DOCSLIB.ORG

'The Breath Returns to God Who Gave

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
'The Breath Returns to God Who Gave ‘The Breath Returns to God Who Gave It’ The Doctrine of the Soul’s Immortality in Sixteenth-Century German Lutheran Theology A dissertation presented by ITTZÉS Gábor to The Faculty of Harvard Divinity School in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology in the Subject of Theology Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts April 2008 © 2008 – ITTZÉS Gábor All rights reserved. To my mother and to the memory of my father Abstract This study examines the development of a new Lutheran doctrine of the soul’s immortality in the course of the sixteenth century. After a brief sketch of the medieval and Renaissance background, I begin with Luther, whose eschatological thought has been much scrutinised, but without producing a lasting scholarly consensus. Against widely different recent interpretations, I argue that Luther’s apophaticism and emphasis on the unspeakability and ungraspability of the post-mortem state should be recognised. Against a popular mid- twentieth-century theological position that sharply juxtaposed the resurrection of the body with the immortality of the soul, and attributed the same conviction to Luther, it must be affirmed that the Reformer saw the latter doctrine entailed in the former, and he understood both insights as articles of faith, of which reason could never be certain. Analysing revisions between his Commentarius and Liber de anima, I show that Melanchthon’s mature position was that the immortality of the soul could be recognised by reason without revelation, while belief in the resurrection of the body was a privilege of faith. Melanchthon’s return to Aristotle and his admission of reason, however, must be seen in the context of a Lutheran law–gospel dialectic, and should not be regarded as compromising the older Reformer’s theology. In the second half of the sixteenth century, German Lutheran authors, including Melchior Specker, Andreas Musculus, Basilius Faber, Martin Mirus, David Chyträus and others produced a remarkably coherent body of literature in which they affirmed the soul’s immortality. Superficially, the new orthodoxy seems closer to Lateran V than to Luther, but that is not the case. While patristic ideas and other factors were also in play, the three most profoundly formative influences shaping the work of second and third-generation Reformation theologians originated with Luther, Melanchthon, and a confessional commitment against the Catholic doctrine of purgatory. Philosophically, later-sixteenth- v Abstract vi century authors were all students of Melanchthon. Theologically, however, Luther exerted a more profound influence on them, which I demonstrate by examining their arguments and prooftexts in general, and their treatment of three questions—soul sleep, knowledge of the righteous dead, and the appearance of departed souls on earth—in particular. The dissertation concludes with some reflections on the functions and consequences of the doctrine. Contents Abstract.................................................................................................................................................. v Contents .............................................................................................................................................. vii List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................ x Notes on Citation and Transcription ............................................................................................. xiii Abbreviations......................................................................................................................................xv Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................................xvii Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 1 1. Delimiting the research .....................................................................................................1 2. From Luther to the end of the century...........................................................................6 3. The medieval background.................................................................................................8 4. On the eve of the Reformation......................................................................................16 1 Luther...........................................................................................................................................20 1.1 The Ganztodthese in the context of twentieth-century Luther reception...................20 1.2 Luther on Lateran V........................................................................................................27 1.3 Aristotle and the soul’s immortality ..............................................................................37 1.4 Immortality as an article of faith....................................................................................44 1.5 Abraham’s and Jacob’s death in the Lectures on Genesis...............................................51 1.6 Soul sleep and the Zwischenzustand .................................................................................58 1.7 A persistently inexpressible reality.................................................................................64 2 Melanchthon................................................................................................................................71 2.1 Luther, Melanchthon, and Aristotle..............................................................................72 2.2 Speeches on philosophy..................................................................................................76 2.3 Philosophy and theology.................................................................................................83 2.4 Commentarius and Liber.....................................................................................................87 vii Contents viii 2.5 The soul’s immortality in De anima................................................................................92 2.6 Arguments for immortality.............................................................................................95 