DOCSLIB.ORG

An “Online” Orthodox Catechism (Adapted from “The Mystery of Faith” by Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev –

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An “Online” Orthodox Catechism (Adapted from “The Mystery of Faith” by Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev – An “Online” Orthodox Catechism (adapted from “The Mystery of Faith” by Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev – http://en.hilarion.orthodoxia.org/5_1) Introduction: Dogma and spirituality Chapter 1: The Search for Faith What is faith? The call Conversion to God Philosophy in search of a supreme Good The Old Testament: Divine Revelation Chapter 2: God The word ‘God’ The Divine Names ‘Father’ as a Divine Name Cataphatic and apophatic theology Chapter 3: The Trinity The Mystery of the Trinity How to explain the Mystery of the Holy Trinity? Unity of love Chapter 4: Creation God the Creator The angels The origin of evil The evil-doer The universe The six days of creation Chapter 5: The Human Person The human person Image and likeness Soul and body Primordial humanity before the Fall The Fall Consequences of Adam’s sin Chapter 6: Christ Jesus Christ, the ‘New Adam’ The Christ of the Gospels: God and man The Christ of faith: one Person in two natures The unity of natures Two actions and two wills Redemption Chapter 7: The Church Church as the Kingdom of Christ The attributes of the Church The Church hierarchy Women in the Church The Mother of God and the Saints The holy icons The Cross Church time The Church and churches: divisions and reconciliation 1 Chapter 8: The Sacraments A life in the Sacraments Baptism Chrismation The Eucharist Penance Anointing with oil Marriage Priesthood Monasticism Chapter 9: Prayer and Chapter 10: Deification [not included online, but handouts available] Chapter 11: The Life of the Age to Come The end of history Death and resurrection The Last Judgment ‘What is Hell?’ ‘...A new heaven and a new earth’ INTRODUCTION: DOGMA AND SPIRITUALITY In our day there is a widely held view that religious dogmas are not compulsory but secondary: even if they still have a certain historical value, they are no longer vital for Christians. Moral and social agendas have become the main concern of many Christian communities, while theological issues are often neglected. The dissociation of dogma and morality, however, contradicts the very nature of religious life, which presupposes that faith should always be confirmed by deeds, and vice versa. Emphasizing this, St. James says: ‘Faith apart from works is dead’ (James 2:26). St. Paul, on the other hand, claims that ‘a man is justified by faith apart from works of Law’ (Rom. 3:28). Under the ‘works of Law’ he meant the Old Testament rites and sacrifices which were no longer necessary after Christ’s Sacrifice for the life of the world. Good deeds are necessary and essential, yet when separated from faith they do not in themselves save the human person: one is justified by faith, but a faith which is accompanied by moral life. No less alien to Christianity is the dissociation of dogma and mysticism, or doctrine and spirituality, or theology and spiritual life. There is an essential interdependence between dogma and mysticism: they are inseparable and both, in different ways, lead one to the knowledge of truth. ‘And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’, says the Lord (John 8:32), Who Himself is the only Truth, the Way and the Life (John 14:6). Each dogma reveals truth, opens up the way and communicates life. Theology ought not to contradict religious experience but on the contrary proceed from it. This has been the theology of the Fathers of the Church for twenty centuries—from St. Paul and St. Ignatius of Antioch to St. Theophan the Recluse and St. Silouan of Mount Athos. Founded on spiritual experience, remaining apart from rationalism and scholasticism, Orthodox theology is a living entity in our day no less than hundreds of years ago. The same questions have always confronted the human person: What is truth? What is the meaning of life? How can one find joy and peace of heart? What is the way to salvation? Christianity does not aim to dot all the ‘i’s by answering all the questions the human spirit has to ask. But it does open up another reality which transcends all that surrounds us in this earthly life. Once this reality is encountered, the human person leaves behind all his questions and bewilderment, because his soul has come into contact with the Divinity and falls silent in the presence of the Mystery which no human word can convey. 2 Chapter 1: The Search for Faith (“WHAT IS FAITH?”) Faith is the path on which an encounter takes place between us and God. It is God who takes the first step: He fully and unconditionally believes in us and gives us a sign, an awareness of His presence. We hear the mysterious call of God, and our first step towards an encounter with Him is a response to this call. God may call us openly or in secret, overtly or covertly. But it is difficult for us to believe in Him if we do not first heed this call. Faith is both a mystery and a miracle. Why does one person respond to the call while another not? Why is one open to receive the voice of God, while the other remains deaf? Why, having encountered God, does one immediately abandon everything and follow Him, but the other turn away and take a different road? ‘As He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me”... Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John... and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him’ (Matt. 4:18-22). What secret hides behind the readiness of the Galilean fishermen to abandon everything and follow Jesus at first encounter? Why, on the other hand, did the rich young man, who also heard Christ’s ‘Come and follow Me’, not abandon everything for Him but instead ‘went away sorrowful’ (Matt. 19:21-22)? Is it perhaps because the fishermen were poor, while the young man ‘had great possessions’? The former had nothing other than God, while the latter had ‘treasure on earth’. Each one of us has treasure on earth, whether it be in the form of money or possessions, satisfactory employment or material wellbeing. But the Lord said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven’ (Matt. 5:3). In St. Luke’s Gospel this is put even more simply and directly: ‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God’ (Luke 6:20). Blessed are they who realize that while they may possess many things, they in fact own nothing. Blessed are they who realize that no earthly acquisition can substitute for God. Blessed are they who go and sell all their wealth in order to acquire the pearl of great price (cf. Matt. 13:45-46). Blessed are they who know that without God they are poor, who have thirsted and hungered after Him with all their soul, mind and will. THE CALL It has never been easy to hear the message of faith. In our day we are usually so engrossed in the problems of earthly existence that we simply have no time to listen to this message and to reflect on God. For some, religion has been reduced to celebrating Christmas and Pascha [Easter] and to observing a few traditions for fear of being ‘torn away from our roots’. Others do not go to church at all because they are ‘too busy’. ‘He is engrossed in his work’; ‘work is everything to her’; ‘he is a busy man’. These are some of the best compliments that one can receive from friends and colleagues. ‘Busy people’ are a breed peculiar to modern times. Nothing exists for them other than a preoccupation which swallows them up completely, leaving no place for that silence where the voice of God may be heard. And yet, however paradoxical it may seem, in spite of today’s noise and confusion, it is still possible to hear the mysterious call of God in our hearts. This call may not always be understood as the voice of God. It may strike us as a feeling of dissatisfaction or of inner unease, or as the beginning of a search. For many, it is only after the passing of years that they realize their life was incomplete and inadequate because it was without God. ‘Thou hast made us for Thyself’, says St. Augustine, ‘and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee’. Without God there can never be fullness of being. It is therefore crucially important for us to be able to hear and to respond to the voice of God at the very moment when God is speaking, and not years later. If someone identifies and responds to the call of God, this may change and transfigure his or her whole life. 3 CONVERSION TO GOD Throughout the ages, people have come to God in diverse ways. Sometimes the encounter is sudden and unexpected; sometimes it is prepared by circuitous paths of searching, doubts and disillusion. Occasionally God ‘closes in’ on us, catching us unawares, while at other times we discover God and turn to Him on our own. This conversion may occur sooner or later, in childhood or in youth, in adulthood or in old age. There are no two people who have come to God by identical paths. There is no way that has been followed by more than one seeker.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ABSTRACT Love Itself Is Understanding: Balthasar, Truth, and the Saints Matthew A. Moser, Ph.D. Mentor: Peter M. Candler, Jr., P
    ABSTRACT Love Itself is Understanding: Balthasar, Truth, and the Saints Matthew A. Moser, Ph.D. Mentor: Peter M. Candler, Jr., Ph.D. This study examines the thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar on the post-Scholastic separation between dogmatic theology and the spirituality of Church, which he describes as the loss of the saints. Balthasar conceives of this separation as a shattering of truth — the “living exposition of theory in practice and of knowledge carried into action.” The consequence of this shattering is the impoverishment of both divine and creaturely truth. This dissertation identifies Balthasar’s attempt to overcome this divorce between theology and spirituality as a driving theme of his Theo-Logic by arguing that the “truth of Being” — divine and creaturely — is most fundamentally the love revealed by Jesus Christ, and is therefore best known by the saints. Balthasar’s attempted re-integration of speculative theology and spirituality through his theology of the saints serves as his critical response to the metaphysics of German Idealism that elevated thought over love, and, by so doing, lost the transcendental properties of Being: beauty, goodness, and truth. Balthasar constructively responds to this problem by re-appropriating the ancient and medieval spiritual tradition of the saints, as interpreted through his own theological master, Ignatius of Loyola, to develop a trinitarian and Christological ontology and a corresponding pneumatological epistemology, as expressed through the lives, and especially the prayers, of the saints. This project will follow the structure and rhythm of Balthasar’s Theo-Logic in elaborating the initiatory movement of his account of truth: phenomenological, Christological, and pneumatological.
