Anabaptism and the Reformation: Another Look

1960 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans J. Hillerbrand
Keyword(s):  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Political Authority ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Radical Reformation ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The Church

It has by and large been characteristic of the current resurgence of Anabaptist studies to understand the Anabaptist movement as an integral part of the Reformation. Thus the two terms presently used to designate the framework of the radical dissent of the 16th century— Roland H. Bainton's now classic “Left Wing” and, more recently, George H. Williams' “Radical Reformation”—suggest a positive relationship with the mainstream Reformation. There is widespread consensus among scholars, particularly in America, that Anabaptism concurred with the Reformation on the major points of Protestant doctrine and dissented merely on secondary issues, such as baptism, the church, or political authority, around which centered indeed most of the theological polemics between the Anabaptists and the Reformers.

The Political Theory of the Disruption

1916 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold J. Laski
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Political Authority ◽  
The State ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Secular Society ◽  
The One ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Political Principles ◽  
The Church

“Of political principles,” says a distinguished authority, “whether they be those of order or of freedom, we must seek in religious and quasi-theological writings for the highest and most notable expressions.” No one, in truth, will deny the accuracy of this claim for those ages before the Reformation transferred the centre of political authority from church to state. What is too rarely realised is the modernism of those writings in all save form. Just as the medieval state had to fight hard for relief from ecclesiastical trammels, so does its modern exclusiveness throw the burden of a kindred struggle upon its erstwhile rival. The church, intelligibly enough, is compelled to seek the protection of its liberties lest it become no more than the religious department of an otherwise secular society. The main problem, in fact, for the political theorist is still that which lies at the root of medieval conflict. What is the definition of sovereignty? Shall the nature and personality of those groups of which the state is so formidably one be regarded as in its gift to define? Can the state tolerate alongside itself churches which avow themselves societates perfectae, claiming exemption from its jurisdiction even when, as often enough, they traverse the field over which it ploughs? Is the state but one of many, or are those many but parts of itself, the one?

Political Authority and Ecclesiology in Melanchthon's “De Ecclesiae Autoritate”

1996 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Ralph Keen
Keyword(s):  
Political Authority ◽  
Christian Doctrine ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Historical Importance ◽  
The Church

Philip Melanchthon's 1539 treatise On the Authority of the Church and the Writings of the Ancient Fathers (hereafter De ecclesiae autoritate) occupies a prominent place in the canon of his theological writings. Few texts of the Reformation period state so clearly the principles according to which the Fathers and the councils of the church may be considered authentic sources for Christian doctrine. To set the work within the canon of Melanchthon's theological work is not necessarily to say that other genres are not present in it, however. The compartmentalization of a thinker's work, while perhaps heuristically necessary, always risks distortion. The danger is all the more present with regard to an author like Melanchthon, whose intellectual interests were broad and whose historical importance is many-sided. The scope of Melanchthon's activities is broad, and so are the contexts and ramifications of his important writings. In 1960 Peter Fraenkel called De ecclesiae autoritate Melanchthon's “patrology”—not an inaccurate label, but an overly restrictive one.

scholarly journals The School Culture Heritage of the Reformation

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-121
Author(s):  
László Trencsényi
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Church Reform ◽  
College Culture ◽  
Educational Innovations ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Culture Heritage ◽  
History Of ◽  
Contemporary Education ◽  
The Church

Abstract On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, this essay analyses those educational innovations in the history of central European education that were introduced by the Church reform in the 16th century, following these modernizations and their further developments through the spreading of the universal school systems in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Drawing examples from the innovations in the college culture of the period, the author emphasises that those pedagogical values established in the 16th century are not only valid today, but are exemplary from the point of view of contemporary education. From these the author highlights: pupils’ autonomy (in the form of various communities), cooperation with the teachers and school management and the relative pluralism of values.

scholarly journals John Calvin as ‘public theologian’ in view of his ‘Commentary on Seneca’s de Clementia’

