scholarly journals The Bohemian Brethren and the Protestant Reformation

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 360
Author(s):  
Craig Atwood
Keyword(s):  
Martin Luther ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
Religious Toleration ◽  
Church Discipline ◽  
Reformed Tradition ◽  
Middle Way ◽  
Radical Reformation ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Ecumenical Theology

The smallest, but in some ways the most influential, church to emerge from the Hussite Reformation was the Unity of the Brethren founded by Gregory the Patriarch in 1457. The Unity was a voluntary church that separated entirely from the established churches, and chose its own priests, published the first Protestant hymnal and catechism, and operated several schools. Soon after Martin Luther broke with Rome, the Brethren established cordial relations with Wittenberg and introduced their irenic and ecumenical theology to the Protestant Reformation. Over time, they gravitated more toward the Reformed tradition, and influenced Martin Bucer’s views on confirmation, church discipline, and the Eucharist. In many ways, the pacifist Brethren offered a middle way between the Magisterial Reformation and the Radical Reformation. Study of the Brethren complicates and enhances our understanding of the Protestant Reformation and the rise of religious toleration in Europe.

The Flesh of the Word

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.J. Drake
Keyword(s):  
Human Body ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Reformed Tradition ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Early Use ◽  
The Church ◽  
Over Time

The extra Calvinisticum, that the eternal Son maintains his existence beyond the flesh during his earthly ministry and perpetually, divided the Lutheran and Reformed traditions during the Reformation. This book explores the emergence and development of the extra Calvinisticum in the Reformed tradition by tracing its exposition from Ulrich Zwingli to early Reformed orthodoxy. Rather than being an ancillary issue, the questions surrounding the extra Calvinisticum were a determinative factor in the differentiation of Magisterial Protestantism into rival confessions. Reformed theologians maintained this doctrine in order to preserve the integrity of Christ’s divine and human natures as the mediator between God and humanity. This rationale remained consistent across this period, with increasing elaboration and sophistication to meet the challenges leveled against the doctrine in Lutheran polemics. The study begins with Zwingli’s early use of the extra Calvinisticum in the eucharistic controversy with Martin Luther and especially as the alternative to Luther’s doctrine of the ubiquity of Christ’s human body. Over time, Reformed theologians, such as Peter Martyr Vermigli and Antoine de Chandieu, articulated the extra Calvinisticum with increasing rigor by incorporating conciliar christology, the church fathers, and scholastic methodology to address the polemical needs of engagement with Lutheranism. The book illustrates the development of christological doctrine by Reformed theologians offering a coherent historical narrative of Reformed christology from its emergence into the period of confessionalization. The extra Calvinisticum was interconnected to broader concerns affecting concepts of the union of Christ’s natures, the communication of attributes, and the understanding of heaven.

scholarly journals QU’EST-CE QUE RÉFORMER UNE RELIGION? L’EXEMPLE DE LA RÉFORME PROTESTANTE

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Pierre Gisel
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
Catholic Reformation ◽  
Radical Reformation ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Church ◽  
Over Time

