January 22
304: (probable date) Martyrdom of Vincent of Saragossa, Spain’s first known martyr.
1522: Martin Luther, the German Reformer, stated in a letter: ‘Love cares for the problems of others as if they were one’s own.’
1623: Burial of the Russian ascetic St. Macarius at Zhabyn, who is said to have performed great miracles.
1843: Birth of Friedrich Wilhelm Blass, the well known German biblical philologist. His work ‘Grammar of New Testament Greek’ published in 1896 became a foundational work in New Testament studies. Astonishingly, it is still in print.
1855: Birth of Carrie Ellis Breck, American Presbyterian poet, whose verses later became hymns, including “Help Somebody Today” and “Face to Face with Christ My Savior.”
1867: Consecration of Ambatonakanga Memorial Church in Madagascar in remembrance of the Christians martyred under queen Ranavalona.
1876: Death of John Dykes, the author of some well-known hymn tunes, two of which are sung even today: “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee.”
1882: The Presbyterian Church of Troy in New York became the first church in America to be illuminated by electric lighting.
1915: Death of hymnwriter Anna Bartlett Warner, who became popular with her hymn for the children “Jesus Loves Me.”
1918: Death of Mary Haughton Brown, a Baptist teacher and hymn-writer. Her most famous hymn was “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go.”
1936: Death of Liang Xiaochu, one of the most influential Chinese Christian leaders in the early 20th century.
1949: Death of John Roberts, Episcopal priest and missionary to the Shoshone and Arapahoe Indians on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. He was well known for his efforts to preserve the culture and languages of the tribes. He also translated the Bible into two Indian languages namely, Arapaho and Shoshone.
1963: Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth asserts in a letter: ‘In Jesus Christ, God and man…are already at peace – not as enemies but as true companions. In Him salvation is already present and at work.’
1973: The United States Supreme Court approves the Roe v. Wade decision to permit abortion even in cases where the mother’s life is not in danger, disappointing many Christian groups
Edited by: T. Chempilayil mcbs
Courtesy: www.studylight.org