Touring Princeton University

The third and final day of the Calvin Conference ended on Saturday afternoon.  It was a real treat to attend this unique event!  I got to meet and listen to a segment of the intellectual society which I normally don't relate to.  It was a very intellectually stimulating atmosphere and the discussions we had were very profitable.

Here are some of the pictures (with my comments as well :) from the last day!

The room Cody and I shared

Conference attendees

Pastor Serven speaking with one of the doctoral students

Lunch with academics (everyone at the table had a Doctorate degree except Cody and I)

 After lunch, with the Calvin Colloquium being concluded, Pastor Serven, Cody, and I took a walk all around the surrounding area about Princeton Theological Seminary.  The following photos were taken during our walk.

Beautiful Episcopalian Church

Stained glass window

Princeton University arch

 Princeton University is located just one block down from the Seminary.  The University is significantly larger than the Seminary but the architecture is very similar.

University Lab

Cathedral!

 Visiting this cathedral on the University campus was a real treat!  It is one of the largest cathedrals in the whole North American continent and it is a testament to the impressive and awe-inspiring grandeur of Gothic/medieval art and architecture.  This was one of the unforgettable moments during our trip to Princeton!

The sanctuary from the entrance

Plaque inside the sanctuary

Pipe Organ!!!!

 Because it was Saturday afternoon, the church organist was practicing the hymns and worship music he would be playing the following morning.  That added to the already incredible experience.  Hearing the enrapturing and grand organ music filling the room, seeing the light shining through the stain-glass windows, and just contemplating the surroundings was a rare delight!

The altar at the front

The pulpit

Examiner Cody Winton

Small side chapel for smaller services

It was surprising dim inside the building

Along the walls of the sanctuary

 This was hanging on one of the walls inside the cathedral sanctuary.  Personally, I thought this statue was a little creepy and I'm not sure who it is supposed to represent.

 This beautiful tapestry was hanging in one of the side rooms

University building

Almost looks like a castle!

This plaque was on the Seminary grounds, commemorating the sacrifice of martyrs from Princeton Theological Seminary

Once we had seen everything we needed to see at Princeton, we left to rejoin the Serven family in Pennsylvania.  They were visiting Valley Forge, which Cody and I got to visit a little bit as well.
 

Lydia Serven, Sarah Serven, and Cody

Monument to the New Jersey brigade

Joel Serven inspects the inscription

The indomitable Continental soldier!

 I hope everyone enjoyed my photos from the Calvin Conference!  Lord willing, I will be posting pictures from the Heroes, History, & Hope Tour over the next few days, as we learn about our spiritual heritage in Princeton, NJ and Plymouth, MA.

Day Two at the Calvin Conference!

Continuing the posts about my time at Princeton Theological Seminary for the 2013 Calvin Studies Society Colloquium, here are some pictures and my commentary from Day 2!

Enjoy!

Princeton banner

The entrance to the seminary grounds

Talking while in the meal line

Hodge Hall

The salad bar

 The School of Christian Vocation and Mission Building was where the Calvin Studies Society met for their 2013 Colloquium.  This is also the building where Cody Winton, Pastor Serven, and I stayed in.

The moderator

Under construction

 Princeton Theological Seminary's Library was in need of some major repairs and renovations.  The contractors that were brought on the job informed the Seminary that it would cost them the same amount of money to build a new library as it would to repair the old.   The new library is a very impressive building, even though its unfinished.

One of the doctoral students

One of the doctoral students who was part of the Society presented his doctoral thesis, which was entitled, "A Home for the Book: Reconsidering Domestical Bible Reading in Reformation Geneva".  It was a fascinating thesis as he laid out the Consistory records of two men who were admonished for the lack of spiritual teaching and Scripture reading in their respective homes.  This doctoral student, Mr. Ezra Plank, also explained how many times the Company of Pastors in Geneva advised families to purchase a Bible for their home.  I enjoyed the opportunity to be reminded that it is quite a luxury to have a Bible of my own, and to be able to buy another so easily.