2.7 Aristotle, immortality, and resurrection......................................................................101 3 Later-Sixteenth-Century Authors and Texts ........................................................................106 3.1 Matthias Tacius, Ein Predigt von der vnsterbligkeit der Seelen (1556) .............................107 3.2 Melchior Specker, Vom Leiblichen Todt (1560)............................................................109 3.3 Andreas Musculus, Gelegenheit/ Thun vnd Wesen der Verstorbenen (1565)..................112 3.4 Basilius Faber, Tractetlein von den Seelen der verstorbenen (1569)....................................114 3.5 Johannes Garcaeus, Jr., Sterbbüchlein (1573)................................................................118 3.6 David Chyträus, Sr., De morte et vita æterna (1581–1582) ...........................................121 3.7 Martin Mirus, Sieben Christliche Predigten (1590)...........................................................125 3.8 Moses Pflacher, Die gantze Lehr Vom Tod vnd Absterben des Menschen (1582)...........129 3.9 Gregor Weiser, Christlicher Bericht (1583).....................................................................132 3.10 Bartholomaeus Frölich, Seelen Trost (1590).................................................................134 3.11 Friedrich Roth, Fünff trösliche vnd nützliche Predigten (1591) ........................................136 3.12 Authors and texts: summary overview........................................................................139 4 The Later-Sixteenth-Century Corpus ....................................................................................147 4.1 Structural parallels between Specker, Garcaeus, and Faber.....................................147 4.2 Textual borrowing..........................................................................................................165 4.3 Musculus between Specker and Garcaeus..................................................................176 4.4 Mirus, Pflacher, and Weiser..........................................................................................183 4.5 The Mirus group and the Speckerian tradition..........................................................192 4.6 Tacius, Chyträus, Frölich, Roth, and the limits of the Speckerian trajectory........204 5 The Immortality Doctrine in the Later Sixteenth Century.................................................209 5.1 The core doctrine and its context................................................................................209 5.2 Dwelling places of departed souls ...............................................................................215 5.3 Rational arguments for the immortality of the soul..................................................222 5.4 Theological arguments in the 1560s............................................................................227 5.5 Argumentation after Mirus...........................................................................................233 5.6 Sleep and death...............................................................................................................237
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Philip Melanchthon and the Historical Luther by Ralph Keen 7 2 Philip Melanchthon’S History of the Life and Acts of Dr Martin Luther Translated by Thomas D
    VANDIVER.cvr 29/9/03 11:44 am Page 1 HIS VOLUME brings By placing accurate new translations of these two ‘lives of Luther’ side by side, Vandiver together two important Luther’s T and her colleagues have allowed two very contemporary accounts of different perceptions of the significance of via free access the life of Martin Luther in a Luther to compete head to head. The result is as entertaining as it is informative, and a Luther’s confrontation that had been postponed for more than four powerful reminder of the need to ensure that secondary works about the Reformation are hundred and fifty years. The first never displaced by the primary sources. of these accounts was written imes iterary upplement after Luther’s death, when it was rumoured that demons had seized lives the Reformer on his deathbed and dragged him off to Hell. In response to these rumours, Luther’s friend and colleague, Downloaded from manchesterhive.com at 09/25/2021 06:33:04PM Philip Melanchthon wrote and Elizabeth Vandiver, Ralph Keen, and Thomas D. Frazel - 9781526120649 published a brief encomium of the Reformer in . A completely new translation of this text appears in this book. It was in response to Melanchthon’s work that Johannes Cochlaeus completed and published his own monumental life of Luther in , which is translated and made available in English for the first time in this volume. After witnessing Luther’s declaration before Charles V at the Diet of Worms, Cochlaeus had sought out Luther and debated with him. However, the confrontation left him convinced that Luther was an impious and —Bust of Luther, Lutherhaus, Wittenberg.
    [Show full text]
  • Durham Research Online
    Durham Research Online Deposited in DRO: 04 May 2017 Version of attached le: Accepted Version Peer-review status of attached le: Peer-reviewed Citation for published item: Ryrie, Alec (2016) 'The nature of spiritual experience.', in The Oxford handbook of the Protestant Reformations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 47-63. Oxford handbooks in history. Further information on publisher's website: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199646920.013.3 Publisher's copyright statement: This is a draft of a chapter that was accepted for publication by Oxford University Press in the book 'The Oxford Handbook of the Protestant Reformations' edited by Ulinka Rublack and published in 2016. Additional information: Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Durham University Library, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LY, United Kingdom Tel : +44 (0)191 334 3042 | Fax : +44 (0)191 334 2971 https://dro.dur.ac.uk The Nature of Spiritual Experience ABSTRACT This article surveys the question of how early Protestantism was experienced by its practitioners, using the perspective of the history of emotions.
