Caspar Schwenckfeld's Commentary on the Augsburg Confession
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Wilfrid Laurier University Scholars Commons @ Laurier Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) 1980 Caspar Schwenckfeld’s Commentary on the Augsburg Confession: A Translation and Critical Introduction Fred A. Grater Wilfrid Laurier University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd Part of the Christianity Commons, and the History of Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Grater, Fred A., "Caspar Schwenckfeld’s Commentary on the Augsburg Confession: A Translation and Critical Introduction" (1980). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 1416. https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/1416 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) by an authorized administrator of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CASPAR SCHWENCKFELD'S COMMENTARY ON THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION A TRANSLATION AND CRITICAL INTRODUCTION By Fred A. Grater B.A. Albright College, 1965 M.S. in L.S. Drexel University, 1967 THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree Wilfrid Laurler University 19* 0 UMI Number: EC56338 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent on the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. JUMT_ Dissertation Publishing UMI EC56338 Copyright 2012 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 .^^-^\^i^mtasm»m^msiim^i^JM-i,A''3iS^/mm>^^$&&&it&&^^te2&& ^Ss^>*eiw3w*f &#&• « ^i^^m^^n^-i^^is^^ :s£s»s.4te- ABSTRACT Grater, Fred Alexander, Caspar Schwenckfeld's Commentary on the Augsburg Confessions A Translation and Critical Introduction. The purpose of this thesis is to present a scholarly English translation, with appropriate background matter and historlco-theological material, of Caspar von Schwenckfeld's Commentary on the Augsburg Confession, written sometime during or after Autumn, 1531• There is a brief biographical chapter, as well as short chapters on Schwenckfeld's relationship with Luther and Felanchthon, and a synopsis of Schwenckfeld's theology, with special emphasis on themes presented in this Commentary (religious liberty, concept of the Church). The text of Document 10^ of the Corpus Schwenckfeldlanorum (Vol. Ill, pp. 362-9^0, No. 5^ in the so-called "P" Splstolar) is translated with notes and comments. Three appendices are added to round out the thesis: 1. Paul Gerhard Eberlein's article "Schwenckfelds Urtell uber die Augsburger Confession," from the Jahrbuch ftir schleslsche Kirche und Klrchen- geschlchte (1955)» pp. 5q-6Q, is translated Into English for the first time. 2. An excerpt from Christian August Salig's Vollstandlge Historle der Augsburgischen Confession. (Bd. Ill, pp. 984-3) is also translated for the first time. 3. A brief consideration of Schwenckfeld's use of St. John Chrysostom is added to conclude the presentation. ja»iat«a-Mrr--'"~-a***4*-WM*a",a- •tJi-^-«"»"«J«W^.v.~ ^ .. ....«»..»?%J..ar^i^aAMtM^-jt1:-.-^ - . - ii CONTENTS Preface Chapter I A Sketch of the Life of Schwenckfeld 1 Chapter II Schwenckfeld's Relationships with Luther and Melanchthon 12 Chapter III Schwenckfeld's Theology: An Overview 19 Chapter IV Schwenckfeld's Commentary on the Augsburg Confession: Historical and Theological Considerations 30 Translation of Schwenckfeld's Commentary Salutation 4? That God in Matters Pertaining to Religion Does not give Everything All at Once or at One Time. ^9 May Anything in the Scriptures or Pertaining to Divine Truth be Surrendered in the Name of Peace. 53 Christian Faith is a Free Gift of God: Hence, it must not Suffer any Compulsion. 60 The Difference Between the Worship of God in the Old and New Testaments, of the Law and of the Gospel. 6l How the External Worship of God is Viewed from the Standpoint of the New Testament, and Why it was Instituted. 64 On the Apostasy of the Church. 65 That in Christianity Christian freedom must be Maintained above all other things. 63 What the Augsburg Confession Contains Re garding Christian Freedom. 73 t *»> ^ ','*«,*m***U*«,u<ut,MM«.f*^*.\m*~*UlZ^**T.£*rl'*«,* .4- , T ,,„• r., . „ ...i,..! , r*ft,.-.,^ ,^».i|..^..^|t„;tftIJWl<ft^„. Jajflt.|(rtfTWJahMiJ^M. v-^^w.^^>tt ..SK^.**.- , ^^ it.*.,, ,^ *i.* ^^^yb^^f Whether Christian Freedom Extends to the Ceremonies, Sacraments, or Church Usages Which Christ Himself has Instituteed . 74 The First Article of the Augs burg Confession 39 Examination 90 The Second Article 91 Examination 92 The Third Article 94 Examination 95 The Fourth Article 99 Examination 99 The Fifth Article 106 Examination 106 The Sixth Article 113 Examination 114 The Seventh Article 120 Examination 120 The Eighth Article 136 Examination 136 On the Christian Church 140 The Service and Servants of the Church 146 The Ninth Article 15^ Examination 159 The Tenth Article 161 Examination 161 The Eleventh Article 162 Examination 162 The Twelfth Article 163 Examination 164 1 ||(... m..., .JajtlJ..'TO.1ift.