Reformation: a changing Perception of Marriage

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 377-389
Author(s):  
Nina Makarova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Martin Luther ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Social Institution ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Mutual Assistance ◽  
Mystical Union ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Church

The article analyzes the ideas of the great reformers of the 16th century Martin Luther and John Calvin about marriage as the most important social institution. Luther's doctrine of the "earthly institution" of marriage and Calvin's doctrine of the marriage covenant had been shaped under the influence of their criticism of the Roman Catholic Church's position on marriage. Catholics considered marriage to be inferior to celibacy. The Church forbade marriage for monks and priests, and also prevented many lay people from getting married on the basis of prohibitions regarding religion, consanguinity, and guardianship. Since the Church considered marriage to be one of the seven sacraments that imparted grace to spouses and symbolized the mystical union of God and the Church, the marriage union was considered indissoluble. If the spouses were unhappy in their marriage, then they could get permission only for a separate living, but not for divorce. The reformers shifted the emphasis from the sacramentality of marriage to its social significance. They emphasized that marriage is the first institution in terms of importance in comparison with the Church and the state. The institution of matrimony is able to provide an example of relationships based on love, trust and mutual assistance, and the family is not only a means of population reproduction, it educates future citizens and members of the Church. The views of Martin Luther and John Calvin have had a decisive influence on Western European views on marriage, family and parenting. The article analyzes the ideas of the great reformers of the 16th century Martin Luther and John Calvin about marriage as the most important social institution. Luther's doctrine of the "earthly institution" of marriage and Calvin's doctrine of the marriage covenant had been shaped under the influence of their criticism of the Roman Catholic Church's position on marriage. Catholics considered marriage to be inferior to celibacy. The Church forbade marriage for monks and priests, and also prevented many lay people from getting married on the basis of prohibitions regarding religion, consanguinity, and guardianship. Since the Church considered marriage to be one of the seven sacraments that imparted grace to spouses and symbolized the mystical union of God and the Church, the marriage union was considered indissoluble. If the spouses were unhappy in their marriage, then they could get permission only for a separate living, but not for divorce. The reformers shifted the emphasis from the sacramentality of marriage to its social significance. They emphasized that marriage is the first institution in terms of importance in comparison with the Church and the state. The institution of matrimony is able to provide an example of relationships based on love, trust and mutual assistance, and the family is not only a means of population reproduction, it educates future citizens and members of the Church. The views of Martin Luther and John Calvin have had a decisive influence on Western European views on marriage, family and parenting.

scholarly journals From the Inquisition Pyre to Insertion into the Church: The Familial and Social Trajectory of Hernando Ortiz, a Jewish Convert in the Spanish Empire in the 16th Century

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 264
Author(s):  
Clara Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
New Spain ◽  
Spanish Empire ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Active Member ◽  
Jewish Ancestry ◽  
The Family ◽  
To Come ◽  
The University ◽  
The Church

This is a study of the trajectory of a Jewish converso who had a brilliant career at the University of Mexico in the 16th century: he received degrees from the faculties of arts, theology and law and was a professor for more than 28 years. He gained prestige and earned the respect of his fellow citizens, participated in monarchical politics and was an active member of his society, becoming the elected bishop of Guatemala. However, when he tried to become a judge of the Inquisition, a thorough investigation revealed his Jewish ancestry back in the Iberian Peninsula, causing his career to come to a halt. Further inquiry revealed that his grandmother had been burned by the Inquisition and accused of being a Judaizer around 1481; his nephews and nieces managed, in 1625, to obtain a letter from the Inquisition vouching for the “cleanliness of blood” of the family. Furthermore, the nephews founded an entailed estate in Oaxaca and forbade the heir of the entail to marry into the Jewish community. The university was a factor that facilitated their integration, but the Inquisition reminded them of its limits. The nephews denied their ancestors and became part of the society of New Spain. We have here a well-documented case that represents the possible existence of many others.

4. Church and biblical Christianity

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Woodhead
Keyword(s):  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Eastern Orthodox ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
Equivalent Position ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Church

What is meant by ‘Church Christianity’ and ‘Biblical Christianity’ and where do they come from? ‘Church and Biblical Christianity’ explains that ‘Church Christianity’ is centred around the institution of the church, whereas for ‘Biblical Christianity’ the scriptures have the equivalent position of authority. Both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches belong to Church Christianity and are the most enduring and extensive types of Christianity having been in existence since the 3rd century. Biblical Christianity can trace its roots to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century when the Bible became widely accessible. Its sectarian nature and desire to shelter from wider society in order to retain Godly purity limited its growth.

