Poor of Christ” and Their Significant Impact on Setting the Scene for the 16Th Century Reformation

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Poor of Christ” and Their Significant Impact on Setting the Scene for the 16Th Century Reformation The “Poor of Christ” and their significant impact on setting the scene for the 16th Century Reformation by Horst Müller Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree PhD in Church History and Church Polity in the Department of Systematic and Historical Theology Faculty of Theology and Religion University of Pretoria May 2020 Promoter: Professor Jerry Pillay Declaration I declare that the thesis, “The “Poor of Christ” and their significant impact on setting the scene for the 16th Century Reformation” which I hereby submit for the degree at the University of Pretoria, is my own work and has not previously been submitted by me for a degree at this or any other tertiary institution. Horst Müller Student No u17052752 18 May 2020 The author, whose name appears on the title page of this thesis, has obtained, for the research described in this work, the applicable research ethics approval. The author declares that he has observed the ethical standards required in terms of the University of Pretoria’s Code of ethics for researchers and the Policy guidelines for responsible research. ii Acknowledgements “The Waldensians are the oldest Reformation movement” – This by-the-way remark at a conference in 2015 caught my attention, prompting me to find out more about the movement whose name I knew, but nothing more. I want to thank the President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Italy, Christiane Groeben, for this remark. She is not aware of what she started! I thank Prof. Jerry Pillay for taking the time to listen to my initial very vague idea that I wanted to research. He helped me to develop the theme and get direction for this journey of discovery, which it really became. Thank you for being my supervisor. The German National Committee of the LWF for assisting me financially so that I could travel to Germany and do my initial reading research at the Tübingen University Library, the Archives in Herrnhut and in Oetisheim. For this I am grateful! Dr. Albert de Lange gave me important pointers at the Oetisheim archive, and provided me with recent literature to take home. I thank Prof. Jürgen Kampmann, Dean of the Faculty of Theology in Tübingen, for arranging my access to the University Library with its wealth of resources for my study. I also thank Dr Martin Faßnacht and Chang Whae Kim who introduced me to the library systems and continued to support me by email afterwards. A special thank you goes to Christine Nel and the other staff at the University of Pretoria Library for their able assistance, especially when the lockdown complicated everything! I thank the church council of my own church, the Northeastern Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Africa, for granting me the opportunity to do this research in between my other duties, and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, for funding one year of my study fees. I thank my family for accompanying me – my children who obtained their PhD before me and knew how to encourage me when I wanted to give up. I thank my wife Edna for her patience and encouragement during this time. My most sincere thanks go to the unknown heroes of the Church – men and women who like the Poor of Christ, live their faith and keep the church going without ever being recognized for it! And – lastly – I thank the Christ, the Lord of the Church for his patience with church leaders like myself. We can be incredibly stubborn and “Beratungsresistent”. Thank you for not giving up on us! iii Abstract During the 500th Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017 a huge emphasis was placed on the main Reformation characters of 1517, especially Martin Luther. Those that preceded him were side-lined. Valdes of Lyon did not feature at all. This study shows that this lay person, Valdes had a significant impact on the 16th Century Reformation. This impact is not immediately obvious. The researcher reveals it by looking at the movement that resulted from his conversion in 1174, normally called the Waldenses, but in this study referred to as Poor of Christ, a name that they identified themselves with. The research does not focus on the Romanesque part that later formed the Waldensian Church, but on those living and ministering in the German region of the Holy Roman Empire. Original sources such as papal letters, inquisition reports and reports of eyewitnesses of that time are researched. Historical contextual analysis and synthesis bring the information together showing the impact that the Poor of Christ ultimately had. The researcher shows how the Roman Church, instead of engaging with these lay preachers, tried to silence and eradicate them over a period of 350 years. This action harmed the church itself more than it did the people it was fighting against. Doctrines and decrees formulated in reaction to the Poor of Christ increased the necessity for reformation. The study shows an important but ignored link between the Poor of Christ and the Augustinian Order which throws a different light on why the Augustinian Order played such an important role in producing Reformation Theologians. The research shows how the underground lay movement influenced the thinking in cities and regions in Germany that became the first strongholds of the 16th Century Reformation. Through their ministry the basics of Solus Christus and sola scriptura where already taught and practised in homes and families for generations prior to 1517. The researcher argues that Martin Luther and other prominent Reformers were not the originators of the 16th century Reformation. Unlike Hus a hundred years before, they succeeded because the climate in Europe, and especially Germany, had changed due to the presence and ministry of the Poor of Christ. The real force behind the Reformation were the lay men and women who for generations shaped Christ-centred values, who, for 350 years prior to 1517 had already been studying and teaching scripture in the local vernacular. This study argues that the Poor of Christ must become part of main stream Reformation teaching, a place the movement deserves. The study heightens the historical value of this research by showing how core aspects of the Poor of Christ can help the church today to be resilient and relevant. Their authentic way of living their faith is an example worth following. Church leadership is reminded of the importance of servant leadership, and all theologians are reminded that the real strength of the church lies in the lay people who are not dependent on clergy, but empowered to live and share what they believe. iv Contents Declaration ………………………………………………………………………………. ii Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………… iii Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………... iv Rediscovering the Poor of Christ in the Roman Church ............................................. 1 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 2. The Research Problem .................................................................................................... 8 3. Research Objectives ..................................................................................................... 13 a) Bringing the Poor of Christ into mainstream Church History Teaching ..................... 13 b) The importance of laity in preparing 16th century Reformation ................................. 14 c) The problematic role of church authorities ............................................................... 14 d) The importance of studying and living out New Testament teachings ...................... 14 e) Lessons that church today can learn from the Poor of Christ. .................................. 15 4. Research Methods ........................................................................................................ 15 a) Literature Review .................................................................................................... 16 b) Historical Contextual Analysis and Synthesis .......................................................... 22 5. The connection between the Poor of Christ and the Waldensian Church ....................... 24 6. Research Gap ............................................................................................................... 25 7. Chapter Outline of the dissertation ................................................................................ 28 8. Conclusion..................................................................................................................... 32 The Poor of Christ: A window of opportunity ............................................................ 33 1. 12th and 13th century Historical background of Central Europe .................................... 35 a) Political powers and economy of the time ................................................................ 36 b) Economy ................................................................................................................. 43 v c) The rise of citizenry to power and influence. ............................................................ 44 2. The Roman Church ....................................................................................................... 45 a) The Gregorian Reform ............................................................................................. 46 b) The popes in the time of Valdes (see time line 12th 13th century.xls) ........................ 47 i. Alexander III (1159-81) .......................................................................................
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