DOCSLIB.ORG

History of Christian Doctrine Vol 2.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
History of Christian Doctrine Vol 2.Pdf A HISTORYof Christian Doctrine The Reformation to the Holiness Movement A . D . 1500–1900 Volume 2 David K. Bernard A HISTORYof Christian Doctrine The Reformation to the Holiness Movement A . D . 1500–1900 Volume 2 A History of Christian Doctrine, Volume Two The Reformation to the Holiness Movement, A.D. 1500-1900 by David K. Bernard ©1996 David K. Bernard Hazelwood, MO 63042-2299 ISBN 1-56722-187-4 Cover Design by Paul Povolni All Scripture quotations in this book are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise identified. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of David K. Bernard. Brief quotations may be used in literary reviews. Printed in United States of America Printed by Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bernard, David K., 1956– A history of Christian doctrine / by David K. Bernard. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents: v. 1. The Post-Apostolic Age to the Middle Ages, A.D. 100-1500. ISBN 1-56722-036-3 (pbk.) 1. Theology, Doctrinal—History. 2. Church history. 3. Oneness doctrine (Pentecostalism)—History. I. Title. BT 21.2.B425 1995 230'.09—dc20 95-35396 CIP Contents Preface . 9 1. The Protestant Reformation . 11 2. Martin Luther and Early Lutheran Theology . 27 3. Ulrich Zwingli and Early Reformed Theology . 49 4. The Anabaptists . 65 5. The Radical Reformation . 89 6. John Calvin and His Reformed Theology . 113 7. The Reformation in Great Britain . 137 8. The Catholic Reformation . 161 9. Lutheran Orthodoxy . 183 10. Reformed Orthodoxy . 201 11. The Pietists and the Methodists . 217 12. The Nineteenth Century . 241 13. The Holiness Movement . 269 Appendixes . .287 A. Dates in the History of Christianity . 289 B. Oneness Believers in History . 295 C. Baptism in Jesus’ Name in History . 297 D. Speaking in Tongues in History . 299 E. Holiness Teaching in History . 301 Notes . 305 Select Bibliography . 319 Index . .325 Preface This book surveys the history of Christian doctrine from approximately A.D. 1500 to 1900. It generally fol- lows chronological order and identifies the most signifi- cant events in church history, but the emphasis is on tracing doctrinal developments. To further this purpose, it discusses some events thematically rather than in strict chronological sequence. We will use the words church and Christian in the most general sense, recognizing that the visible church structure is not necessarily the New Testament church as defined by message and experience. We will discuss the major groups of people who have identified themselves as Christian. Occasionally material in this book may seem complex and foreign, but some treatment of details is necessary to provide background and to impart a feel for significant issues and problems. The main objective is to introduce the leading historical figures and movements in Christen- dom and to convey a basic understanding of their doc- trines. This information will provide various perspectives on biblical issues and will aid in dialogue with people of dif- ferent backgrounds. The reader will see when, how, and why certain biblical doctrines were abandoned and cer- tain unbiblical doctrines embraced, and will see how God has worked to restore and revive fundamental truths that were largely forgotten. This book arose out of teaching two semesters of 9 A History of Christian Doctrine church history for five years at Jackson College of Min- istries in Jackson, Mississippi. The rough draft was tran- scribed from lectures taped for the extension program of Kent Christian College in Dover, Delaware. Special thanks goes to Claire Borne for transcribing this material. It was an immense project! After considerable additions, dele- tions, and revisions, this book is the result. It is important to remember that only the Bible is our authority for doctrine. History cannot alter or replace biblical truth. Nor can history prove the validity of doc- trine, but it can provide insight into how key doctrines were handled over the centuries. It can help to dispel the myth that our fundamental doctrines are of recent origin. The clear teaching of Scripture is enough to tear away the shrouds of nonbiblical tradition, but a historical survey can aid in the process. 10 1 The Protestant Reformation In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformation brought dramatic changes to Christianity and instituted the modern era. Beginning with Martin Luther in 1517, significant numbers of people in Western Europe chal- lenged and soon rejected many important features of medieval theology. In addition to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, there emerged a third branch of Christendom, called Protestantism. The Road to the Reformation A number of individuals and groups had already repudiated some Roman Catholic practices and beliefs, but they had not successfully threatened the entire sys- tem. In the twelfth century, two strong groups had arisen 11 A History of Christian Doctrine as alternatives to the institutional church of the Middle Ages. The Waldenses, or Waldensians, sought to return to a more biblical theology and a more holy lifestyle. The Albigenses, or Albigensians, also desired a purer, more simple life but brought elements of Persian dualism into their thinking. In response, the Roman Catholics established the Inquisition to root out “heretical” beliefs and people. Although no one knows how many people were impris- oned, tortured, or executed, a crusade called by Pope Innocent III in the early thirteenth century slaughtered twenty thousand men, women, and children in the town of Béziers, France, because it refused to surrender its heretics. Under its first grand inquisitor, the Dominican monk Tomás de Torquemada, the Spanish Inquisition burned at the stake about two thousand people.1 The Inquisition was successful in exterminating the Albigens- es, and it severely curtailed the Waldenses. By the early sixteenth century, the times were ripe for the Reformation. Undeniably the hand of God was at work. In addition, volume 1 of A History of Christian Doctrine discusses several important reasons for the beginning of widespread skepticism and the greater will- ingness to question traditional doctrines:2 • The Crusades raised questions by bringing new influence from the Muslim world and from ancient Greek philosophy preserved by the Arabs. • The corruption of the clergy and the papacy caused great disillusionment and questioning. • The Catholic Church was guilty of many economic abuses, including ecclesiastical taxation, absenteeism, simony, and the sale of indulgences. 