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MAY

 19, 1848 --New Jersey. Ashbel Green dies. He has drafted the constitution for Princeton Theological Seminary of which he was one of the originators. He has taken a strong stand in favor of the Old School party and is credited with playing a principal role in the disruption of 1837.
      He has served as chaplain to Congress for eight years and has edited the Christian Advocate for twenty-nine years.

19, 1864 --New Hampshire. While visiting New Hampshire with his Bowdoin College classmate, President Franklin Pierce, Nathaniel Hawthorne dies. The puritan setting that often characterized his works was the setting in which his forefathers had lived. Among his most famous works are his Scarlet Letter, The House of Seven Gables, and an allegory upon life, The Celestial Railroad.

19, 1941 --At Sea. Ralph Hult, a Lutheran minister, was the first missionary to Tanzania. During World War II, German Lutherans had to leave the country and he went home to Missouri. But feeling the urgency of returning to the field, he has left his family and has taken a ship on way to the Dark Continent. Today, German raiders sink the ship on which he is sailing, the “ZamZam”, in mid-ocean. German ships will pick up Mr. Hult and after returning to New York he will immediately book passage on another ship.

20, 325 --Turkey. The Council of Nicea convenes in the imperial palace and will prove to be the greatest of the Eastern Church councils. It has been called by the Emperor Constantine and will settle the Trinity and Easter questions.

20, 1506 --Spain. It is Ascension Day, and Christopher Columbus prays, “Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit,” and dies. His name, “Christopher” means “Christ-Bearer” and such he has felt to be his purpose in life.
      On his first voyage, he conducted Vespers at sundown aboard ship, offering both prayers and the preaching of the Scriptures. He has lead his men in reciting the Apostle’s Creed.
     On his fourth voyage, he asked for clergy to help him “in the name of the Lord Jesus to spread His name and Gospel everywhere.” He has asked to personally choose these men.
      Contrary to the present-day belief, he was not a gold-seeker since he was content to receive a modest ten-percent of his returns. Nor, was he a glory-seeker evidenced by the fact that when he alighted from his ship on an island in the new world, he named it “San Salvador”, “Holy Saviour.”
      In the only book he has written, his Book of Prophecies, he has stated, “I am a most unworthy sinner, but I have cried out to the Lord for grace and mercy: they have covered me completely. I have found the sweetest consolation since I made it my whole purpose to enjoy His marvelous presence.”

20, 1521 --Spain. In the Battle of Pampeluna, Ignatius Loyola is severely wounded. Since he is from a knightly family, he is taken to his father’s castle where for months he is an invalid. At this time of suffering he receives a life of Christ and legends of the saints. As a result, when he recovers, he will exchange his clothing with a beggar and upon visiting the Dominican monastery of Montserrat, he will hang his military accoutrements before an image of the Virgin Mary on March 25, 1522.
     He will become the founder of the “Society of Jesus”, otherwise known as the “Jesuits”. His book Spiritual Exercises is the rulebook of the Society.
 

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