Habit and Belief in the Early Scottish Reformation

2019 ◽  
pp. 173-188
Author(s):  
Martin Holt Dotterweich
Keyword(s):  
Primary Concern ◽  
Reformed Theology ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Justification By Faith ◽  
Theological Debate ◽  
Bible Reading ◽  
Evangelical Theology

The theology of the Reformation arrived in Scotland with travellers, smuggled books, and theological debate at the universities. This chapter examines the scant evidence for how this theology took shape, examining theological tracts written by religious exiles, along with heresy trials and other records. Given a potent symbol in the preaching and martyrdom of Patrick Hamilton in 1528, the doctrine of justification by faith alone was the primary concern of early Scots evangelical theology, coupled with a consistent emphasis on the habit of Bible reading. When a more confessional Reformed theology arrived with George Wishart, it was built on these emphases of habit and belief.

scholarly journals Re-appreciating the significance of historical perspectives and practices on reformed pastoral theology and care today

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphan Van der Watt
Keyword(s):  
Pastoral Care ◽  
Pastoral Theology ◽  
Contemporary Literature ◽  
Reformed Theology ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
Historical View ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
Care Of Souls ◽  
Pastoral Care Ministry

This article investigates the issue of Reformed pastoral theology and care, from a historical perspective. Contemporary literature on this topic is not always informed by the actual pastoral care practices of historical church leaders, specifically up until and including the Reformation era. Consequently it can sometimes lack an important dimension needed to foster more theological depth and clarity, which is essential for sound pastoral care. Thus, it is necessary to clearly establish the connections between Reformed theology and practice in historical view, and pastoral care ministries in the church today. Despite huge societal changes that have taken place since the Reformation era, the core focus on the compassionate “care of souls” has remained unchanged. Can leading Reformers’ pastoral theological ethos and practices still be deemed relevant, whilst considering fresh issues in our contemporary pastoral care ministry contexts?

Papacy and Scripture

1962 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-123
Author(s):  
Rudolf J. Ehrlich
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
The Self ◽  
Reformed Theology ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Church

The subject ‘Papacy and Scripture‘ is of great importance today for two main reasons:1. Reformed Theology itself requires that we must not be satisfied with the theological standpoint reached at the time of the Reformation but should submit ourselves to continual questioning by the Truth, and so move on to a position more in accordance with the dictates of the self-same Truth which is Jesus Christ. The very fact that we are ‘Reformed’ theologians itself raises the question of whether the anti-Roman arguments legitimately used by the Reformers still hold good; which means that, as a matter of urgency, we must reappraise our relationship with the Church of Rome.

scholarly journals Inleiding in die grondslag van die gereformeerde teologie

1995 ◽  
Vol 29 (1/2) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. F. Schulze
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Theory ◽  
Close Relation ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Word Of God ◽  
Reformed Theology ◽  
The Arts ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Theology And Science ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Church

Theology is not a neutral science but should be embedded in the ser­vice of the Church. A close relation between theology and the church is clearly visible in the history of the early church until the era of the Reformation. The disintegration of religion and culture (church and world) during the Renaissance received new impetus from the En­lightenment. Consequently, the tie between church and theology was to a large extent dissolved and theology progressively became a ‘wordly ’ rationalistic enterprise, as a concomitant to what happened in the arts (l'art pour l'art). In this context the problems of defining theology and science are discussed and the popularity of modern scientific theory is uncovered. Finally it is argued that the basis (grondslag) and object for Reformed theology can only be the Word of God

scholarly journals Hervormde spore op die Tukkie kampus – ’n Kroniek van die tweede 50 jaar

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
André G. Ungerer
Keyword(s):  
Reformed Theology ◽  
Steady Growth ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Theology Education ◽  
Political Background ◽  
Church Schism ◽  
The University ◽  
The Church