    [Show full text]
  • Thomas Merton and Zen 143
    Thomas Merton and Zen 143 period of years I talked with Buddhists, with and without interpreters, as well as with Christian experts in Buddhist meditation, in Rome, Tokyo, Kyoto, Bangkok, and Seoul. Then, in 1992, I came across a book on Korean Zen. I do not have the patience for soto Zen. And I had dab­ bled in rinzai Zen, with the generous and kind help of K. T. Kadawoki at Sophia University in Tokyo; but I was a poor pupil, got nowhere, and gave up quickly. Thomas Merton and Zen I found Korean Zen, a form of rinzai, more aggressive; it insists on questioning. Sitting in the Loyola Marymount University library in Los Angeles, reading a book on Korean Zen, I experienced en­ Robert Faricy lightenment. And it lasted. Later, my library experience was verified independently by two Korean Zen masters as an authentic Zen en­ lightenment experience. In the book Contemplative Prayer 1 Thomas Merton presents his In the spring of 1993, after several months of teaching as a mature thought on Christian contemplation. The problem is this: visiting professor at Sogang University in Seoul, I went into the moun­ Merton's last and most important writing on contemplation can be, tains not far inland from Korea's southern coast to a hermitage of the and often is, misunderstood. Contemplative prayer, as described by main monastery of the Chogye order, Songwang-sa, for three weeks of Merton in the book, can appear solipsistic, self-centered, taking the Zen meditation. It was an intensive and profound experience. Among center of oneself as the object of contemplation, taking the same per­ other things, it brought me back to another reading of Contemplative son contemplating as the subject to be contemplated.
    [Show full text]
  • Great Cloud of Witnesses.Indd
    A Great Cloud of Witnesses i ii A Great Cloud of Witnesses A Calendar of Commemorations iii Copyright © 2016 by The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America Portions of this book may be reproduced by a congregation for its own use. Commercial or large-scale reproduction for sale of any portion of this book or of the book as a whole, without the written permission of Church Publishing Incorporated, is prohibited. Cover design and typesetting by Linda Brooks ISBN-13: 978-0-89869-962-3 (binder) ISBN-13: 978-0-89869-966-1 (pbk.) ISBN-13: 978-0-89869-963-0 (ebook) Church Publishing, Incorporated. 19 East 34th Street New York, New York 10016 www.churchpublishing.org iv Contents Introduction vii On Commemorations and the Book of Common Prayer viii On the Making of Saints x How to Use These Materials xiii Commemorations Calendar of Commemorations Commemorations Appendix a1 Commons of Saints and Propers for Various Occasions a5 Commons of Saints a7 Various Occasions from the Book of Common Prayer a37 New Propers for Various Occasions a63 Guidelines for Continuing Alteration of the Calendar a71 Criteria for Additions to A Great Cloud of Witnesses a73 Procedures for Local Calendars and Memorials a75 Procedures for Churchwide Recognition a76 Procedures to Remove Commemorations a77 v vi Introduction This volume, A Great Cloud of Witnesses, is a further step in the development of liturgical commemorations within the life of The Episcopal Church. These developments fall under three categories. First, this volume presents a wide array of possible commemorations for individuals and congregations to observe.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cloud of Unknowing Pdf Free Download
    THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Anonymous | 138 pages | 20 May 2011 | Aziloth Books | 9781908388131 | English | Rookhope, United Kingdom The Cloud of Unknowing PDF Book He writes in Chapter But again, in this very failure of understanding, in the Dionysian formula, we know by unknowing. A similar image is used in the Cloud line and Book Three, poem 9, of Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, where the First Mover calls back the souls scattered throughout the universe "like leaping flames" trans. In the end, as The Cloud's author insists: " If you want to find your soul, look at what your love"--and, I would add, at who loves you! Nought occurs also in Chapter Eighteen, lines , as a term derogatorily applied to contemplation by those who do not understand it; and, in Chapter Forty-four, by recommending to the contemplative a sorrow connected with the fact that he simply exists or is line , the author evokes a deeply ontological variation of this "nothing" that suggests the longing of contingency for absolute being. Perhaps my favorite thing about this book, however, is the anonymous writer. The analysis of tempered sensuality, motivated by reflections on the resurrection and ascension, is the author's last treatment of the powers of the soul, knowledge of which keeps the contemplative from being deceived in his effort to understand spiritual language and experience lines In the first mansion of the Temple of God which is the soul, understanding and affectivity operate naturally in the natural sphere, although helped by illuminating grace. Whether we prefer Ignatius' way of images or the image-less way of The Cloud, all prayer is a simple reaching out to God what The Cloud calls ' a naked intent for God' and allowing God to reach back to us.
