Prophecy and the Priesthood of All Believers

Author(s):  
G. Sujin Pak

Luther’s, Zwingli’s, Bucer’s, and Zell’s early uses of prophecy focused on buttressing their teachings of the priesthood of all believers, rejecting Roman Catholic distinctions between the spiritual and temporal estates, and challenging Roman Catholic “tyranny” over biblical interpretation. These Protestant reformers defined a true prophet as one who proclaims and interprets the Word of God alone; the prophet and prophecy were therefore significant tools for rejecting Roman Catholic authority—by spurning Roman Catholic conceptions of the priesthood and identifying Roman Catholic leaders as false prophets—and ultimately for asserting the prime authority of Scripture. In the 1520s lay pamphleteers, including several female pamphleteers, embraced Luther’s, Zwingli’s, Bucer’s, and Zell’s early conceptions of the prophet in order to defend their call to proclaim God’s Word, interpret Scripture, and rebuke wrong teaching.

Author(s):  
G. Sujin Pak

The next generation of Lutheran, Swiss Reformed, and Calvinist leaders emphasized the prophet as an interpreter of Scripture and true worship as that which adheres to God’s Word alone. They further employed the prophet and biblical prophecy to illuminate key pastoral duties, strengthen Protestant clerical authority, and frame clerical authority firmly within the authority of Scripture. The text of I Corinthians 14:3 continued to demarcate the primary tasks of the Protestant pastor—tasks they increasingly identified within the teaching office. The next generation, however, added an emphasis on the right disposition of the godly pastor, even as they more squarely placed authority in his hands. They looked to biblical models of prophecy to provide a process for discerning right doctrine and biblical interpretation that both affirmed the priesthood of all believers and located public authority in the hands of established Protestant pastors. Explicit prophetic terminology nonetheless notably eclipsed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-123
Author(s):  
G. Sujin Pak

After setting forth a wider context of the role of prophecy for German medieval women, the dual medieval tradition of prophecy as visionary and as interpretation of scripture, and the protestant emphasis on prophecy as interpretation of scripture, this essay demonstrates that Argula von Grumbach, Katharina Schütz Zell, and Marie Dentière not only echoed the appeals to the priesthood of all believers made by contemporary male reformers, they also embraced the teachings of these same male reformers that viewed prophecy as interpretation of scripture. In this way, prophecy became a significant lens by which Argula von Grumbach, Katharina Schütz Zell, and Marie Dentière conceived of themselves and their ministries—an understanding often lacking in the secondary sources that study these women. Specifically, it will be shown that each of these women employed Old Testament prophecy in ways that parallel contemporary male reformers' use of prophecy: presenting herself as speaking God's Word and not her own, locating her ministry within a larger biblical prophetic tradition, interpreting contemporary situations in the light of biblical prophecy and to distinguish between true and false prophets. The article concludes by exploring whether the male reformers actually intended this application of their teachings for women and exploring what is distinctive in these women's views and uses of prophecy.


Author(s):  
G. Sujin Pak

The Reformation of Prophecy presents and supports the case for viewing the prophet and biblical prophecy as a powerful lens by which to illuminate many aspects of the reforming work of the Protestant reformers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It provides a chronological and developmental analysis of the significance of the prophet and biblical prophecy across leading Protestant reformers in articulating a theology of the priesthood of all believers, a biblical model of the pastoral office, a biblical vision of the reform of worship, and biblical processes for discerning right interpretation of Scripture. Through the tool of the prophet and biblical prophecy, the reformers framed their work under, within, and in support of the authority of Scripture—for the true prophet speaks the Word of God alone and calls the people, their worship and their beliefs and practices, back to the Word of God. The book also demonstrates how interpretations and understandings of the prophet and biblical prophecy contributed to the formation and consolidation of distinctive confessional identities, especially around differences in their visions of sacred history, Christological exegesis of Old Testament prophecy, and interpretation of Old Testament metaphors. This book illuminates the significant shifts in the history of Protestant reformers’ engagement with the prophet and biblical prophecy—shifts from these serving as a tool to advance the priesthood of all believers to a tool to clarify and buttress clerical identity and authority to a site of polemical-confessional exchange concerning right interpretations of Scripture.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
K Katarina ◽  
I Putu Ayub Darmawan

