1105 - Death of Rashi (b.1040), medieval Jewish Bible scholar. His name is a Hebrewacrostic for Rabbi Shelomoh ben Isaac. Rashi was the leading rabbinic commentator in hisday on the Old Testament and Talmud.
1769 - Birth of Thomas Kelly, Irish Episcopal clergyman and author of 765 hymns, including 'Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him.'
1778 - Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'It is perhaps the highest triumph we can obtain over bigotry when we are able to bear with bigots themselves.'
1815 - President John Adams wrote in a letter: 'The Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation. If I were an atheist,... I should still believe fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations.'
1886 - Birth of Father Edward Flanagan, American Catholic parish priest. Believing therewas 'no such thing as a bad boy,' in 1922 he organized Boys Town near Omaha, Nebraska.
© 1987-2009, William D. Blake. Used by permission of the author, from Almanac of the Christian Church
