteen John Brown, of Haddington, startled a bookseller by asking for a copy of the Greek Testament. He was barefooted and clad in ragged homespun clothes. He was a shepherd boy from the hills of Scotland. "What would you do with that book?" a professor scornfully asked. "I'll try to read it," the lad replied, and proceeded to read off a passage in the Gospel of John. He went off in triumph with the coveted prize, but the story spread that he was a wizard and had learned Greek by the black art. He was actually arraigned for witchcraft, but in 1746 the elders and deacons at Abernethy gave him a vote of acquittal, although the minister would not sign it. His letter of defence, Sir W. Robertson Nicoll says (The British Weekly, Oct. 3, 1918), "deserves to be reckoned among the memorable letters of the world." John Brown became a divinity student and finally professor of divinity. He had taught himself Greek while herding his sheep, and he did it without a grammar. Surely young John Brown of Haddington should forever put to shame those theological students and busy pastors who neglect the Greek Testament, though teacher, grammar, lexicon are at their disposal. ” This story is quoted from one of countless Online digital accessible sites – very strong in courses on Bible and Bible Greek. Come back to John the Baptist, we certainly know that John was articulate, he was passionate, he was eloquent. But there is no word of John, just as no word from Jesus, is known of their writing down. Yet we now have the boundless resources on the Scriptures. To take a very small example of something very usable. To hand, is an Online New Testament HARMONY. A quick glance shows the HARMONY as of rows and columns. Roughly speaking there is a large section of the Synoptic Gospels in common. In contrast the Infancy in St Luke is mostly on its own column. On the other hand, St John finds himself in his own column. Now hardly scratching the surface of available digital assets. From that view of point, the HARMONY gives us the amazing bedspread patchwork of openings, clues, cues, quotes, references of Jesus and also of John the Baptist (even if more brief). The immersion experience in the Scriptures of Jesus and John Baptist transforms the opposite, to the un-immersion, to the emergence of deepest grasp of the Jesus links, and like those of John Baptist. Familiarity of the Gospels is described as the balance and competence of Scriptures in Head, Heart and Hands: - the HEAD of study and learning of the Sacred Books, - the HEART responding to the Holy Spirit, - - the HANDS applied to life and action. Does that not sound like the LECTIO VINA of monastic daily practice. May the Solemnity of John Baptist today serve as the springboard of head and heart and hands in the spirit of John the Baptist, head of prophet preaching, heart of passionate loving, hands in baptising. Icons are the popular subject of Icons of the Birth, Baptising and Beheading of the Baptist and are more as caricatures of single channel sight than the word. It is very different to go with the flowing of the word in the Scriptures. John’s conversation and teaching was the first formation of his disciples. Herod is known to go down to the jail to quiz John in that kind of exchange about theScriptures. John’s life and vocation fills more complete Videos and Audios of the Greatest of the Prophets – by definition his life is prophecy. More specifically, regarding the Nativity of Saint John of the Baptist. The interesting fact is that this Feast is one of only three Feasts that commemorate birthdays, the other two being the birthday of Jesus on 25 December, and that of Our Lady on 8 September. And what do all three have in common? They were all three born without original sin! Our Lord and Lady were both, of course, conceived without sin, but St. John the Baptist, though not conceived in this way, was filled with grace in the womb of his mother, the aged and barren Elizabeth, and so was born without original sin. This is evident by his recognizing the Savior even in the womb, and by the Angel's words to his father, the priest Zachary (Zacharias) who went to the Temple to pray that his wife should conceive: Luke 1:13-15 But the angel said to him: Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard: and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son. And thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness: and many shall rejoice in his nativity. For he shall be great before the Lord and shall drink no wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. Earlier, Mary; (Luke 1:26, 28, 31, 36, 39-41, 56, 57 ...And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb.) This Feast follows the Feast of the Annunciation by 3 months and precedes the birth of Christ by six months. It is providential that the Feast of "the Forerunner, "the greatest of all Prophets, should fall at Midsummer, around the Summer Solstice when the days become shorter, because of his words in John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." It is the longest day of the year, and from here on out, the days grow shorter and shorter. Conversely, Our Lord, the "Radiant Dawn," was born at the Winter Solstice, when the days were becoming longer! If you listened so far there may seem some problem. In fact the question arises – at least to my mind. An article had this note "A Voice Crying Out in the Widerness June 24 is the Feast of the Birth of John the Baptist, the cousin of Christ who leapt in his mother Elizabeth's womb when the Virgin Mary came to visit her. Traditionally, Catholics have seen John the Baptist's leap as a type of Baptism, and thus believe that he is one of only three people born without Original Sin--Christ Himself and the Blessed Virgin being the other two. Among Comments June 23, 2009 at 3:09 pm (3) Tina says: I have never heard that Catholic dogma includes John the Baptist as being free from original sin – can you provide any authority for that? Reply: June 23, 2009 at 3:14 pm (4) Scott P. … says: Tina, check the article on John the Baptist in the Catholic Encyclopedia. Here’s the relevant section: Now during the sixth month, the Annunciation had taken place, and, as Mary had heard from the angel the fact of her cousin’s conceiving, she went “with haste” to congratulate her. “And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant” — filled, like the mother, with the Holy Ghost — “leaped for joy in her womb”, as if to acknowledge the presence of his Lord. Then was accomplished the prophetic utterance of the angel that the child should “be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother’s womb”. Now as the presence of any sin whatever is incompatible with the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the soul, it follows that at this moment John was cleansed from the stain of original sin. It’s important to note that he wasn’t “free of original sin” in the sense that Mary and Jesus were. He wasn’t conceived without Original Sin; rather, he was cleansed of Original Sin before his birth. Later: June 27, 2009 at 8:12 am (5) Maureen says: I don’t understand original sin. Didn’t Jesus die for all of our sins? A couple dropped in this evening and posed the question. The woman, a senior Hospital Nurse, thought about it and shed light on it so brightly on the truth of the Sacrament of Baptism cleanses us of Original Sin. That kind of reminder is not unlike the shock of John Baptist’s leap in the womb. Just looking for the Mass tomorrow I was surprised to find out that it is the name of John of the Baptist is at the top of the second list of Saints in the Roman Eucharistic Canon. In fact in the old Andrew Missal says “John, Stephen, Matthew, Barnabas etc. Everyone else seems to know but I don’t’ remember adverting to John the Baptist. The Vat II Missal now makes it clear. At this Mass I will be fully mindful of Saint John the Baptist.