RÉSUMÉ: L’article interroge ce qu’il en est de la Réforme protestante à l’enseigne de « Qu’est-ce que réformer une religion ? ». Cela suppose qu’on en examine le déploiement dans le temps et qu’on le fasse en fonction de quelques problématiques à élaborer. Au XVIe siècle, la Réforme protestante hérite d’une antécédence et s’en démarque, comme le font aussi la Réforme radicale et la Réforme catholique, chacune diWérente, mais chacune nouvelle et chacune déterminée par la donne socio-culturelle du temps. L’article revient sur la « scène primitive » de la Réforme, sur la structuration de l’Eglise, sur ce qui s’y modiZent du type de fondement mis en avant, du statut et des formes de la transcendance, des modalités d’articulation au séculier. Sur cet arrière-plan, l’article revisite les oppositions confessionnelles usuelles, interrogeant critiquement chacun des termes alors mis en avant. Il y souligne tout particulièrement une radicalité liée à la posture protestante, avec ses forces et ses risques. Il se termine enfin avec l’évocation de questions contemporaines s’inscrivant dans la suite de cette histoire.ABSTRACT: The article questions the Protestant Reformation under the guise of «What does it mean to reform a religion?» . This implies that its’ implementation over time be examined and that this be done while taking into consideration a few under lying problems. In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformation inherited antecedents and differentiated itself from them, as did the radical Reformation and the Catholic Reformation, each different, but each new and each determined by the socio-cultural context of the time. The article returns to the «primitive scene» of the Reformation, to the structuring of the Church, to the changes that are taking place in the type of foundation being put forward and to the status and forms of transcendence, models of articulation in secularity. On this background, the article revisits the usual confessional oppositions, critically interrogating each of the ideas presented. In particular, it points out the radicalness linked to the Protestant position, with its strengths and risks. It ends by evoking contemporary questions for the continuation of this event.

The Hermeneutical Keys to William James’s Philosophy of Religion: Protestant Impulses, Vital Belief

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-316
Author(s):  
David J. Zehnder
Keyword(s):  
Religious Experience ◽  
William James ◽  
Philosophy Of Religion ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Specific Form ◽  
Biblical Authority ◽  
American Psychologist ◽  
Over Time

This essay argues that the American psychologist and philosopher William James should be viewed in the Lutheran Reformation’s tradition because this viewpoint offers the hermeneutical key to his philosophy of religion. Though James obviously didn’t ascribe to biblical authority, he expressed the following religious sensibilities made possible by Martin Luther and his contemporaries: 1) challenge of prevailing systems, 2) anti-rationalism, 3) being pro-religious experience and dynamic belief, 4) need for a personal, caring God, and also 5) a gospel of religious comfort. This essay asks, in one specific form, how religious concerns can hold steady over time but cause very different expressions of faith.

Introduction: The Reformed Augustinians of Lower Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Christman
Keyword(s):  
Martin Luther ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
Roman Emperor ◽  
Low Countries ◽  
Charles V ◽  
Personal Connections ◽  
Key Events

The burnings of the Reformed Augustinian friars Hendrik Vos and Johann van den Esschen in Brussels on 1 July 1523 were the first executions of the Protestant Reformation. This chapter challenges the notion that they were peripheral to the key events of the early Reformation. Personal connections and frequent interactions existed between the Reformed Augustinians in the Low Countries (=Lower Germany) and those in Wittenberg, where Martin Luther was a member; the individuals responsible for the executions were intimates of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, and Popes Leo X and Adrian VI. An awareness of these connections raises questions about the importance of this event in the early Reformation and about how that movement functioned in its earliest stages.

scholarly journals Clinical and Pastoral Implications of the Ministry of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation

Open Theology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel K. Judd
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
Emotional Instability ◽  
Major Purpose ◽  
Effective Care ◽  
Theological Understanding ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractWhile acknowledging that many theological beliefs and religious practices facilitate mental health and emotional stability, the major purpose of this paper is to identify and demonstrate that some of these same beliefs and practices can also contribute to mental instability if understood incorrectly and practiced unwisely. The unique content of this paper is a pastoral, clinical, and historical narrative concerning the relationships of religious belief and practice with the mental health of 16th century priest, pastor, professor, and Protestant reformer Martin Luther. Specifically, this paper discusses Luther’s personal experiences with mental and emotional instability, including depression and scrupulosity, and explores ways that discovering and embracing the principle of grace assisted him in dealing with his own mental and emotional crises. This paper also treats ways that both psychological and theological understanding of the relationship between the doctrinal principles of grace and human volition can assist both health care professionals and clergy to provide effective care to those they serve.

REBELLION, RESISTANCE, AND A SWISS BRUTUS?

