July 9
1228: Demise of Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was responsible for the original division of the Bible into chapters in the late 1100s.
1598: Francisco Tello, the Spanish governor of the Philippines, publishes a report on the state of Christian missions in the islands, which showed the number and distribution of Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits; he also lists the schools they have established for training priests and for Christianizing the “Indians.” The report appealed for more religious workers to reap “a great harvest.”
1746: George Frederick Handel begins writing the oratorio Judas Maccabaeus. He completed it in just thirty-two days.
1766: Demise of Boston preacher Jonathan Mayhew, who was a controversial figure because of holding the Arminian “free will” theology in a largely Calvinist culture. His view on the Godhead was the precursory to Unitarianism. Supporting his personal liberty, he opposed the unpopular Stamp Act imposed by Britain on the colonies; Mayhew also coined the slogan “No taxation without representation.”
1771: Michael Paknanas, who refused to deny Christianity and to embrace Islam, is beheaded at the site of the ancient temple of Olympian Zeus.
1838: Birth of Philip P. Bliss, American gospel singer and songwriter, best-remembered for the hymns including “Wonderful Words of Life,” “It is Well with My Soul” and “Let theLower Lights Be Burning.”
1843: Birth of Ralph E. Hudson, author of the most enduring hymns “At the Cross” and “Blessed Be the Name.”
1896: Birth of William Cameron Townsend, American missionary and linguist, who established Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) in 1942, the largest evangelical missionary agency in the world.
1927: Demise of hymn-writer Emily May Grimes Crawford, best known for her hymns like “The Master Comes! He Calls for Thee” and “The Quiet Hour.”
1980: In a saddening incident, seven people lost their lives in a stampede in a soccer stadium in Fortaleza, Brazil, during the visit of Pope John Paul II.
Edited by: T. Chempilayil MCBS
Courtesy: www.studylight.org