    [Show full text]
  • A Litany for Reformation Sunday
    A Litany for Reformation Sunday This litany for Reformation Sunday is composed of excerpts from the Creeds, Catechisms, and Confessions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church, Nicene Creed the holy catholic Church; Apostles’ Creed the communion of saints. This Kirk is catholic, that is, universal, Scots Confession because it contains the chosen of all ages, of all realms, nations, and tongues, be they of the Jews or be they of the Gentiles, who have communion and society with God the Father, and with the Son, Christ Jesus, through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. We believe that, Heidelberg Catechism from the beginning to the end of the world, and from among the whole human race, the Son of God, by his Spirit and his Word, gathers, protects, and preserves for himself, in the unity of the true faith, a congregation chosen for eternal life. The Church is an assembly of the faithful Second Helvetic Confession called or gathered out of the world; a communion of all saints, namely, of those who truly know and rightly worship and serve the true God in Christ the Savior, by the Word and Holy Spirit, and who by faith are partakers in all the benefits which are freely offered through Christ. The visible Church, Westminster Confession of Faith which is also catholic or universal under the gospel, consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children; and is the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ; the house and family of God.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian Reflections: Catechism
    Catechism ChristianA SERIES IN FAITH Reflection AND ETHICS BAYLOR UNIVERSITY G E N E R A L E D I T O R Robert b. Kruschwitz A rt E di TOR Heidi J. Hornik R E V ie W E D I T O R Norman Wirzba P ro C la M ation E D I T O R William D. Shiell Prod UC tion A S S I S tant Elizabeth Sands Wise D E S igner Eric Yarbrough P UB li SH E R The Center for Christian Ethics baylor University One bear Place #97361 Waco, TX 76798-7361 P H one (254) 710-3774 T oll -F ree ( US A ) (866) 298-2325 We B S ite www.ChristianEthics.ws E - M ail [email protected] All Scripture is used by permission, all rights reserved, and unless otherwise indicated is from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. ISSN 1535-8585 Christian Reflection is the ideal resource for discipleship training in the church. Multiple copies are obtainable for group study at $2.50 per copy. Worship aids and lesson materials that enrich personal or group study are available free on the website. Christian Reflection is published quarterly by The Center for Christian Ethics at baylor University. Contributors express their considered opinions in a responsible manner. The views expressed are not official views of The Center for Christian Ethics or of Baylor University. The Center expresses its thanks to individuals, churches, and organizations, including the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, who provided financial support for this publication.