This article discusses spiritual formation and God's Word in reformation. The formulation of the problem is the relationship between spiritual formation and God's Word in reformation. The author uses literature studies to collect information about spiritual formation and God's Word in reformation. Spirit for sola scriptura has produced a change in the life of the church at that moment. All teachings, church traditions, and practical actions which is conducted by church member must be tested under the Word of God. In the present context, church who facing various challenges related to moral life, teaching, and practical actions must return to the principles of word of God. To build a spiritual life, we must start from the Bible that is interpreted correctly, which then becomes a theological development, which then influences the concept of believer's thinking and practical actions. Artikel ini membahas tentang formasi rohani dan Firman Tuhan dalam reformasi. Rumusan masalah penelitian ini adalah bagaimana kaitan antara formasi rohani dan firman Tuhan dalam reformasi? Penulis menggunakan studi pustaka untuk menggali informasi tentang formasi rohani dan Firman Tuhan dalam reformasi. Semangat untuk sola scriptura menghasilkan perubahan dalam kehidupan gereja pada masa itu. Segala pengajaran, tradisi gereja, dan tindakan praktis yang dilakukan oleh setiap anggota gereja harus diuji di bawah Firman Tuhan. Dalam konteks masa kini, menghadapi berbagai tantangan gereja baik yang terkait dengan kehidupan moral maupun pengajaran dan tindakan praktis, gereja harus kembali pada prinsip Firman Tuhan. Untuk membangun kehidupan rohani maka harus dimulai dari Alkitab yang ditafsirkan secara benar yang kemudian menjadi sebuah bangunan teologi yang kemudian mempengaruhi konsep berpikir orang percaya dan tindakan praktis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Angela Dienhart Hancock

AbstractThis essay explores the overlapping territory between the phenomenon known as ‘imaginative resistance’ in literary, psychological and philosophical circles and Karl Barth's theological hermeneutic. Imaginative resistance refers to the way readers are willing to give consent to all sorts of implausible things in the context of a fiction, but become uneasy when asked to imagine that something they consider morally or ethically reprehensible is good. The essay offers an overview of the current scholarly theories regarding the origins of the phenomenon of imaginative resistance, arguing that none of them provide an adequate account of imaginative resistance in relation to a text read as ‘Word of God’. The essay suggests that Karl Barth's theological hermeneutic does not offer a ‘solution’ to imaginative resistance in relation to scripture, but rather deepens and redescribes it in meaningful ways by acknowledging the appropriateness of the interpreter's resistance while encouraging continued engagement even with the claims of challenging biblical texts.


Author(s):  
Stefan Heuser

This chapter explores Bonhoeffer’s understanding of the Christian life in its public witness to God’s worldly presence. For Bonhoeffer, the Christian life unfolds as God’s word draws human beings into the story of Christ and as human beings in turn respond through practices of prayer and doing justice for others. The first section of this chapter explores the grammar of the Christian life as witnessing to the word of God. The second outlines Bonhoeffer’s distinction between the ethics of formation and of conformation, which sets apart Bonhoeffer’s approach to the Christian life from some other Protestant approaches. Third, there follows an account of the Christological grammar of the Christian life as life ‘in Christ’. The final section reflects upon the significance of Bonhoeffer’s doctrine of the mandates for understanding the publicity of the Christian life and its relevance for public theology today.