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 The ecclesial notion of ‘family’ versus authentic families today: Evaluation of the initial findings of the 2014 Synod of Catholic Bishops

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Graham Duncan ◽  
Jakub Urbaniak
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Traditional Institution ◽  
The Family ◽  
Existence And Stability ◽  
The Church

The traditional institution of the family within Roman Catholic Christianity and Christianity in general is in an invidious position in contemporary society, partly because it lacks an agreed definition in a fluid global context. The church is an institution in which families subsist and which both needs and bolsters the family unit for its own existence and stability. However, all major churches seem to be stuck in outdated traditional modes of understanding which are exclusive and cause great distress to many who do not conform to them. The Roman Catholic Church has recently inaugurated a discussion of pastoral challenges currently facing family life. This is an attempt to evaluate critically its initial findings through deconstructing the traditional notion of family on which the Church teaching seems to rely.

scholarly journals Jana Kalwina zarys nauki o Kościele w świetle Institutio Religionis Christianae z 1543r.

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 119-127
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Wodziński
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Full Picture ◽  
God's Grace ◽  
German Reich ◽  
Eternal Salvation ◽  
The Church

One of the main postulates of the reformation movement, apart from the theological questions, was a proposal of the internal reform of the church institution. The Father of the Reformation,as Rev. Martin Luther is called in the source literature, raised the questions concerning the mission of the Church, its role in the magisterium, and also and  perhaps above all its hierarchical structure and about the role of the clergy in the process of the eternal salvation. As a result of his reflections and probably his observations and his own experiences Luther undermined in succession different dogmatic, theological questions as well as those regarding the organization of the Roman Catholic Church. Slogans of renewal and reforms of the church structure spread very rapidly through the territory of German Reich, gaining numerous supporters among European nations. One of those for whom the Reformation ideas became the main field of activity was French man John Calvin. That well-rounded, well educated and well-read lawyer, knowing the main works of the German monk, acquired his principal theses postulating the changes in the functioning of the Church. Additionally, Calvin made a division of the Church between the earthly – the visible and the heavenly – the invisible one, and the person who bonds it, guarantees its unity and permanency, the  indivisibility is the only and the highest Priest – Jesus Christ. In the work of his life Institucio Religionis Christianae Calvin embodied a full picture of the Christian Church as, in his opinion, it should be. Analysing particular issues regarding the function of the clergymen, the pope, celebrating the sacraments, penance and conversion, and also the eternal salvation, we are given the basic compendium of knowledge concerning the ecclesiology by John Calvin. His teaching about the Church, although in some points different in from the  preaching of Rev. Martin Luther, however oscillates within the principal slogans of Reformation: Sola Fides –the man is saved solely by faith, Sola Gratia – God’s grace is necessary for salvation, Sola Scriptura – the only source of faith is the Holy Bible. He also added the idea: Solus Christus – only Christ saves, He is in the centre of The Church, we can observe Calvin’s Christ centred attitude in his preaching and in building ideological basics of the reformed denomination.

Ethiopian Traditional Values versus the Social Teaching of the Church

Exchange ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-155
Author(s):  
Solomon Dejene
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Structural Development ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
The Social ◽  
Pastoral Letters ◽  
The Church

AbstractEven if the Roman Catholic Church does not have a very long history in Ethiopia and constitutes a small minority of the society, her social significance is great in part due to the structural development programs she runs through out the country. The main aim of this paper is to identify how much the Church has made use of traditional systems and values in reflecting and communicating pastorally particularly in regard the Social of the Church (henceforth CST). By analyzing four selected pastoral letters, this article tries to spell out the strengths and shortcomings of the Church in employing traditional systems and values in giving form to the CST.

scholarly journals An outline of John Calvin’s teachings on the Church in the light of Institutio Religionis Christianae (1543)

1970 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 117-125
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Wodziński
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
God's Grace ◽  
Eternal Salvation ◽  
The Church