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim A. Dreyer
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
Vast Amount ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Fundamental Understanding ◽  
Law And Justice ◽  
The Church ◽  
Legal Training

During the 16th century, Europe underwent fundamental sociopolitical changes, which challenged theologians and the church to respond theologically. In light of the celebration of the Reformation (1517–2017) and the theme of this conference, this contribution presents Calvin as a ‘public theologian’. To this purpose it is necessary to define ‘public theology’, describe the sociopolitical changes which challenged theologians during the 16th century, and lastly to focus on Calvin’s contribution to the discourse. Because of the vast amount of material that is available, this contribution is limited to Calvin’s first publication, his ‘Commentary on Seneca’s De Clementia’. Calvin’s fundamental understanding of law and justice, as well as his theological engagement with sociopolitical issues, made him a public theologian par excellence. Calvin’s legal training surfaced whenever he addressed the authorities, for instance, when pleading the case of persecuted Protestants. He had a fundamental understanding of issues such as justice and freedom. The rights, responsibilities and obligations of government and people should always remain in balance. Sociopolitical transformation, as experienced in South Africa during the last three decades, requires of theologians to engage theologically with relevant issues. In this, Calvin set a remarkable example.

scholarly journals Re-animating church as politics:South Africa commemorating the radical reformation in the hope of decolonizing local congregations

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen J Goddard
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Roman Empire ◽  
South African ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Orthodox Christian ◽  
Radical Reformation ◽  
Church Polity ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Christian Witness

An unlikely crosscurrent in the Reformation-schism was the violent reaction of both the Reformation and Roman Catholic establishments in the 1520s to Anabaptist Churches. What evoked this reaction was the Anabaptists’ recognizably distinct church polity, which the Radical Reformers understood to be directly continuous with the socially transformative politics of Jesus and of the first Christians of the Roman Empire. In a spirit of contrition for Christian disunity, this research is a commemoration that aims to identify prophetic aspects of early Anabaptist polity. Secondly, the essay demonstrates that the way the Radical Reformers practised church is pertinent for ecclesiology five centuries later – not least in contemporary South Africa and North America where church capture to neoliberal economic values and commitments prior to following Jesus, calls into question orthodox Christian witness and presence. Thirdly, the essay imagines a South African re-appropriation of the politics of Jesus as amplified in the Radical Reformation tradition, in a tentative, heuristic invitation to the Church in South Africa today, to become ‘God’s left wing’.

4. Early modern sainthood

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Yarrow
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Church And State ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
Intellectual Creativity

‘Early modern sainthood’ describes the impact of the 16th-century Reformation on the image of the Christian saint. The Reformation, triggered by Augustinian friar Martin Luther, was a struggle for the highest stakes between fierce adversaries over the relationship between church and state, the authority and mission of the Church, the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, and the conscience of every soul in Christendom. It spurred immense intellectual creativity, fuelled iconoclasm and bitter polemic, and brought protracted war and martyrdom. It ultimately divided Europe into the Catholic states of southern Europe and those states of northern Europe whose princes embraced various kinds of Protestantism.

scholarly journals Theosis in die Oosters-Ortodokse en Westers-Protestantse teologiese debat

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barend J. Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Orthodox ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Church Father ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Questions And Answers ◽  
Good Relation ◽  
Theological Debate ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Church ◽  
Historic Background

Theosis in the Eastern-Orthodox and Western-Protestant theological debate: All major religions agree on one theme, namely they strive to provide an answer regarding the relation with their God. A good relation to God is the way of salvation, because the question about God is an acknowledgement that a human being needs to be in union with God. Some questions and answers are only possible in the relation between God and humankind. The well-known saying from the letter to the Romans (1:17), is typical of such a relation formulated in the Western Protestant debate in forensic style. From the Eastern orthodox theological debate, theosis is used in accordance to what the church father Irenaeus meant: ‘God became human that we might become divine’. This article gives a definition of theosis, sketch the historic background of the concept, discuss salvation in the Western theological tradition, and pays attention to a theosis scriptural basis. Furthermore, attention is also given to Martin Luther and theosis as an indication that his view of salvation was much closer to theosis as was readily accepted in the Western theological debate since the Reformation of the 16th century.