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDRIES RAATH ◽  
SHAUN DE FREITAS
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
Economic Exploitation ◽  
Modern Politics ◽  
Profound Influence ◽  
Divine Justice

Early sixteenth-century Germany and Switzerland witnessed, amongst their peasants, a growing dissatisfaction with economic exploitation and the increasing power of political rulers. The Protestant Reformation at the time had a profound influence on the moulding of this dissatisfaction into a right to demand the enforcement of divine justice. The Swiss reformer, Huldrych Zwingli, provided parallels for the demands of the peasants, while the German reformers, Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon, criticized the rebellious methods of the peasantry. Against this background the young Swiss reformer, Heinrich Bullinger, responded more positively towards the claims of the peasants by opposing the views of the Lutheran reformers in his play ‘Lucretia and Brutus’. In this drama, Bullinger propounds the first steps towards the development of his federal theory of politics by advancing the idea of oath-taking as the mechanism for transforming the monarchy into a Christian republic. The idea of oath-taking was destined to become a most important device in early modern politics, used to combat tyranny and to promote the idea of republicanism.

Martin Luther, Islam, and the Ottoman Turks

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam S. Francisco
Keyword(s):  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Spiritual Disciplines ◽  
Danube River ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
Tremendous Amount ◽  
Military Campaigns ◽  
The Military ◽  
Danube River Basin

The geographical extension of Islam into Christian lands generated a wide variety of responses and a tremendous amount of consternation amidst its subject and neighboring populations. This was the case in the early centuries of Islam as well as the age of Ottoman expansion into Europe at the time of the Protestant reformation. Just as the conflict between Martin Luther and the papacy was beginning, the issue of how Europe should respond to the military campaigns of the Turks in Hungary became increasingly paramount. Luther was initially aloof to the matter. But the farther the Turks moved up the Danube River basin toward Vienna, and the more he heard about the pope clamoring for a crusade and German preachers expressing ambivalence toward and sometimes preference for the Turk, the more he was pressed to address the issue of war with the Ottomans. Unsurprisingly, given his view of the secular realm, he came out strongly in favor of war, for in his mind it was just. He continued to support every preparation for it so long as it was not construed as a crusade. He also believed that physical warfare was not enough. It had to be accompanied by the spiritual disciplines of prayer and repentance. About the time of the siege of Vienna, Luther also began to view the Turkish threat as an apocalyptic threat. He was convinced that the rise of the Turks was foretold in the eschatological prophecies in scripture, especially Daniel 7. He also believed that, while the Turks would be successful for a time, their days were numbered as the last days were soon approaching. Until then, Christians needed to be warned about the dangers of Islam. He had heard and read that many Christians who ended up in the Ottoman Empire eventually became Muslims. So he spent most of his energy in writing about and inquiring into the theology and culture of the Turks for the purpose of encouraging and equipping Christians to resist it. Some of his work was practical and pastoral. His later work was polemical and apologetical. Throughout it all, he remained committed to making as much information on Islam available as possible. This culminated in his involvement in the publication of a Latin translation of the Qur’ān in 1543, a work that was included in the first collection of texts relating to Islam to ever be printed.

Revising Biblical Translation: Luther's Lexical Choices in Matthew between 1522 (Septembertestament) and 1545, Compared with the Greek Source Text

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-246
Author(s):  
Geoffrey S. Koby
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Gospel Of Matthew ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Source Text ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Greek Source ◽  
Biblical Translation ◽  
Over Time

After Martin Luther first translated and published the New Testament in 1522, he immediately began the work of revision—work that would last through his lifetime and beyond. Working with a group of biblical scholars, he made thousands of changes to the text, continuing until his death in 1546. Although some critics have seen Luther's earlier language as vulgar and coarse—particularly in the Gospels— and have suggested that he refined his language over time, others suggest that a more differentiated view is necessary. This article examines the lexical differences in the Gospel of Matthew between the Septembertestament of 1522 and the last Bible published during Luther's lifetime, in 1545. Major lexical changes are compared with the Greek source text, and assigned to three major classes: (I) changes that bring the translation closer to the original Greek meaning; (II) changes that diverge from a close rendering of the source text, for comprehension or esthetic reasons; and (III) changes that are neutral with regard to the source, originating from target language (German) considerations. Most major changes arise from either the source text or understandability considerations. The original lexical choices in the 1522 version are not as coarse or extreme as some have suggested.