    [Show full text]
  • Saint Joseph's College Guide to Citing Theology Resources in MLA Format
    This guide was created by Patricia Sodano Ireland, Ph.D., Director, Theology Programs. Saint Joseph’s College Guide to Citing Theology Resources in MLA format The MLA handbook does not provide precise instructions for citing documents of the Church. The following are guidelines for citations in various formats, e.g., print, web, database, etc. A document may be in multiple formats. Cite accordingly. No matter what the format of the source, there are a few “rules of thumb” when it comes to Catholic Church documents. Most papal and episcopal documents are treated as books, not as letters or chapters. This means they are italicized or underlined, rather than put in quotation marks. Do not use online automatic formatting for Catholic Church documents, such as www.easybib.com, as these treat the following as letters or chapters, which is incorrect. Follow the guidelines, and do it yourself. These include the following: Papal encyclicals Papal decrees Council documents (e.g., Vatican II documents) Apostolic letters Apostolic exhortations Anniversary documents commenting on previous encyclical letters Bishops’ statements Primary works (e.g., works of antiquity through the Middle Ages, such as from Irenaeus, Augustine, Aquinas, etc.) While the Catechism of the Catholic Church is treated as a book, a catechetical document is treated as a chapter and put in quotation marks. An example would be the headings: “The Desire for God.” Catechism of the Catholic Church. With regard to papal documents in print or EBook form, indicate the translation or edition you are using in the bibliography. This is not necessary in the citations.
    [Show full text]
  • Experience of Eastern Catholic Churches in North America
    Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies Vol. 40 (1999) Nos. 1–4, pp. 165–170 Experience of Eastern Catholic Churches in North America Bishop Basil (Schott) Abstract (Українське резюме на ст. 169) The Byzantine Ruthenian Author begins his intervention with a historical excursus, mentioning certain unpleasant ex- periences, especially in the early decades of his people’s set- tlement in America, but soon he passes to the present. East- ern and Western Christians live amidst the same secularism, consumerist materialism and other negative influences. On the other hand, one can perceive the hunger of many for spirituality, care for the poor, a rejection of racism and other forms of hatred and injustice. Among the especially positive phenomena one can no- tice: the creation of hierarchies for Eastern Catholics in the “New World”, financial and other types of assistance from Roman Catholics for the often poorer Eastern Christians, a raising of the level of scholarship in the field of Eastern Christian Studies, the creation of the Committee on the Rela- tionship between Eastern and Latin Catholic Churches at the NCCB, the establishment of Eastern Catholic Associates (which brings together all Eastern Catholic hierarchs of the U.S.A.) and the publication of certain much-needed docu- ments. Still, there are some issues which require further work. Much progress will be made when all Roman Catholic semi- naries educate their students adequately about the Eastern Churches. 166 Bishop Basil (Schott) The lived experience of the Eastern Catholic Churches in North America began in the early 1880’s with immigrations from Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
    [Show full text]
  • The Study Catechism: Full Version Approved by the 210Th General Assembly (1998) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
    The Study Catechism: Full Version Approved by the 210th General Assembly (1998) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Question 1. What is God's purpose for your life? God wills that I should live by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the love of God, and in the communion of the Holy Spirit. Question 2. How do you live by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ? I am not my own. I have been bought with a price. The Lord Jesus Christ loved me and gave himself for me. I entrust myself completely to his care, giving thanks each day for his wonderful goodness. Question 3. How do you live for the love of God? I love because God first loved me. God loves me in Christ with a love that never ends. Amazed by grace, I no longer live for myself. I live for the Lord who died and rose again, triumphant over death, for my sake. Therefore, I take those around me to heart, especially those in particular need, knowing that Christ died for them no less than for me. Question 4. How do you live in the communion of the Holy Spirit? By the Holy Spirit, I am made one with the Lord Jesus Christ. I am baptized into Christ's body, the church, along with all others who confess him by faith. As a member of this community, I trust in God's Word, share in the Lord's Supper, and turn to God constantly in prayer. As I grow in grace and knowledge, I am led to do the good works that God intends for my life.
