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Anabaptism Is Neither Catholic Nor Protestant Anabaptism is Neither Catholic nor Protestant © C. Prokhorov, 2004 Constantine PROKHOROV, Omsk, Russia INTRODUCTION his short article will begin with a simple statement: TEach person is unique. It is well known that no two identical people exist in the world. A human is a highly organized and psychologically complicated being. There fore, any union of people is also unique. Throughout all human history there have never existed two identical unions, societies, or churches. Of course, many similar organizations have existed, but none are identical. Each movement is not only different from every other, but is also not completely uniform internally. For example, the Constantine Prokhorov Roman Catholic Church was united nominally before the was born in 1966. He is a Reformation, but in practice contained widely differing graduate of North orders (such as the Augustinians, Dominicans, and Fran Kazakstan University ciscans), the opposing theological premises of scholasti and Odessa Theological cism and mysticism, and a variety of cultural traditions Seminary. He teaches Church History and (such as the distinctions of the Renaissance in the north Systematic Theology at ern and southern Alps). In this sense, Anabaptism was, of Western Siberian Bible course, a unique phenomenon, being neither Catholic nor College (Omsk, Russia). Protestant, and even each local Anabaptist congregation Prokhorov holds an MTh just as each congregation of Catholics, Lutherans, or degree in Baptist and Zwinglianswas without parallel. Anabaptist Studies, On the other hand, people are social beings, and so they University of Wales. He is the author of two usually sacrifice (voluntarily or involuntarily) some im books on history and portant features of their individuality for the sake of the theology. He is married collective body. Only because of this process can we gen and has three children. eralize and talk today about Catholicism, Protestantism, or Anabaptism as a whole. The majority of people are influenced by the most creative and charismatic religious or political leaders who are able to dominate the powerful competition in the marketplace of ideas in their country 146 Áîãîñëîâñêèå ðàçìûøëåíèÿ #4, 2004 Anabaptism is neither catholic nor protestant (province, town, company, or family). eignty and the rejection of human free Luther, Zwingli, Simons, Calvin, and will. Officially, the Roman Catholic others were such leaders during the Church held the Augustinian doc Reformation. Strong personalities trine of salvation by grace, but in influence the weak, but inasmuch as practice it drifted in the direction of people usually cannot understand or semiPelagianism.1 When Luther, agree with each other absolutely, early Melanchthon, Zwingli, and there is room for differences among Calvin revived the concept of double even likeminded persons. Thus, peo predestination,2 they acquired a pow ple are unique and similar at the same erful weapon in their spiritual fight time. In the same way, human societ against all the institutions of Rome. ies are unique and similar in any cen Indeed, what is the sense of magnifi tury. cent masses and sacraments, subordi In order to define Anabaptism in nation to the pope and all the church comparison to Catholicism and clas hierarchy, monastic asceticism, the sical (magisterial) Protestantism, the veneration of icons and relics, and so latter two should first be defined. on, if absolutely nothing could be This is not so easy. If we imagine changed in the eternally predeter them as proper fractions with a com mined question of a person's destina mon denominator (that is, the com tion as paradise or hell? Here is the mon Christian faith in the Holy Trin real root of all the subsequent doctri ity and the ancient creeds), what are nal distinctives between Catholics the "numerators" of Catholicism, and Protestants. Apparently even the Protestantism (in the form of Luthe famous slogans of sola fide and sola ranism and the Reformed Church) and, Scriptura are derived from this idea finally, Anabaptism in the sixteenth (sola gratia) and are therefore sec century? How great is the deviation ondary, because faith (fides) was usu between the numerators? Is the nu ally understood by the Protestant merator of Anabaptism nearer to theologians as a divine gift and nec Catholicism or to Protestantism? Is essary consequence of the operation the former comparable to the latter? of grace (gratia).3 Moreover, Scrip Is Anabaptism a variety of Protes ture (Scriptura) was not an exclusive tantism? This article will try to an ly "Protestant resource," but was of swer these questions. ten used successfully by the Catholics DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF 1 L. Berkhof, The History of Christian Doctrines, CATHOLICISM AND (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1991), 1389. PROTESTANTISM 2 This teaching is reflected in Luther's On the Bondage of the Will (1525), Melanchthon's Loci Apparently the deepest cause of all Communes (1521), Zwingli's On Providence the fundamental differences between (1519) and Commentary on True and False Religion (1525), and Calvin's Institutes of the Catholicism and classical Protestant Christian Religion (15361559). During this ism in the sixteenth century was the period a great number of Protestant theologians Reformed teaching of election, with followed this approach to soteriology. 