scholarly journals ESPIRITUALIDADES PLURAIS DA REFORMA

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Cláudio Oliveira Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Protestant Reformation ◽  
Community Life ◽  
Creative Potential ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Political Views ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The Creation

RESUMO: A pesquisa centrou-se na análise do percurso teológico da Reforma Protestante, enfatizando a pluralidade dela, as visões politicamente distintas entre seus protagonistas como Martinho Lutero, João Calvino e Thomas Müntzer, e as práticas e espiritualidades igualmente distintas até os dias de hoje. Metodologicamente, seguimos a noção da história como interpretação e o potencial criativo dos entre-lugares culturais, valorizando os aspectos utópicos que possam ser reforçados pela avaliação histórica. Os resultados da pesquisa destacaram alguns desses aspectos como: (i) o valor teológico da dimensão ecumênica, (ii) os processos de renovação eclesial, dentro e fora do contexto protestante, (iii) a criação e o fortalecimento de vida comunitária e crítica, dentro dos parâmetros teológicos da Reforma. Eles devem ser analisados levando-se em consideração as peculiaridades do contexto brasileiro e latino-americano em geral em suas diferentes dimensões.ABSTRACT: The research focused on the analysis of the theological path of the Protestant Reformation, highlighting its plurality, the varied political views among its protagonists, such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and Thomas Müntzer, and the equally different practices and spiritualities of today. Methodologically we followed the notion of history as interpretation and the creative potential of the cultural in-between places, valuing the utopian aspects that might be reinforced by the historical evaluation. The research results highlighted some of these aspects, such as (i) the theological value of the ecumenical dimension, (ii) the processes of ecclesial renewal, inside and outside the Protestant context, and (iii) the creation and strengthening of community life, within the theological parameters of the Reformation. They are to be analyzed taking into consideration the peculiarities of Brazilian and Latin American contexts in their varied dimensions.

scholarly journals Whither Religious Moderation? The State and Management of Religious Affairs in Contemporary Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismatu Ropi
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Religious Toleration ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Religious Texts ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Religious Symbolism ◽  
Middle Way ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Religious Liberalism ◽  
The Government

The extent of religious values and symbols in encompassing the direction of Indonesian nation-state from the beginning of modern Indonesian history was the most popular determinant contestation in Indonesian political activism along with the emergence of the new sentiments of nationalism and anti-colonialism.  Following the embracement Pancasila, Indonesia would be neither a secular state in which religion was absolutely separated from the state nor a religious one where the state was organized on one particular faith.  Bearing in mind that religion is very important in the state system, the state normatively defines its role in the religious affair, as clearly outlines in the Constitution, paving the way for the government to take religious affairs as part of its service. For many decades, the government is very active in promoting religious toleration among the communities given to the heterogeneities of religious groups in Indonesia. Following the Reformation era, Indonesia has witnessed new waves of religious revivalism, putting religious symbols into the center of the stage.  To some extends, this such revivalism tends to undermine differences within particular religious groups glorifying the supremacy of a particular religious outlook and practices and opposing a more tolerant and inclusive understanding of religion. In turn, it also leads to rejecting the notion of a peaceful co-existence between different faith-based communities.  At the same time, Indonesia also witnesses the emergence of religious liberalism undermining the meaning of religious symbolism, ignoring the basic norms that have been preserved in religious texts. It seems imperative, therefore, for the government to promote the middle way in understanding and practicing religious life in Indonesia. This is the essence of religious moderation in contemporary Indonesia.

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