Author(s):  
Jason García Portilla

AbstractThis chapter demonstrates the influential association of Protestantism and prosperity by explaining its historical focus on education and human capital building.Historically (and statistically), one key mechanism driving prosperity/transparency has been the Protestant emphasis on literacy so as to promote reading and understanding the Bible among wider circles (Becker & Woessmann, 2009). This contrasted starkly with the Roman Catholic practice of reciting parts of the Gospel in Latin scholarly language to mostly illiterate peasants (Androne, 2014). The teaching of God’s Word in vernacular languages created linguistic and methodical skills (i.e. exegetical understanding) that proved valuable beyond the religious realm. This practice also led to the accumulation of human capital, and thereby opened and perpetuated an important educational (and hence prosperity) gap between Protestants and Roman Catholics over time.As part of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, the Jesuits have competed with Protestant education but attaching less importance to the Scriptures in their schooling. Some South American areas influenced by Jesuit missions exhibit 10–15% higher human capital and income than the surrounding Catholic populations. Yet, Jesuit instruction has been largely elitist and far less encompassing than Protestant educational coverage and accomplishment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-82
Author(s):  
Kerstin Radde-Antweiler ◽  
Hannah Grünenthal

In this paper we look at mediatisation within the Roman Catholic Church. The article addresses the complex and diverse attitudes towards media in the church as an hierarchical organisation. Media-related, as well as other forms of communication were considered using the communicative figuration account in the qualitative analysis of the data. The analysis shows that the mediatisation amongst priests is generally low, although it increases in certain situations, such as within the committee structure of the organisation, to quite a high degree within lay groups. Our research suggests that there are opportunities for new participation in mediatisation, although the pace of innovation or datafication, for example, were not shown to be factors in this process.


2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois P. Viljoen

In Matthew 15:1–20, Jesus responds to the accusation made by the Pharisees and the scribes that his disciples do not observe the tradition of hand-washing (οὐ γὰρ νίπτονται τὰς χεῖραςὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν), because they do not wash their hands before they eat bread. In this story of dispute, two ideas are interwoven, namely the locus of impurity (external or internal) and the manmade tradition of the elders (ἡ παράδοσις τῶν πρεσβυτέρων) versus the Word of God (ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ). The Pharisees are depicted as obsessed with external manmade rules to ensure purity, whilst Jesus is concerned with inner purity based on God’s Word. In this article, the story is interpreted on two levels. The first level describes the dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees. The second level explores the tension the Matthean community experienced in their encounter with Pharisean Judaism of their day – the Judaism of the dual Torah. The question is which aspect of the Torah is challenged by Matthew’s Jesus, and what he considers to be the true meaning of the Law. It seems that Matthew uses this story to define and maintain the identity and values of his community over and against that of the Pharisees and their successors. Devices that Matthew uses to define the identity and required morality for his community, are identified. Such devices demonstrate how a community’s values can influence the identity and ethics of a society.In Matteus 15:1–20 reageer Jesus op die aantyging van die Fariseërs en skrifgeleerdes dat sy dissipels nie die handewas-tradisie eerbiedig nie. In hierdie verhaal van dispuut word twee idees vervleg: eerstens dié van die locus van onreinheid, en tweedens dié van mensgemaakte tradisies teenoor die Woord van God. Die Fariseërs word voorgestel as mense wat obsessiefis oor mensgemaakte reëls wat reinheid verseker, terwyl Jesus op innerlike reinheid gesteld is, wat op die Woord van God gebaseer is. In hierdie artikel word die verhaal op twee vlakke geïnterpreteer. Die eerste vlak beskryf die dispuut tussen Jesus en die Fariseërs. Die tweede vlak ondersoek die spanning wat die Matteus-gemeenskap in hulle verhouding met die Farisese Judaïsme van hulle tyd ervaar het. Die vraag is watter aspek van die Torah deur die Matteaanse Jesus bevraagteken word, en wat Hy as die ware betekenis van die Wet beskou. Dit wil voorkom asof Matteus hierdie verhaal gebruik om die identiteit en waardes van sy gemeenskap teenoor die dominante Farisese Judaïsme te definieer en te handhaaf. Middele wat Matteus gebruik om die identiteit en verlangde moraliteit van sy gemeenskap te definieer, word geïdentifiseer. Sodanige middele demonstreer hoe ’n gemeenskap se waardes die identiteit en etiek daarvan kan beïnvloed.


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