3 J. I. Packer, "Faith," in The Evangelical its strong emphasis on God's sover Dictionary of Theology, 1991. Theological Reflections #4, 2004 147 Constantine Prokhorov to criticize Protestant teachings and in many countries of Europe by using to prove the importance of church the socalled "king factor," and the traditions and good works. The proof voluntary submission of their of any idea with the use of some skill churches to kings as "defenders of the fully selected biblical texts is noth faith" to counterbalance the pope. ing new. Biblia est mater hereti The situation flattered the kings, of corum,4 as the old Latin proverb goes. course. The pope could no longer com Scripture has a lot to say about hu mand them what to do from Rome, man free will. It is well known that or put political pressure on their the fathers of the Reformation often countries with his interdicts6 and disregarded such biblical texts, or in irate papal bulls. The authority of terpreted them artificially (such as the pope was undermined by the the apostle James' "faith without spread of Protestant views. The ba works is dead"). Therefore, it was not sis of Protestant daring was the sola Scriptura as much as favorite teaching on God's eternal election, biblical themes, such as God's sover which, in some sense, shifted Rome's eignty and election, that became the powerful influence to the periphery foundation of the theology of the new of religious life in sixteenthcentu Protestant churches. ry Europe. On that basis the first Protestants rejected the Roman Catholic Church, SIMILAR AND DISTINGUISHING proclaiming their wish to return to FEATURES OF ANABAPTISM AND the apostolic faith as they understood PROTESTANTISM (CATHOLICISM) it. It was only then that the Protes tants took the next logical steps, The weakness of the position of founding their own churches of the modern Mennonite scholars who "believing people of God" with the maintain that Anabaptism was a va "priesthood of all believers" and de riety of Protestantism ("radical," nying the papal hierarchy, masses, "sectarian," "third Reformation," monasticism, pilgrimages, prayers to "left wing," "stepchildren of the Ref the saints, fasting, holy water, and so ormation," etc.) is that the majority on.5 Thus, in practice, new national of the Anabaptists shared only one of churches were established, closely the three fundamental principles of linked to the power of kings and classical Protestantism: sola gratia, dukes. It is well known that the Prot sola fide, sola Scriptura.7 As a corol estants could pressure the Catholics lary, there were many theoretical 4 Latin: The Bible is the mother of heretics. to obey any demand of the pope. For instance, 5 D. F. Wright, "Protestantism," in The Pope Innocent III laid interdicts on the whole Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 1991. of France (in 1200) and England (in 1208), and 6 Interdicts (or temporary prohibitions of forced their kings to obey him absolutely. masses and sacraments) were a terrible weapon (Hristianstvo: Entsiklopedicheskiy slovar, 1995; of the popes in medieval Europe. People were Earl Cairns, Dorogami hristianstva [Moscow: frightened by locked churches, silenced bells, Protestant, 1992], 16970). unburied dead bodies, and infants left 7 It is entirely possible that Mennonite scholars unbaptized (the latter two punishments were would not agree with this appraisal. However, not always used), and they pressed their kings Robert Friedmann asserts, "to talk about the 148 Áîãîñëîâñêèå ðàçìûøëåíèÿ #4, 2004 Anabaptism is neither catholic nor protestant (theological) and practical differenc ing of salvation by grace through es between Protestants and Anabap faith in Jesus Christ alone.9 tists. Even the common principle sola Besides this, there were other char Scriptura could not draw their posi acteristic similarities between the tions closer8 because of the above Anabaptists and Catholics. For in mentioned problem, when the follow stance, they had a similar understand ers of every theological opinion tra ing of the leading role of the church ditionally go fishing in the boundless in salvation, although they had dif sea of Scripture for only one special ferent definitions of what constitutes sort of "fish," not much concerned the church. A classical Catholic max with seeing all the abundance of its im by Cyprian says, Extra ecclesiam treasure. Finally, the Anabaptists in non sit salus.10 This assertion could voluntarily retained some of the most also be applied to Anabaptist com important components of Roman munities. "Everything was subordi Catholic Church principles (though nate to the service of the community: they condemned "papistry" with the time, money, labor, gifts," writes J. most terrible quasibiblical expres A.
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