    [Show full text]
  • Competing Views of Original Sin and Associated Arguments and Meanings
    CHAPTER TWO COMPETING VIEWS OF ORIGINAL SIN AND ASSOCIATED ARGUMENTS AND MEANINGS The dispute over the definition of original sin, or more precisely, Matthias Flacius Illyricus’s1 controversial explanation of this doctrine, originated at the University of Jena in 1560 among the highest levels of the Lutheran academic world. It did not enter the territory of Mansfeld until a decade later. There it first claimed the attention of those clerics who operated in intellectual circles that went beyond the territory’s borders. But divisions within this ecclesiastical leadership soon spread throughout the territory’s entire pastorate. It may seem strange to begin a discussion of lay religiosity with elite theologians debating abstract points of doctrine in ivory towers. But in order to understand why the laity of Mansfeld became deeply involved in the controversy, it is important to start at the beginning with the central intellectual premise, and work outward to the various meanings and connotations it came to encompass. Only then can the laity’s association with one side or the other begin to make sense. The assumption here is that a purely intellectual weighing of the validity of the two definitions of original sin was not the only aspect of the debate 1 Matthias Flacius Illyricus (1520–1575) was born in Croatia, but studied in Venice, Basel, and Tübingen, before matriculating in Wittenberg in 1541. He eventu- ally became a professor of Hebrew there, where he was influenced by both Luther and Melanchthon, the former particularly with regard to pastoral care, the latter with regard to theology. After Emperor Charles V’s defeat of the Lutheran princes in the Schmalkald War (1547), as Melanchthon was urging a conciliatory policy, Flacius took up the banner of complete resistance.
    [Show full text]
  • Peter Canisius and the Protestants a Model of Ecumenical Dialogue?
    journal of jesuit studies 1 (2014) 373-399 brill.com/jjs Peter Canisius and the Protestants A Model of Ecumenical Dialogue? Hilmar M. Pabel Department of History, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada [email protected] Abstract Some modern interpreters have incorrectly suggested that Peter Canisius was an ecumenist before his time. Their insistence on his extraordinary kindness towards Protestants does not stand the test of the scrutiny of the relevant sources. An analysis of Canisius’s advice on how Jesuits should deal with “heretics” in Germany, of his catechisms, and of his polemical works reveals a typical Catholic controversialist of the Reformation era. Canisius was disposed to display hostility, more than good will, to Protestants. Keywords Peter Canisius – Protestants – Reformation – apologetics Introduction: The Celebration of a Saint Peter Canisius’s path to canonization was a long one. He died in 1597. The for- mal ecclesiastical process to declare him a saint began in 1625, but his beatifica- tion, solemnly pronounced by Pope Pius IX, had to wait until 1864.1 In Militantis ecclesiae (1897), Pope Leo XIII marked the 300th anniversary of Canisius’s death by hailing him as “the second apostle of Germany.” St. Boniface, the eighth- century Anglo-Saxon missionary, was the first. Pius XI not only canonized Canisius in 1925; he also declared him a doctor of the universal church.2 This 1 Forian Rieß, Der selige Petrus Canisius aus der Gesellschaft Jesu (Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, 1865), 552, 554. 2 Otto Braunsberger, “Sanctus Petrus Canisius Doctor Ecclesiae,” Gregorianum 6 (1925): 338. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2014 | doi 10.1163/22141332-00103002Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 04:37:36AM via free access <UN> 374 Pabel was a rare distinction, as Yves de la Brière reported two weeks later in the Jesuit journal Études.
    [Show full text]
  • Concordia Journal Concordia Concordia Spring 2010 Journal Volume 36 | Number 2
    Concordia Journal COncordia Spring 2010 Journal volume 36 | number 2 Spring 2010 volume 36 | Toward a Theology of the Scriptures: number Looking Back to Look Forward Inspiration and Inerrancy—Some Preliminary Thoughts 2 Seven Theses on Reformation Hermeneutics The New Testament Canon in the Lutheran Dogmaticians COncordia Journal (ISSN 0145-7233) publisher Faculty Dale A. Meyer David Adams Bruce Hartung Paul Raabe President Charles Arand Erik Herrmann Victor Raj Andrew Bartelt Jeffrey Kloha Paul Robinson Executive EDITOR David Berger R. Reed Lessing Robert Rosin William W. Schumacher Joel Biermann David Lewis Timothy Saleska Dean of Theological Gerhard Bode Richard Marrs Leopoldo Sánchez M. Research and Publication Kent Burreson David Maxwell David Schmitt EDITOR William Carr, Jr. Dale Meyer Bruce Schuchard Travis J. Scholl Anthony Cook Glenn Nielsen William Schumacher Managing Editor of Timothy Dost Joel Okamoto William Utech Theological Publications Thomas Egger Jeffrey Oschwald James Voelz Jeffrey Gibbs David Peter Robert Weise EDITORial assistant Melanie Appelbaum assistants Carol Geisler All correspondence should be sent to: Rev. Travis Scholl Joel Haak CONCORDIA JOURNAL James Prothro 801 Seminary Place St. Louis, Missouri 63105 [email protected] Issued by the faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, the Concordia Journal is the successor of Lehre und Wehre (1855-1929), begun by C. F. W. Walther, a founder of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Lehre und Wehre was absorbed by the Concordia Theological Monthly (1930-1972) which was also pub- lished by the faculty of Concordia Seminary as the official theological periodical of the Synod. The Concordia Journal is abstracted in Internationale Zeitschriftenschau für Bibelwissenschaft unde Grenzgebiete, New Testament Abstracts.Old Testament Abstracts, and Religious and Theological Abstracts.