This article is about the 2nd half (50 years) of the centenary of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika (NHKA) at the University of Pretoria (UP). The NHKA was the first church to join the Faculty of Theology at UP in 1917. The previous article ‘Hervormde footprints on the Tukkie campus – a chronicle of the first fifty years’ contains the humble beginnings, the steady growth, the political background during the apartheid years, and the NHKA’s role in justifying apartheid. The 70s and the 80s was a flourishing time for the Church with a steady growth in membership, an increase in the number of lecturers and students, and more or less enough money to sustain theology education at UP. During the nineties there was a decrease in membership numbers with the pivot point in 1992: from thereon there was a steady decline which was accelerated by the church schism in 2011 and onward. The two Sections of the NHKA and the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (NGK), Section A and B, became one in 2000. The Reformed Theology College (RTC), with the aim of church specific education for students of the NHKA, was also established in 2000 with prof. T.F.J. Dreyer as the first head. In November 2015 a student protest action #FeesMustFall rocked the foundation of higher education in South Africa. The issue of language and curriculum as aftermath of the protest actions was also at stake during 2016. During 2017 the centennial celebration of the Faculty of Theology at UP will take place. It coincides with REFO 500 – the commemoration of 500 years of the Reformation.

Reformed Theology and Medieval Theology

2020 ◽  
pp. 23-40
Author(s):  
Christopher Cleveland
Keyword(s):  
Reformed Theology ◽  
Medieval Theology ◽  
Doctrine Of God ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
John Owen ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter examines the relationship between medieval theology and Reformed theology. The Reformation broke with medieval thought upon key issues, but in many areas, medieval influence remained. Many of the Reformers, including Luther, Zwingli, Bucer, and Vermigli, were trained in various forms of medieval thought, such as Thomism, Scotism, and Nominalism. Calvin was unique in that he was mostly self-trained in theology, although the nature of his training remains disputed. As Reformed theology became institutionalized, medieval theology became a valuable tool in the defence of Reformed thought, as exemplified in the writings of John Owen and Francis Turretin. The chapter also examines Reformed theology in the areas of the doctrine of God, of providence, of predestination, of sanctification, and of the person of Christ, noting the influence of medieval thought upon the formulation of these doctrines.

John Calvin’s Reception at the Westminster Assembly (1643–1649)

2011 ◽  
Vol 91 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 215-227
Author(s):  
Mark Jones
Keyword(s):  
John Calvin ◽  
Reformed Theology ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Unique Position ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Nicene Creed ◽  
Eternal Generation ◽  
Westminster Assembly

Of all the Reformation theologians, John Calvin exerted arguably the most influence on the English Puritans. That did not mean, however, that his theology was uncritically accepted. This chapter considers the reception of Calvin’s theology at the Westminster Assembly on two doctrines that were debated among the Westminster divines, namely, the eternal generation of the Son of God and the so-called descent of Christ into Hell. Calvin’s somewhat unique position on the Son’s aseity and his interpretation of Christ’s descent were considered by the Assembly, but ultimately rejected by the majority, though not all, of the Westminster divines. Nevertheless, the Westminster documents are not quite detailed enough to contradict Calvin’s position on the Son’s aseity, but the Larger Catechism definitely departs from Calvin’s teaching on Christ’s descent into Hell. Moreover, the relation of the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed to Reformed theology in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries also comes under consideration in this chapter.

scholarly journals Reformed Theology in Confessions and Catechisms to c.1620

2019 ◽  
pp. 189-209
Author(s):  
Ian Hazlett
Keyword(s):  
Reformed Theology ◽  
Covenant Theology ◽  
The Reformation

After initial discussion of some problematical aspects in the adoption of Reformed theology in Scotland, this chapter will identify, describe, and evaluate Scottish confessions of faith, catechisms, and other pedagogic texts in the Reformation era from 1560 to c.1620. In doing this, it will firstly characterize the relatively diverse nature of European Reformed theology and confessional statements from which Scottish manifestations derive, and then assess them individually in the light of that wider tradition including the emerging covenant theology. In addition, the chapter will suggest that the most formative confessions and catechisms for theologians in Scotland were not so much the domestic ones as the major productions from elsewhere and used commonly in the Reformed world. It will also demonstrate that in the Scottish confessional and catechetical texts the directly formative influence is Calvin, while acknowledging ideas associated with Zurich, Heidelberg, and Dort.