^^•^-^aa^^e^-i*^^'-'-^..., ^ •>, ..^^.^^^^^^-^-AS-g^-^e"^^, g%.^. v...^^^^f^^^^^^,^a^^^^4a..->*-^t.ga;...-...^^.^..^..-^ .-.^J^-^yj.^ -*^WLAH* * iv The Thirteenth Article 165 Examination 166 The Fourteenth Article 163 Examination 16P The Fifteenth Article 170 Examination 171 The Sixteenth Article 172 Examination 172 The Seventeenth Article 174 Examination 174 The Eighteenth Article 175 Examination 175 The Nineteenth Article 17q Examination 179 The Twentieth Article lp0 .Examination 1^0 The Twenty-First Article 135 Examination 135 Notes to the Translation 189 Appendix I Salig's Comments on the Commentary 202 Translator's Notes on Salig's Comments 213 Appendix II Eberlein's "Schwenckfeld's Urteil 214 fiber die Augsburgische Confession." 232 Eberlein's Notes on his Article 237 Translator's Notes to Eberlein's Article Appendix III Schwenckfeld's Use of Chrysostom 23s before 1531. Bibliography 240 v PREFACE Caspar von Schwenckfeld, Freiherr (Baron) von Osslg remains today as enigmatic and little-known a figure as he was in his own lifetime. His writings have been edited, his ideas (in part) analyzed, and his biography written, yet he remains virtually unknown even to the scholars of the Reformation Era. The cause of this neglect must be sought, I think, in the fact that his words, though edited, are still in a dialect of a very foreign language—a German no longer old, yet not new, a German in transition, being reshaped and refashioned by new experiences and a new sense of religious and philosophical inquiry. Schwenckfeld as a prolific and profound writer was helping to shape this new language, even as his own thought was being shaped by the limitations his language inevitably Imposed on him. Such terms as gelassenhelt (resignation), stlllstand (suspension, as of a sacrament), and erkenntniss (knowledge gained by experience) were being filled with new and deeper meanings as his thought developed and progressed. This thesis, thus, has as its aim and object the presentation of a scholarly translation of a "Commentary" on the Augsburg Confession by Caspar von Schwenckfeld, vi Freiherr von Ossig who became the spiritual leader of the small band of dissenting German Protestants who came ultimately to bear his name. The problems of Schwenckfeldlan historiography are exemplified to a great degree by this commentary: we do not know when, where, or for whom it was written. All that we can say for certain is that Schwenckfeld wrote it some time after the autumn of 1531» for persons unnamed of the Catholic faith. It was likely written in the home of either Wolfgang Capito or Jacob Englemann in Strassburg, although this is not definite. Schwenckfeld may have been asked to provide a text for his correspondents, but even this is not certain. His rather cavalier attitude toward the reproduction of the text in his discussion of the later Articles may reflect the fact that this original purpose was no longer necessary, be cause of the text's previous publication and widespread distribution. I have undertaken to translate this text because it represents one of the few times in which a member of the "Radical" wing of the Reformation directly addressed 2 the "Magisterial" Reformers on their own terms, and, also, because of the eloquent appeal made in the text on behalf of religious toleration and the rights of private opinion. Here Schwenckfeld's challenge to confessionalIsm and en forced orthodoxy is both clear and compelling. His argu ments deserve to be remembered and considered by those on both sides of these thorny confessional questions today. My own knowledge of and appreciation for Lutheran vii Confessionalism are rather severely limited. I make no other apologies for the sketchiness of my treatment of these subjects. I see my function as that of presenting a clearly edited and intelligible translation. Those who seek for elaborate commentaries on the text will not find them here. Such commentaries as I provide are to elucidate and not unduly encumber the reading of the text itself. I believe that the text is its own best commentary, and that if I have done my work sufficiently well that the reader will be able to move through Schwenckfeld's arguments with understanding. Whether one agrees with them or not is not ultimately for me to say. It has, unfortunately, not been possible to check the accuracy of the Patristic citations (with a few exceptions indicated in the Notes). Therefore, I have simply supplied the sources as given in the Corpus Schwenckfeldlanorum. How well Schwenckfeld knew these sources is unclear (My own work in this area is alluded to in Appendix III.)? he appears to have studied Canon Law as part of his university training,-^ and he did edit a book of selections from the Canon Law in 1530 (at the same time the Augsburg Confession was being drafted!).