    [Show full text]
  • Philip Melanchthon in the Writings of His Polish Contemporaries
    ODRODZENIE I REFORMACJA W POLSCE ■ SI 2017 ■ PL ISSN 0029-8514 Janusz Tazbir Philip Melanchthon in the Writings of his Polish Contemporaries Over thirty years ago Oskar Bartel, a distinguished scholar of the history of the Polish Reformation, bemoaned how little was known about the relations between preceptor Germaniae and the movement. In an article about the familiarity with Melanchthon, both as person and his oeuvre, in Poland, Bartel wrote: “wir besitzen einige Werke, meist Broschüren über Luther, Calvin, sogar Hus und Zwingli, aber ich habe keine über Melanchton gefunden”.1 Bartel’s article provided a recapitulation, if somewhat incomplete, of the state of research at the time, and essentially stopped at the death of the Reformer. There- fore, in this study I would like to point to the results of the last thirty years of research, on the one hand, and highlight the post-mortem impact of Melanchthon’s writings and the reflection of his person in the memories of the next generations, on the other. The new information about the contacts Melanchthon had with Poland that has come to light since the 1960s is scattered across a number of articles or monographs; there is to date no separate study devoted to the German Reformer. Only a handful of contributions have been published. No wonder therefore that twenty years after the publication of Bartel’s article, Roman Nir begins his study of corre- spondence between Melanchthon and Krzycki thus: “Relatively little 1 O. Bartel, “Luther und Melanchton in Polen,” in: Luther und Melanchton. Refe­ rate und Berichte des Zweiten Internationalen Kongress für Lutherforschung, Münster, 8.–13.
    [Show full text]
  • Defending Faith
    Spätmittelalter, Humanismus, Reformation Studies in the Late Middle Ages, Humanism and the Reformation herausgegeben von Volker Leppin (Tübingen) in Verbindung mit Amy Nelson Burnett (Lincoln, NE), Berndt Hamm (Erlangen) Johannes Helmrath (Berlin), Matthias Pohlig (Münster) Eva Schlotheuber (Düsseldorf) 65 Timothy J. Wengert Defending Faith Lutheran Responses to Andreas Osiander’s Doctrine of Justification, 1551– 1559 Mohr Siebeck Timothy J. Wengert, born 1950; studied at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN), Duke University; 1984 received Ph. D. in Religion; since 1989 professor of Church History at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. ISBN 978-3-16-151798-3 ISSN 1865-2840 (Spätmittelalter, Humanismus, Reformation) Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2012 by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher’s written permission. This applies particularly to reproduc- tions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was typeset by Martin Fischer in Tübingen using Minion typeface, printed by Gulde- Druck in Tübingen on non-aging paper and bound Buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier. Printed in Germany. Acknowledgements Thanks is due especially to Bernd Hamm for accepting this manuscript into the series, “Spätmittelalter, Humanismus und Reformation.” A special debt of grati- tude is also owed to Robert Kolb, my dear friend and colleague, whose advice and corrections to the manuscript have made every aspect of it better and also to my doctoral student and Flacius expert, Luka Ilic, for help in tracking down every last publication by Matthias Flacius.
