Dear Friends in Faith,
    Bill Penn has been donating his “Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture” to us here at S.A.F. It lets us peer into the past to see just how far off the mark the “fathers” went so soon after Paul left the scene. For instance, concerning Romans 5:18 in bold type it states: “No Universal Acquittal.” Then it quotes from a Latin writer named “Ambrosiaster,” who is thought to have written about 375 AD: “Some people think that because the condemnation was universal, the acquittal will also be universal. But this is not so, because not everyone believes. Commentary on Paul’s Epistles.” It is good, however, to see that “some people” at that time still believed the truth of this verse. Augustine, who was born in the year 354 and died in the year 430 wrote: “There are a majority (imo quam plurimi) who though not denying the Holy Scriptures, do not believe in endless torments (Enchiridion, 112).” The “some” Ambrosiaster alluded to were seen by Augustine as “very many,” even “the majority.”
    Ambrosiaster (and Augustine) tried to limit the “all mankind” in this verse. But another writer from this period, Diodore of Tarsus, was more in accord with Paul’s words when he summed up Romans 5:18,19, as follows: “Thus obedience overcame disobedience and the worse was condemned by the better” (Pauline Commentary from the Greek Church).
    R. F. will be speaking at the Glenn Acres Baptist Church in Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario Saturday, May 11 (contact Harry Watts. It will be well worth the effort to hear R.
    The Willard (Ohio) Conference will be held this year on June 7-9, hosted by J. P..
    Another book, testifying to the truth of universal salvation, Parables of Peanuts, by Robert Short, has recently been reprinted by Harper and Row.
    Anyone interested in the “Concordant” Bible study in the Wilmore, Kentucky area should contact Bob Evely, 307 Walnut St., Wilmore, KY 40390.
    Tony Nungesser will be helping out at the Concordant Publishing Concern In Santa Clarita, California, for three weeks in early May. This means we probably will have to wait until he returns here before sending out this letter to all those on our mailing list. He will be able to receive e-mail as usual.
Charles Johnson from Grand Rapids reports that his sister, Dorothy Hibberd, continues to weaken physically but appears to enjoy hearing the Scriptures read to her. She and her family appreciate your prayers.

Yours in His Grace,
Dean Hough and Tony Nungesser