As this edition of TBP goes to print we are well into Advent and that great feast of Christmas approaches.
In my own research I am finishing off volume two of my ambitious series, Old Testament Origins and the Question of God, titled Moses and the Victory of Yahweh. In this series I am having a look at what happens to study of the Old Testament if we take God and divine action seriously. To many readers this may sound obvious but a legacy of the enlightenment and modernity is that such an approach is largely taboo in mainstream Old Testament studies.
One thing that has struck me is that whereas in the Pentateuch we constantly find references to God speaking, it is rare to find this in the New Testament. Of course, in the New Testament God speaks in and through Christ, and this Advent we wait again to welcome the Word made flesh. In his rich three volume commentary on Matthew, which I highly recommend, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis reflects on this phenomenon in relation to the Transfiguration narrative in Matthew 17:1-7. He says of Matthew 17:5 that “The Father’s speech here and at 3:17 is almost identical. Once again we hear the only thing that the Father is ever recorded as saying in the New Testament: ‘This is my beloved Son.’ For Jesus is the only thing the Father ever has to say to us.”[1] Of course the Father says a bit more, like “listen to him”, but the point is well taken. This Advent we are invited again to attend to the Christ event, to marvel at the open heaven, and to listen to him.
The Chesterton Mill in Cambridge has been a marvellous place to have our office. The architect did superb work in repurposing the Mill property for a whole range of small and larger enterprises. We are the only academic outfit based there, in the oasis of calm and peace that is the Chesterton Mill. Reader should note that with Otto now part time as he prepares to begin his doctoral studies, and with me living in March, some 30 miles outside of Cambridge, from the end of February we will be placing our office in storage while we wait for a very generous bequest to come through and begin discussions among our trustees about the possibility of the Director relocating to or near Cambridge. We are in good shape but it is simply not good use of our funds to rent an office which we are not using regularly. Because we were born during the pandemic, we became virtual and global overnight but need to become deeply embedded in Cambridge itself. For this to happen it is important that the Director live in or near Cambridge so that he can easily attend events, meet with people, entertain, etc.
However, do not think that we have not made good use of our office. When Otto was full time he worked from there, I often have meetings there, it was the base for our conference in 2024, and very recently we hosted a wonderful event called “Philosophy in Full Colour” in partnership with our friends at Thinking Faith Network.
During the 20th century and on into our own time there has been a truly remarkable renaissance of Christian philosophy, and in the continental tradition a major development has been the Reformational philosophy of Herman Dooyeweerd, Dirk Vollenhoven, Calvin Seerveld – celebrated in this edition of TBP – and many others. For some time now there has been a need for an up-to-date introduction to Dooyeweerd’s philosophy, and the main reason for our gathering was to celebrate the publication of the English translation of Maarten Verkerk, Gerrit Glas and Suzan Sierksma-Agteres’s, The Intellectual Legacy of Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-1977): A Hopeful Philosophy for Our Time (Amsterdam University Press, 2025). Courtesy of Thinking Faith Network’s generous sponsorship we were able to host a marvellous afternoon and evening mini-conference in the common room at the Chesterton Mill. The event was very well attended with virtual input from people around the world, rich input was provided by the speakers and we had live music and a great buffet style meal. Do look out for the announcement of the recordings in one of our weekly newsletters.
Several of our Dutch colleagues joined us for the event, making it very special indeed. We also marked the publication of the English version of Roel Kuiper’s The Antirevolutionary: Life and Works of Groen van Prinsterer (1801-1876). Groen is an important figure in his own right and also an important influence on Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck. I interviewed Roel about the book, a fascinating conversation.
In January KLC turns 5! A great deal has been achieved in this time and recently at Society of Biblical Literature in Boston our Scripture Collective hosted four seminars and an amazing Annual Meal, booked to capacity at 90 people. Our Missional Hub also recently hosted a consultation in Toronto with some 36 people in attendance, organised and hosted by Cas Monaco.
As we celebrate our fifth birthday we are launching a fundraising campaign to increase the number of small, monthly donors towards our work. We covet your prayers, support and partnership in our work, and, if you are not already, we invite you to consider becoming one of our monthly – however small – donors. Such support provides an important baseline for our work as we move into the next five years of our first decade. You can find all the information you need on our website.
Wishing you and your families a blessed Christmas and Christ-filled 2026.
Craig Bartholomew is the Director of KLC.
[1] Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Matthew, volume 2. (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2003), 555.