scholarly journals Five hundred years on: Some traces of the Reformation in the Church Orders of two South African Reformed Churches – Seen as temporary expressions of the Church Order of the Reformed Synod of Dordrecht in 1619

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Piet Strauss
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Dutch Reformed ◽  
Reformed Church ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
African Churches ◽  
Reformed Churches ◽  
The Church ◽  
Dutch Reformed Church

This article examines the influence of the Reformation of the 16th century on the Church Orders of two South African Reformed Churches, namely the Dutch Reformed Church and the Reformed Churches in South Africa. The five so-called solas, namely sola gratia [by grace alone], sola scriptura [by Scripture alone], sola fidei [by faith alone], solus christus [Christ alone] and soli Deo gloria [glory to God alone], are widely accepted as key expressions of the convictions of the Reformation. Although not necessarily in the same terms, the content of the solas are also found in the thought of Calvin. These matters influenced the Synod of Dordrecht (1618–1619) in its acceptance of the Three Formulas of Unity as reformed confessions of faith and its affirmation of the Dordt Church Order. The said South African churches accept the Three Formulas of Unity as confessions of faith and view their church orders as a modern version of the Dordt Church Order – adapted to the demands of the time. This article mainly examines the consequences of sola scriptura and sola fidei on the church orders of the two churches. In terms of these two solas, both have traces of the Reformation after 500 years.

scholarly journals Limits of Power. Clerical Appointment as Part of Domestic Policy in Sweden after the Reformation, 1560–1611

Perichoresis ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-55
Author(s):  
Mikko Hiljanen
Keyword(s):  
Annual Variation ◽  
Domestic Policy ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The Church ◽  
Made In

Abstract This article examines state-church relations in Sweden by analysing clerical appointment processes in the latter part of the 16th century. The aim is to ascertain whether the king of Sweden could appoint pastors independently, and if not, with whom he was compelled to share the power. Earlier studies argue that the power of the king grew due to the reformation. First, this article examines the number of clerical appointments that were made in the period 1560-1611. The results reveal a remarkable annual variation in the number of clerical appointments. Second, the timing and share of clerical appointments made by the king are studied. The number of appointments made by the king is viewed against the total number of clerical appointments so as to reveal the importance of appointments made by the crown. Third, the article examines the proportion of appointments made by other authorities. The results suggest that the crown’s role in clerical appointment processes varied, but more interestingly, it was not as ubiquitous as earlier researchers suggest. Thus article concludes that crown’s power over the church in 16th century Sweden was not as vast as it has previously been claimed.

scholarly journals Mission and Limitations. Back to the Origins of Lutheran-Orthodox Contacts in the 16th Century

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-103
Author(s):  
Dietmar Plajer
Keyword(s):  
Direct Contact ◽  
City Council ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The City ◽  
The Church ◽  
Printing House

Abstract The Reformation in Transylvania, Lutheran in structure, has been from its very beginning in direct contact with representatives of the Orthodox Church. An Orthodox clergyman, Philippus Pictor (Filip Moldoveanul), had worked for decades in Hermannstadt in the service of the magistrate, with tasks – among other responsibilities – in the printing house; it was probably during his activity in office that the (now lost) Romanian catechism of 1544, the church-slavonic and the bilingual (Slavonic-Romanian) gospels were printed. There are good reasons to assume that these prints were made directly by the initiative of the city council; but this was not an attempt at the conversion of Romanians to the Evangelical faith, but rather an exercise of the duty – emerging from Luther’s theology – to make possible for all people the access to Scripture.

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