Zachary Purvis
Zachary Purvis (MAHT, Westminster Seminary California; DPhil, University of Oxford) teaches church history and theology at Edinburgh Theological Seminary.
All Content by Zachary Purvis
Bible on the Bosporus: Reformation Europe and the Orthodox Church
In 1638, Cyril Lucaris, Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, was arrested and convicted of treason by high-ranking Ottoman officials. Grimly, he died at the hands of the Janissaries, the elite infantry units that formed the Sultan’s army, who strangled him and pitched his body into […]
Baptism and the Great Flood Prayer
In 1523, Martin Luther translated the baptismal form out of Latin and into German. He presented the product of his labor, the *Baptismal Booklet *(or *Taufbüchlein*), for use in the church. Suddenly, Reformation liturgy became intelligible. […]
Floating Church, Free Church: Naval Policies in the Long Reformation
I’m telling you: Everything on Ardnamurchan Peninsula is dramatic and remote. The most westerly point of mainland Britain, perched on Scotland’s coast, has seemingly eluded time. Vast moorlands, deserted beaches, fjord-like lochs compete only with otters, whales, and white-tailed sea eagles for the attention of guests at romantic isolated inns such as Kilcamb Lodge Hotel. […]
Shipments and Mis-shipments from the Dutch Golden Age
Ships that fail to reach their destination cause trouble. For six days in March 2021, the container ship *Ever Given*—more “sideways skyscraper than boat”—got stuck in the Suez Canal, scotched the global movement of goods, and froze nearly $10 billion in trade daily. We know this lesson well […]
Fish and Ships: Reformed Mission Brazil
In 1556, Jean de Léry sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, the “abyss of water that is the Western Sea.” When he saw giant porpoises, sea turtles, and flying fish—just a few of the marvels and terrors he witnessed—he remembered Psalm 104:25–26: “The sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small. […]