One of the main postulates of the reformation movement, apart from the theological questions, was a proposal of the internal reform of the church institution. The Father of the Reformation, as Rev. Martin Luther is called in the source literature, raised the questions concerning the mission of the Church, its role in the magisterium, and, perhaps above all, its hierarchical structure and the role of the clergy in the process of eternal salvation. As a result of his reflections, observations, and personal experience, Luther successively undermined different dogmatic, theological questions, as well as those regarding the organization of the Roman Catholic Church. Slogans of renewal and reforms of the church structure spread very rapidly through the territory of German Reich, gaining numerous supporters among the European states. One of those for whom the Reformation ideas became the main field of activity was John Calvin of France. A well-rounded, well educated, and well-read lawyer, familiar with the main works of the German monk, Calvin’s principal theses postulated changes in the functioning of the Church. Additionally, Calvin proposed to distinguish between two dimensions of the Church, i.e. the earthly (visible) and the heavenly (invisible) one, with Jesus Christ as the highest priest, bonding the Church together and guaranteeing its unity, permanence, and indivisibility. Calvin’s opus magnum, Institucio Religionis Christianae, represents to the fullest his vision of the Christian Church as he thought it should be. An analysis of specific issues regarding the function of the clergymen, the role of the pope, the celebration of the sacraments, penance and conversion, as well as eternal salvation, gives an insight into the basic compendium of ecclesiological knowledge compiled by Calvin. His teachings about the Church, although in some points different from those of Rev. Martin Luther, nonetheless oscillate within the principal slogans of Reformation: Sola Fides – the man is saved solely by faith, Sola Gratia – God’s grace is necessary for salvation, Sola Scriptura – the only source of faith is the Holy Bible. Calvin’s own idea was that of Solus Christus – salvation can be reached solely through Christ as the centre of the Church. Calvin’s Christ-centric attitude reveals itself to the fullest in his preaching and the ideological foundations he established for the reformed denomination.  

Reprobation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald J. Feenstra
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
In Christ

Reprobation is an eternal decision by God that results in everlasting death and punishment for some persons. The doctrine of reprobation typically takes one of three forms: (1) that God from eternity decreed to elect some without regard to faith or works and to reprobate others without regard to sin or unbelief, both to display his glory and for reasons we do not know (sometimes called double predestination); (2) that God from eternity decreed to elect some, despite their sin, and to abandon the rest, with the cause of their reprobation being sin and unbelief; or (3) that God from eternity elected those he foreknew would believe in Christ and reprobated those he foreknew would persist in sin and unbelief. Reprobation doctrine was developed by Augustine and appears in the theology of Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther and John Calvin, who were deeply indebted to Augustine’s thought. Although some Lutheran and Roman Catholic theologians have defended reprobation doctrine since the sixteenth century, Reformed theologians have stressed it and made it the occasion of controversy.

scholarly journals Richard Laurence Millington Synge, 28 October 1914 - 18 August 1994

1996 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 455-479 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Henry Viii ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Art Gallery ◽  
Late 19Th Century ◽  
Art Collection ◽  
The Family ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
The Church

There is no doubt that Dick Synge was a very exceptional person. According to his family, this first showed itself in the memory of an event, which occurred when he was only fifteen months old, when he was allowed to play with the gravel outside the church during the christening of his sister. The Synge family consisted of two branches, one of which, the Irish Synges, contained the famous playwright, J.M. Synge. They trace their ancestry back to a Thomas Millington also called Singe of Bridgenorth (born ca . 1500). The English Synges were also certainly present in Bridgenorth in the early 16th century. The Irish and the English Synges are known to have been in touch with one another in the 18th century. The English Synges remained as fairly prominent citizens of Bridgenorth until the late 19th century. Both branches of the family used the name Millington as a Christian name. For unknown reasons the spelling of his surname, Sing or Synge, varied. Family legend has it that the origin of the name Millington, which was used by both branches of the family as a Christian name, was that they had lived at Millington Hall in the parish of Rostherne (Cheshire). Because a member of the family sang so beautifully before King Henry VIII he was told to take the name of Singe. One of Dick Synge’s great uncles, born in 1863 and always known as ‘Uncle Millington’, became Warden of St Edwards School, Oxford. Among Synge’s recent ancestors was his grandmother who was a Thornely. All the Thornelys were mildly academic and quietly eccentric or unconventional in one way or another, so that Synge is thought to have inherited much from them, even including his height. Two generations further back was William Roscoe, M.R, who helped to abolish slavery and whose art collection still forms the nucleus of the Walker Art Gallery; he also founded the Liverpool Botanic Gardens. Synge came from a distinguished family which included his grandfather, A.M. Sing, who was President of the Liverpool Athenaeum and a Governor of the Liverpool Collegiate School.

Christus unicus ille episcopus universalis

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-57
Author(s):  
Erik A. de Boer
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
English Reformation ◽  
Primary Function ◽  
The One ◽  
The City ◽  
The Church

Abstract In their critique of the hierarchy in the Roman Catholic Church most reformers in the sixteenth century did not argue for retaining the office of bishop. In the English Reformation, led by the king, the bishopric was reformed, and in Hungary, too, the office of bishop survived. Did reformers like John Calvin fundamentally reject this office, or did they primarily attack its abuse? Investigation of the early work of Calvin shows a focus on the meaning of the biblical term ‘overseer’ and on preaching as the primary function of the episcopacy. While the title of bishop is reserved for the one head of the church, the office of the preacher is brought to a higher level. As moderator of the Company of Pastors in Geneva, Calvin would have a standing in the city comparable to the ousted bishop.

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