T. Mayes' Home Page

Page updated last on January 30, 2008.

Index

Baier's Compendium

Cyril of Alexandria

Murphysboro Centuries

Greek (Ruddick's textbook)

Latin (Kalendar, proverbs etc.)

A very short bio of me

Baier's Compendium

Dr. Robert Preus, in his The Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism said this about John William Baier:

"John William Baier (1647-95) studied at Jena, where he came under the influence of John Musaeus, who later became his father-in-law. He was called as professor at the University of Jena and later at Halle, where he did not always get along very peaceably with the pietists. However, like many of the later orthodox Lutherans, he was somewhat affected by Pietism. Baier is known primarily for one book, his Compendium Theologiae Positivae (1685). While demonstrating that the Jena theology was not syncretistic but orthodox, this work, which on every page leans on Musaeus, is not wholly free from the latter's synergism. Baier's presentation and formulations are very scholastic and indicate a decline in the forcefulness of orthodox Lutheran dogmatics. His theological shorthand, although precise, becomes so abbreviated at times as to be quite bewildering to one who has not read in other theologians of that day. Nevertheless, because of its clarity and convenient size the book was used in many schools and was re-edited in Germany and America in the 19th. century."

Apparently from the beginning of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Baier's Compendium of Positive Theology was used as the basic dogmatic textbook, primarily because it was easy to find. John William Bauer (1647-1695) had been professor at the University of Jena and the University of Halle. Although he wrote a number of other books entitled Compendium (one of historical theology and one of exegetical theology), his Compendium of Positive Theology is his best known work.

In 1865, Dr. C. F. W. Walther wrote that he had been persuaded to try and write his own dogmatic textbook, but this, unfortunately, never happened. Instead, synodical president H. C. Schwan "compelled" Walther to publish an edition of Baier's Compendium that would include "annotatioins," and that edition began coming off the press in May 1879. Besides correcting the publishing errors of earlier editions, Walther included copious quotations from sixteenth- and seventeenth-century theologians as elaborations on Baier's terse comments. In this translation, the major loci and footnotes to them are from Baier. The interspersed quotations from Luther, Chemnitz, Gerhardt, et. al., were added to this edition of Baier by Walther.

I began translating it in 1996, took time out for a Ph.D. program, and a move to a different parish. I am back to translating it again. The section (3-14) on the public ministry has been completed, and I am now working on the section (3-13) on the church.

• Prolegomena
  1. On the nature and definition of theology (loci)
  2. On the principle of revealed theology, or on sacred Scripture. (loci)
• Part 1
  1. On God (loci)
  2. On Creation (loci)
  3. On Angels (loci)
  4. On the image of God collected in the first creation of humans (loci)
  5. On the providence of God (loci)
  6. On eternal blessedness (loci)
  7. On death or eternal damnation (loci)
  8. On temporal death (loci)
  9. On the resurrection of the dead (loci)
  10. On the last judgment and the end of the world (loci)
• Part 2
  1. On Sin in general (loci)
  2. On original sin (loci)
  3. On actual sins (loci)
• Part 3
  1. On the grace of God towards fallen humans, the first principle of our salvation (loci)
  2. About Christ, the principal and foundation of our salvation (loci)
     1. On the person of Christ (loci)
     2. On the states of humiliation and exaltation (loci)
     3. On the office of Christ (loci)
  3. On faith in Christ (loci)
  4. On regeneration and conversion (loci)
  5. On Justification (loci)
  6. On renewal and good works (loci)
  7. On the word of law and gospel (loci)
  8. On the sacraments in general (loci)
  9. On the sacraments of the Old Testament (loci)
  10. On baptism (loci)
  11. On the holy supper (loci)
  12. On predestination and reprobation (loci)
      • Appendix to the preceding chapter On predestination, by which is discussed about the inscription in the book of life (loci)
  13. On the church (loci)
  14. On the ecclesiastical ministry (complete)
  15. On the political magistrates (loci)
  16. About the domestic state and society, and especially the state of marriage, parents, and masters (loci)

If you would like to own your own reprint of the Baier-Walther volumes, please order them from Emmanuel Press.

Patristics

This link takes you to my Cyril of Alexandria page where you will find public domain English translations of Cyril that you can download.

Cyril of Alexandria

The Murphysboro Centuries

For those of you who know of the Magdburg Centuries, my apologies for the slight pun. These pages are my handout notes for some of my students. Taking the Christian Era century by century, you are able to look at the major events both in the secular world and the sacred (as well as philosophical) world. I have also included some public domain primary sources that hopefully will give you a far better taste of what actually was going on. Please note that these are my notes and opinions - you might have your own opinion of some historical persons or events.

• 1st Century Secular
• 1st Century Sacred
• 2nd Century Secular
• 2nd Century Sacred
• 3rd Century Secular
• 3rd Century Sacred
• 4th Century Secular
• 4th Century Sacred
• 5th Century Secular
• 5th Century Sacred
• 6th Century Secular
• 6th Century Sacred
• 7th Century Secular
• 7th Century Sacred
• 8th Century Secular
• 8th Century Sacred
• 9th Century Secular
• 9th Century Sacred
• 10th Century Secular
• 10th Century Sacred
• 11th Century Secular
• 11th Century Sacred
• 12th Century Secular
• 12th Century Sacred
• 13th Century Secular
• 13th Century Sacred
• 14th Century SecularA
• 14th Century Sacred
• 15th Century Secular
• 15th Century Sacred
• 16th Century Secular
• 16th Century Sacred
• 17th Century Secular
• 17th Century Sacred
• 18th Century Secular
• 18th Century Sacred
• 19th Century Secular
• 19th Century Sacred
• 20th Century Secular
• 20th Century Sacred

  [Note - the 20th century files have no primary sources in them because so little material from the 20th century is public domain at this time.]

If you are interested in other public domain primary sources, please try the following, all at Fordham University.

Ancient History Sourcebook

Medieval History Sourcebook

Modern History Sourcebook

Greek

• A First Greek Book by C.T.Ruddick Jr. (A Greek textbook I was "given" - see the preface - an ongoing task that I hope to post more of soon.)
  • Preface to the book
  • Table of Contents
  • Chapter 1
  • Chapter 2
  • Chapter 3

Latin

• The award winning Roman Kalendar page
• The 750 Most Common English Words and their Latin Equivalents
• Latin Proverbs with interpretation
• Latin Proverbs

My Biographical Information

In a conversation recently, it was pointed out to me that often there's information on the net, but you really don't know who it's from, or who's responsible for it. For that reason, here is a little biographical information for you, so that you can know who has provided the content.

Theodore (Ted) Earl Mayes, b. 1950 B.A. cum laud, M.Div., S.T.M., (Ph.D.-ABD)

Ordained pastor, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

Pastor, Immanuel Lutheran Church and School, Murphysboro, IL.

Feci quod potui; faciant meliore potentes.