Martin Luther's Practice of Old Testament Commentary

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Maxfield
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Biblical Studies ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Justification By Faith ◽  
University Professor ◽  
History Of ◽  
Biblical Commentaries ◽  
The Many

Scholarly analysis of biblical interpretation and commentary in the history of Christianity has become an important subfield in history as well as biblical studies and theology. From the Reformation and into the modern era, Martin Luther has been appreciated first of all as an expositor of the Bible and a confessor of its teachings. His vocation as a theologian called to teach in the University of Wittenberg was especially focused on the exposition of scripture, and his development as a theologian and eventually as an evangelical reformer was deeply tied to his experience in interpreting the Bible in his university classroom, in the Augustinian cloister, and in his household. His interpretation of scripture was the basis of his “Reformation discovery” of justification by faith, and his conflict with the papal church was largely the result of Luther’s conviction that the message of scripture, in particular “the gospel,” was being overwhelmed in the theology and churchly practice of his time by “human teachings” not supported by and contradicting scripture. As a result, Luther and other evangelical reformers of the 16th century appealed to scripture alone (sola scriptura) as the highest authority in shaping their theology and proposals for reform. Luther’s teachings and leadership in the Reformation were shared and celebrated not only through his doctrinal and polemical treatises and catechetical writings, but also through the many sermons, biblical commentaries on both Old and New Testament books, and prefaces on the books of the Bible that were published in his lifetime and thereafter. Old Testament commentary was an especially important genre of Luther’s published works, as it encapsulated much of his work as a university professor of theology and evangelical reformer.

Heinrich Bullinger’s Decades

2020 ◽  
pp. 217-235
Author(s):  
Bruce Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Early Church ◽  
Reformed Theology ◽  
Christian Life ◽  
Christian Doctrine ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Reformed Churches

Heinrich Bullinger’s Decades, presented as a set of sermons on the major points of Christian doctrine, was one of the first comprehensive statements of Reformed theology. The 50 sermons provide a robust defence of the orthodoxy of the Zurich church by demonstrating its adherence to the historical teachings of the early church. Bullinger wrote the work both to instruct and edify, and the tone of the Decades is deeply pastoral, offering a guide to the Christian life. Translated into numerous languages, including Dutch and English, the Decades became a key text of the growing Reformed churches of the Reformation period, making Bullinger the first major international leader of the movement.

The Conditions of Mercy

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-429
Author(s):  
William Revere
Keyword(s):  
Piers Plowman ◽  
Late Medieval ◽  
Pilgrim's Progress ◽  
Social Forms ◽  
Literary Forms ◽  
Active Life ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Justification By Faith

This article examines John Bunyan’s relationship to traditions of representing labor reaching back before the Reformation, from Piers Plowman and its imitators through to a range of “plowman” satires, complaints, and reformist dialogues in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Bunyan’s provocative rejection of the virtues of labor in part one of The Pilgrim’s Progress brings together theological convictions about justification by faith with a vision of mechanic mobility and schooling in the Spirit that disrupts a range of social forms and hierarchies. Yet in part two of The Pilgrim’s Progress, particularly in the figure of Mercie, Bunyan offers up a new valuation of the exemplarist potentials of labor. Part two expands rather than contracts Bunyan’s exploration of the active life of dissent, reimagining questions of embodiment, habituation, imitation, and community. Mercie’s labors are performed in continuity with a late medieval tradition linking work and virtue. Her example prompts reconsideration both of Bunyan’s own dissenting allegories and of the uses of literary forms and ethical traditions across conventional period boundaries and confessional identities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document