    [Show full text]
  • CATECHISM-Book-2.Pdf
    A Catechism of the Faith for Children Lebanon God’s Missionary Church B.L.A.S.T. Class Compiled by Rachel England Front cover designed by Jon Plank Special Thanks to Pastor Barry Arnold, Pastor Anthony Harris, Rev. Alvin Downs, Dr. Robert E. England, Sr., Rev. John Manley, Dr. Mark Bird, and most of all to Robbie England (editor, reviewer, and question designer extraordinaire!) for all their help in reviewing and giving suggestions and encouragement in this project! Introduction A Catechism of the Faith for Children is a compilation of questions of our faith adapted from a typical catechism, Dr. Mark Bird’s Catechism for Young Children, and some additional sources. It has been reviewed by pastors, a holiness theology professor, a chaplain, and parents. It is designed to help children ages 4-12 understand the basics of our faith, develop their relationship with God, improve relationships with their family, and strengthen their character. The goal is for the children to memorize these questions and answers by the time they turn 13 and move on from B.L.A.S.T. (Bible Learning And Sharing Together) class to I.M.P.A.C.T. (Individuals Making People Aware Christ Transforms) youth group. We will be working on four questions each month in B.L.A.S.T. class and if your children begin at age 4, they will go through the catechism book approximately 4 times by the time they turn 13. Part I of this book is designed for the student. Each question is in a box with space for the student to write the answer and draw a picture or symbol to help them remember.
    [Show full text]
  • Catechism-Of-The-Catholic-Church.Pdf
    CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Table of Contents PROLOGUE I. The life of man - to know and love God nn. 1-3 II. Handing on the Faith: Catechesis nn. 4-10 III. The Aim and Intended Readership of the Catechism nn. 11-12 IV. Structure of this Catechism nn. 13-17 V. Practical Directions for Using this Catechism nn. 18-22 VI. Necessary Adaptations nn. 23-25 PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION ONE "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE" n. 26 CHAPTER ONE MAN'S CAPACITY FOR GOD nn. 27-49 I. The Desire for God nn. 27-30 II. Ways of Coming to Know God nn. 31-35 III. The Knowledge of God According to the Church nn. 36-38 IV. How Can We Speak about God? nn.39-43 IN BRIEF nn. 44-49 CHAPTER TWO GOD COMES TO MEET MAN n. 50 Article 1 THE REVELATION OF GOD I. God Reveals His "Plan of Loving Goodness" nn. 51-53 II. The Stages of Revelation nn. 54-64 III. Christ Jesus -- "Mediator and Fullness of All Revelation" nn. 65- 67 IN BRIEF nn. 68-73 Article 2 THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION n. 74 I. The Apostolic Tradition nn.75-79 II. The Relationship Between Tradition and Sacred Scripture nn. 80-83 III. The Interpretation of the Heritage of Faith nn. 84-95 IN BRIEF nn. 96-100 Article 3 SACRED SCRIPTURE I. Christ - The Unique Word of Sacred Scripture nn. 101-104 II. Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture nn. 105-108 III. The Holy Spirit, Interpreter of Scripture nn.
    [Show full text]
  • Benefitting from Luther's Small Catechism
    MAJT 28 (2017): 67-76 BENEFITTING FROM LUTHER’S SMALL CATECHISM … AS A CALVINIST by Daniel R. Hyde1 MARTIN LUTHER (1483–1546) was a hero. His contemporaries depicted him as everything from the angel of Revelation 14, an apostle, Daniel redivivus, Ezekiel’s good shepherd, one of three Mary’s at the tomb of a resurrected Christendom, prophets like Elijah, Enoch, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and even Hercules Germanicus complete with lion pelt clothing and a club beating medieval theologians to death. 2 When Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575) rejected the claim that Luther was an apostle, this led many of Luther’s followers to respond with lengthy refutations in sermons and writings that he in fact was an apostle.3 Perhaps this is to be expected of Luther’s fellow “Lutherans” (anachronistically speaking). What is not so expected is how Protestants of the “Reformed” or “Calvinist” kind (again, another anachronism) spoke of him in heroic terms. As early as 1520, Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531) called Luther a contemporary Elijah.4 As well, after Luther died, the tendency for the Reformed was to focus their criticism on Luther’s so-called followers while leaving “the Big Man” alone. An example of this occurred one year after the Book of Concord was published (1580), when Christopher Grandmundt published a refutation of Lutheran “ubiquitist” theologians such as Jakob Andreae (1528–1590). Grandmundt said Andreae took extreme statements Luther uttered in the heat of controversy in order to buttress the Gnesio (“true”) Lutheran position. In contrast, Grandmundt said Luther merely exhibited his weakness in these utterances; it was his followers who were in serious error.
    [Show full text]