Rev. Dr. Charles Hodge

The pictures that follow are from our afternoon break, when we were allowed to visit a rare book display on the Princeton Seminary campus.  It was a fascinating experience as we were able to inspect books, manuscripts, notes, and pamphlets of documents that were both extremely old and also incredibly rare treasures from Church history!

Hand-written notes from Dr. Miller himself

Dr, Hodge's notes on Turretin's Eclectic Theology

Francis Turretin's Eclectic Theology

 Francis Turretin's Eclectic Theology in Latin was one of the standard textbooks at Princeton Theological Seminary for many, many years and was only replaced by Charles Hodge's Systematic Theology in the late 19th century.  Turretin was a European theologian who lived from 1623-1687 and was a direct recipient of the teaching and discipleship of men like Theodore Beza.

Turretin's Eclectic Theology is not a quick read :)

Erasmus' translation of the New Testament

Nimrod building the Tower of Babel

Just one of the many amazing artifacts from this rare documents display was an illustrated German Bible from the 1400's.  This picture above and below were taken from Genesis 11, which details the account of the construction of the Tower of Babel.  Our tour guide pointed out that the architect standing next to Nimrod was dressed in Italian fashion.  This was because in Europe, all of the skilled architects either were Italians or they went to Italy to be trained and would return to their home countries of France, England, or Germany wearing Italian clothes.  So, in medieval and Renaissance Europe, being Italian was synonymous with being a great architect!
   

The red spots on the page are candle drippings from many Mass ceremonies

Gathering for a closer look

An incredible treasure!

 The page with the cross was amazing!  As it turned out, the book was from Alexandria and one of the oldest in the room.  The author dedicated the book with these words:

"Unjustly deprived of not a little sweat, O Christ, my God, look at my labors with compassionate eye, and for this fact give me forgiveness, remission of my faults.  For with love do I offer to Thee the ten books, namely the lives and struggles of martyrs and saints; as an old man do I present these, having taken great courage in such great Providence of Thine."

Another artifact which I couldn't get a picture of was one of the original copies of the Westminster Confession and Catechisms!  There were only 500 of these copies made, to be sent to Parliament to be approved, before the Westminster Standards were distributed to the public.
 

One of the reprints of Calvin's response to Cardinal Sadoleto.

Another lecture

 One aspect about conferences that I absolutely love is getting to meet new friends and comrades in the faith.  Below is a picture of two Presbyterian pastors that Cody and I met.  We had many great discussions about Christianity, piety, doctrinal purity, reform in the Church, and seminary training during the afternoon and evening.  It was a real treat to listen to these two pastors who are in the thick of pastoral ministry!

Old and new friends!

 In the evening, the Society hosted a catered banquet for the 2013 Colloquium attendees.  It was a very small, familiar setting, with only about 6 people per table.  Pastor Serven, Cody, and I were able to sit with the two pastors we had met that afternoon.  We had such a great time talking about theology and ecclesiology! One of the questions I was able to ask them was, "How did the Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest and one of the oldest American Presbyterian denominations, slide into doctrinal apostasy?"  As a Presbyterian myself, it is so important to me that I learn the mistakes my spiritual forefathers made, in order that I may avoid repeating history.

Banquet Hall

Cody trying the dessert

 The catered meal was wonderful and it was concluded with a dessert called "Water Ice", which was basically an Italian Popsicle  :)  Cody Winton let us know how it tasted.

Lines out the door!

After a long day of listening to lectures, it was nice to take a walk into town during the cool of the evening.   Even though we had just enjoyed a wonderful meal, we couldn't resist sampling one of the local favorite ice cream parlors: The Thomas Sweet Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop!

 Inside the parlor, they had one of the earliest "Funny Mirrors" from the World Fair.  Cody and I couldn't resist taking a picture or two :)

Stumpy :)

Be on the lookout for tomorrow's post as the Calvin Colloquium concludes!