    [Show full text]
  • 500Th Anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation
    500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LUTHERAN REFORMATION L LU ICA TH EL ER G A N N A S V Y E N E O H D T LUTHERAN SYNOD QUARTERLY VOLUME 57 • NUMBERS 2 & 3 JUNE & SEPTEMBER 2017 The journal of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary ISSN: 0360-9685 LUTHERAN SYNOD QUARTERLY VOLUME 57 • NUMBERS 2 & 3 JUNE & SEPTEMBER 2017 The journal of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary LUTHERAN SYNOD QUARTERLY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF........................................................... Gaylin R. Schmeling BOOK REVIEW EDITOR ......................................................... Michael K. Smith LAYOUT EDITOR ................................................................. Daniel J. Hartwig PRINTER ......................................................... Books of the Way of the Lord The Lutheran Synod Quarterly (ISSN: 0360-9685) is edited by the faculty of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary 6 Browns Court Mankato, Minnesota 56001 The Lutheran Synod Quarterly is a continuation of the Clergy Bulletin (1941–1960). The purpose of the Lutheran Synod Quarterly, as was the purpose of the Clergy Bulletin, is to provide a testimony of the theological position of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and also to promote the academic growth of her clergy roster by providing scholarly articles, rooted in the inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures and the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Lutheran Synod Quarterly is published in March and December with a combined June and September issue. Subscription rates are $25.00 U.S. per year for domestic subscriptions and $35.00 U.S. per year for international subscriptions. All subscriptions and editorial correspondence should be sent to the following address: Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary Attn: Lutheran Synod Quarterly 6 Browns Ct Mankato MN 56001 Back issues of the Lutheran Synod Quarterly from the past two years are available at a cost of $10.00 per issue.
    [Show full text]
  • Johann Tetzel in Order to Pay for Expanding His Authority to the Electorate of Mainz
    THE IMAGE OF A FRACTURED CHURCH AT 500 YEARS CURATED BY DR. ARMIN SIEDLECKI FEB 24 - JULY 7, 2017 THE IMAGE OF A FRACTURED CHURCH AT 500 YEARS Five hundred years ago, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses, a series of statements and proposals about the power of indulgences and the nature of repentance, forgiveness and salvation. Originally intended for academic debate, the document quickly gained popularity, garnering praise and condemnation alike, and is generally seen as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. This exhibit presents the context of Martin Luther’s Theses, the role of indulgences in sixteenth century religious life and the use of disputations in theological education. Shown also are the early responses to Luther’s theses by both his supporters and his opponents, the impact of Luther’s Reformation, including the iconic legacy of Luther’s actions as well as current attempts by Catholics and Protestants to find common ground. Case 1: Indulgences In Catholic teaching, indulgences do not effect the forgiveness of sins but rather serve to reduce the punishment for sins that have already been forgiven. The sale of indulgences was initially intended to defray the cost of building the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome and was understood as a work of charity, because it provided monetary support for the church. Problems arose when Albert of Brandenburg – a cardinal and archbishop of Magdeburg – began selling indulgences aggressively with the help of Johann Tetzel in order to pay for expanding his authority to the Electorate of Mainz. 2 Albert of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz Unused Indulgence (Leipzig: Melchior Lotter, 1515?) 1 sheet ; 30.2 x 21 cm.
    [Show full text]
  • Musicalische Exequien
    BERNVOCAL Leitung: Fritz Krämer bernvocal.ch Heinrich Schütz (1 585–1 672) Musicalische Exequien PROGRAMM Fr 1 3.1 1 .201 5 20.00 Bern, Nydeggkirche Sa 1 4.1 1 .201 5 20.00 Biel, Stadtkirche So 1 5.1 1 .201 5 1 7.00 Fribourg, Couvent des Capucins PRO G RAM M Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener in Frieden fahren SWV 432 LUKAS 2, 29–32 Das ist je gewisslich wahr SWV 277 1 . TIMOTHEUS 1 , 1 5 Unser Wandel ist im Himmel SWV 390 PHILIPPER 3, 20–21 Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr SWV 387 [MARTIN SCHALLING] Gutes und Barmherzigkeit werden mir folgen SWV 95 PSALM 23, 6 Michael Praetorius (1 571 –1 621 ): Ballet (aus Terpsichore) Musicalische Exequien I. Konzert in Form einer deutschen Begräbnis-Missa SWV 279 Nacket bin ich von Mutterleibe kommen HIOB 1 , 21 Nacket werde ich wiederum dahin fahren HIOB 1 , 21 Herr Gott, Vater im Himmel [KYRIE I] Christus ist mein Leben PHILIPPER 1 , 21 ; JOHANNES 1 , 29 Jesu Christe, Gottes Sohn [CHRISTE] Leben wir, so leben wir dem Herren RÖMER 1 4, 8 Herr Gott, heiliger Geist [KYRIE II] Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt JOHANNES 3, 1 6 Auf dass alle, die an ihn gläuben JOHANNES 3, 1 6 Er sprach zu seinem lieben Sohn [MARTIN LUTHER 1 523] Das Blut Jesu Christi 1 . JOHANNES 1 , 7 Durch ihn ist uns vergeben [LUDWIG HELMBOLD 1 575] Unser Wandel ist im Himmel PHILIPPER 3, 20–21 Es ist allhier ein Jammertal [JOHANN LEON 1 592–98] Wenn eure Sünde gleich blutrot wäre JESAJA 1 , 1 8 Sein Wort, sein Tauf, sein Nachtmahl [LUDWIG HEMBOLD 1 575] Gehe hin, mein Volk JESAJA 26, 20 Der Gerechten Seelen sind in Gottes Hand WEISHEIT 3, 1 –3 Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe PSALM 73, 25 Wenn mir gleich Leib und Seele verschmacht PSALM 73, 26 Er ist das Heil und selig Licht [MARTIN LUTHER 1 524] Unser Leben währet siebenzig Jahr PSALM 90, 1 0 Ach, wie elend [JOHANNES GIGAS 1 566] Ich weiss, dass mein Erlöser lebt HIOB 1 9, 25–26 Weil du vom Tod erstanden bist [NIKOLAUS HERMAN 1 560] Herr, ich lasse dich nicht 1 .
