The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism
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Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism © 2015, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783525550847 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647550848 Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism Refo500 Academic Studies Edited by Herman J. Selderhuis In Co-operation with Günter Frank (Bretten), Bruce Gordon(NewHaven), UteLotz-Heumann (Tucson), Mathijs Lamberigts (Leuven), Barbara Mahlmann-Bauer (Bern), Tarald Rasmussen (Oslo), Johannes Schilling (Kiel), Herman Selderhuis (Emden), Günther Wassilowsky (Linz), SiegridWestphal (Osnabrück), DavidM.Whitford (Trotwood) Volume 24 Vandenhoeck &Ruprecht © 2015, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783525550847 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647550848 Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism Papers of the International Conference on the Heidelberg Catechism Held in Apeldoorn2013 Edited by Arnold Huijgen Vandenhoeck &Ruprecht © 2015, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783525550847 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647550848 Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism With 2tables Bibliographic informationpublishedbythe Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data available online:http://dnb.d-nb.de. ISBN 978-3-525-55084-7 Yo ucan find alternativeeditionsofthis book and additionalmaterial on our Website: www.v-r.de 2015, Vandenhoeck &RuprechtGmbH &Co. KG,Göttingen/ Vandenhoeck &RuprechtLLC,Bristol, CT,U.S.A. www.v-r.de All rightsreserved. No partofthis work maybereproduced or utilized in anyform or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or anyinformationstorage and retrieval system, without prior written permissionfrom the publisher. Printed in Germany. Typesetting by Konrad Triltsch GmbH, Ochsenfurt Printed and bound by Hubert&Co,Göttingen Printed on non-aging paper. © 2015, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783525550847 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647550848 Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism Contents Preface ................................... 8 Lyle D. Bierma Ursinus and the Theological Landscapeofthe Heidelberg Catechism . 9 Andreas Mühling CasparOlevian und die Einführung des HeidelbergerKatechismus .. 25 Frank van der Pol Aspects of the TheologyofControverse TwoEarlyModern Polemical Approaches of the Heidelberg Catechism 34 Henk van den Belt Anabaptist Spiritualityand the Heidelberg Catechism .......... 50 Kyle J. Dieleman The Heidelberg Catechism, Calvin’s Genevan Catechism, and Spirituality AComparative Study ............................ 62 Kees de Wildt Interpreting the Heidelberg Catechism in the Sixteenth Century Commentaries and Sermons on HC 53:the Holy Spirit ......... 71 RiemerA.Faber The Function of the Catechism’s Spiritualityinthe Synopsis of Purer Theology (1625) ............................... 84 ChristianLink Glaubeals lebensbestimmendeErkenntnis................ 95 WimVerboom Regeneration According to the Heidelberg Catechism .........108 © 2015, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783525550847 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647550848 Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism 6 Contents Dolf te Velde The Heidelberg Catechism on the Doctrine of the Trinity.......119 Erik A. de Boer Adoration or Idolatry? HC 80 in the Context of the Catechetical Teaching of Joannes Anastasius in the Palatinate ........................129 WimH.Th. Moehn ALasting Controversy on Mass and Supper? Meaning and ActualityofHC80......................148 Frank Ewerszumrode Holy Celebrations in the Power of the Holy Spirit ARoman CatholicRereading of the Doctrine of the Sacraments in the Heidelberg Catechism ...........................160 Willem van Vlastuin The Promise of Unio Mystica An Inquiryintothe Functioning of aSpiritual-Theological Concept in the Heidelberg Catechism .........................168 EberhardBusch Die Gebote desgnädigenGottesnach demHeidelberger Katechismus.186 Gerard denHertog The Heidelberg Catechism and the ArtofDying and Living ......194 Arnold Huijgen Practicing Gratitude The SpiritualityofPrayer in the Heidelberg Catechism .........206 Pieter Veerman Prayer and the LawofGod .........................225 Arie Baars Theory and Practice of Preaching on the Heidelberg Catechism ....232 T. Theo J. Pleizier Heidelberg as Best Practice Catechism APractical-Theological Exploration of Constructing Catechisms in a Post-Christian and De-churched Context .................257 © 2015, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783525550847 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647550848 Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism Contents 7 Hans Burger GospelPresentation and the Structure of the Heidelberg Catechism ..268 Maarten J. Kater Permanent Education Lessons from the “je lenger je mehr”-passages in the Heidelberg Catechism ..................................280 Aboutthe authors .............................286 © 2015, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783525550847 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647550848 Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism Preface On the occasion of the 450th anniversaryofthe Heidelberg Catechism, an international conference was held at the Theological University Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, on June 21 and 22, 2013. The focus of thisconferencewas the spiritualityofthe Heidelberg Catechism, for this documentisfamousfor its opening questionand answer on the only comfortinlife and death. The presentvolume offersacollection of the plenary papers and aselection of the shortpapers presented at the conference. As the contributions demonstrate, the Heidelberg Catechism is acentral documentofthe Reformed tradition, particularly with respecttospirituality. Moreover,itremainsavital source for theological reflection and catechetical practice. Iamgrateful for the assistance of Wouter Beinema in preparing this volume, and forthe help of Christoph Spill (Vandenhoeck &Ruprecht). Manythanks to Herman Selderhuis for accepting thisvolume into the Refo500 Academic Series. The Refo500 network has been agreat help in bringing people together for the Heidelberg Catechism anniversary. Arnold Huijgen,Apeldoorn © 2015, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783525550847 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647550848 Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism Lyle D. Bierma Ursinus and the Theological Landscape of the Heidelberg Catechism The theological landscape of the Heidelberg Catechism is as variedand complex as the physical terrainofthe Electoral Palatinate wherethe catechism was born.Inthe 45 years from the Heidelberg Disputationof1518 to the publication of the HC in 1563, the Palatinate had moved religiously from a weakening Catholicism under Elector Ludwig V, to awavering Lutheranism under Frederick II, to abroadscale Melanchthonian reformunder Otto Henry, and finally to aPhilippist-Reformed orientation under Frederick III (Gunnoe: 2005, 15–47). Contributing to these shifts in the Palatinate was the influence, directly or indirectly,ofindividuals from everybranch of the magisterial reformation: Luther, Melanchthon, Brenz, Bucer,Zwingli, Jud, Bullinger, Erastus, Calvin, Beza, àLasco,Micronius, Boquinus, and Olevianus, among others. ButwhenFrederick III commissioned the HC as partofhis reformin the early 1560s, the person wholoomed largestonthe local theological landscape was Zacharias Ursinus (1534–1583), rector of the Sapience College (a pastoral training school in Heidelberg), professor of dogmatics at the university,and primaryauthorofthe HC. In what follows, we will examine Ursinus’s location on this landscape by addressing four questions:(1) Why does Ursinus belong on the landscape?(2) Howdid he get to this landscape? (3) How can we best determine his spot on the landscape?(4) What exactly is his place on the theological terrain of the HC?Wewill then makeafew concluding remarks on the bearingthat all of this has on the theme of the conference—thespiritualityofthe HC. 1. WhyDoesUrsinus Belong on the Landscape? The most obvious answer to thisquestionisthat he was oneofthe authors, and probably the main author,ofthe HC.What might be somewhat surprising, however,isthat there is verylittle direct evidence to supportsuch aclaim. Unfortunately,whatever records might have existed of the process by which the catechism was developed, they did not survive the wars and political upheavals in the Palatinate over the course of the following centuryand ahalf. In addition, the title page of the HC does not name an author or authors, and the most we can learnfrom Frederick’s preface to the catechism is that ateam © 2015, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783525550847 — ISBN E-Book: 9783647550848 Arnold Huijgen, The Spirituality of the Heidelberg Catechism 10 Lyle D. Bierma that included “the entire theological faculty in this place” provided advice and cooperation in the preparation of the document.1 Even in the personal correspondence of someofthose closest to the catechism—Frederick III, Erastus, Olevianus, andUrsinus—no author is ever singled out.2 It was not untilthe seventeenth centurythat Ursinus’s name began to be associated more closely with the composition of the HC.Awork from 1603 by the DutchReformed minister Johannes Gerobulus referred in passingto Ursinus aloneasthe author of the HC,3 and in an edition of Ursinus’s theological