    [Show full text]
  • Many Witnesses, One Lord by William Barclay
    Many Witnesses, One Lord return to religion-online 2656 Many Witnesses, One Lord by William Barclay William Barclay has also written A New Testament Wordbook, More New Testament Words, Letters To The Seven Churches, The Master’s Men, and Flesh and Spirit, The Mind Of Jesus, Crucified and Crowned, and Jesus As They Saw Him. This material prepared for Religion-Online by Paul Mobley. (ENTIRE BOOK) This book is primarily about the writers of the New testament, and emphasizes their differences in personality and actions, yet their single attention to Christ. Chapter 1: Many Ways To God In approaching many ways to God Barclay sets out four conceptions of religion, plus personal experience and temperament. Chapter 2: The Synoptic Gospels The Gospel sets forth the God of old as King and judge, then into the Christian era as loving, yet still as the king and judge. Thus God has not changed. Only His plan for man has changed. Chapter 3: John John and the Gospel of John are explored noting that John did not do any writing until about AD 100. John, in his book, tells about the personal Jesus, writing to both Gentile and Jew. Chapter 4: Paul Barclay casts Paul’s writings as issuing from faith. He then proceeds to show why. Chapter 5: The Letter To The Hebrews The author shows us the "draw near to God" approach taken in the Hebrew letter. The idea is a new and free approach to God through Jesus Christ. Chapter 6: James Even though the Book of James has been contested in the past, it is yet a book that could have been written yesterday.
    [Show full text]
  • On Interest and Usury*
    Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 22, Number 2 (Fall 2019): 557–596 Copyright © 2019 On Interest Johann Gerhard * and Usury Translated by Richard J. Dinda Whether we should tolerate interest on borrowed money in the state. § 232. The second question1 is whether we should tolerate interest on bor- rowed money in the state. **How shameful and detestable this practice is becomes clear (1) from the authority of Him who forbids it; (2) from the nastiness of the sin, which conflicts with the Seventh Commandment and therefore is theft; (3) from the seriousness of the loss, for usury is so called from “biting” and “gnawing” because it consumes * Johann Gerhard, Commonplace XXVII, On Political Magistracy, in Locorum Theologi- corum Cum Pro Adstruenda Veritate, Tum Pro Destruenda quorumvis contradicen- tium falsitate, per These nervose, solide & copiose explicatorum Tomus Sextus: In quo continentur haec Capita: 26. De Ministerio Ecclesiastico. 27. De Magistratu Politico (Jena: Tobias Steinmann, 1619), pp. 911–45; reprint, Loci Theologici Cum Pro Adstruenda Veritate Tum Pro Destruenda Quorumvis Contradicentium Falsitate Per Theses Nervose Solide Et Copiose Explicati … Tomus Sextus (Berlin: Gust. Schlawitz, 1868), pp. 388–402. Copyright © 2019 Concordia Publishing House, www.cph.org. All rights reserved. On the English translation of Gerhard’s Theological Commonplaces, see www.cph.org/gerhard. In this translation, all Gerhard’s original in-text references have been retained. All footnotes are the work of the editors. 1 The question on interest and usury (§§ 232–56) falls within Gerhard’s consideration of various matters of civil law in a Christian state. The preceding question (§ 231) concerns the establishment of places of refuge for asylum seekers.
    [Show full text]