12 The Protestant Reformation • The rise of nationalism made people less willing to submit to the Roman pontiff, especially in political mat- ters. • Mysticism, an emphasis on subjective religious experience, helped undermine the authority of the church. • Nominalism, the philosophical view that universal concepts and ideas have no objective reality, also helped undercut the church’s authority. • The Catholic humanists, led by Desiderius Eras- mus (1466-1536) of Rotterdam, questioned and reinter- preted many traditional doctrines, proposed ethical reforms, and proved as forgeries some supposedly ancient documents that the church and pope used to sup- port their claims of political power. • Theological and spiritual conviction was undoubtedly the most important factor. • The invention of the printing press in 1456 by Johann Gutenberg facilitated the spread of dissent. For the first time, the Bible and other literature could be pub- lished cheaply and made available to the masses. The common people were able to compare the teachings of the church with Scripture in a way that few had been able to do before. Now, dissenters could present their views to thousands via simple tracts, and it was almost impossible to destroy all the literature. Without the printing press, it is doubtful that the Reformation could have succeeded to the extent that it did. Despite earlier dissenters such as Peter Waldo, John Wyclif, and John Hus (or Huss), the Reformation did not take place with them but with Martin Luther. Although Luther initially sought only to reform the doctrines and 13 A History of Christian Doctrine practices of the Roman Catholic Church from within, the intransigent response of the pope and the logic of Luther’s own views rapidly moved him to break away totally and found the Protestant movement. Historically, he is unique as the man who successfully precipitated the break with Rome. Theologically, he is unique in that he clearly enunciated the doctrine of justi- fication by faith and made it the basis of his entire theolo- gy. Other groups and individuals before him had attacked many of the same elements of Roman Catholicism as he did, and some of them operated to a great extent on the basis of justification by faith, but they did not clearly express their opposition to the Catholic Church in those terms. It was left to Luther to proclaim the central princi- ple by which the entire Catholic system was attacked and upon which the entire Reformation was built. Martin Luther and His Ninety-five Theses Martin Luther was born in 1483 in Eisleben, Ger- many, to a family of peasant background, but by the time he was eighteen they apparently had some money, for he enrolled at the University of Erfurt, the best in Germany at the time. As a young man, Luther enjoyed life and lived exuberantly, but he was a pious Catholic. He first saw a complete copy of the Bible at the university at age twenty. In 1505 Luther earned the master’s of arts degree and, following his father’s wishes, began to study law. That summer, however, his life changed drastically. Short- ly after a close friend was unexpectedly killed, Luther was caught in a sudden thunderstorm and almost struck by lightning.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Reform of Baptism and Confirmation in American Lutheranism
    LOGIA 1 Review Essay: The Reform of Baptism and Confirmation in American Lutheranism Armand J. Boehme The Reform of Baptism and Confirmation in American Lutheranism. By Jeffrey A. Truscott. Drew University Studies in Liturgy 11. Lanham, Maryland & Oxford: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2003. his book1 is a study of the production of the baptismal the church.” Thus the crafters of LBW greatly expanded T and confirmation rites contained in Lutheran Book of the “assembly’s participation in the baptismal act” (pp. Worship (LBW).2 The theology that underlies LBW 33, 205). These changes flow from a theology of action and its understanding of worship has significantly (liturgy as the work of the people), which emphasizes altered the Lutheran understanding of baptism and the fact that the church or the congregation is the confirmation. The theological foundation of LBW has mediating agent of God’s saving activity (p. 33).6 For influenced other Lutheran church bodies, contributing LBW the sacraments are understood significantly to profound changes in the Lutheran ecclesiologically—as actions of the congregation (pp. landscape. As Truscott wrote, those crafting the 205-206)—rather than soteriologically—as God acting baptismal liturgy in LBW would have to “overturn” old to give his people grace and forgiveness. This leads to an theologies of baptism, deal with “a theology that” emphasis on baby drama, water drama, and other believed in “the necessity of baptism for salvation,” and congregational acts (pp. 24–26, 220). This theology of “would have to convince Lutherans of the need for a new action is tied to an analytic view of justification, that is, liturgical and theological approach to baptism” (p.
    [Show full text]
  • This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G
    This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Recovering the Meaning of Baptism in Westminster Calvinism in Critical Dialogue with Thomas F. Torrance John Andrew Scott Doctor of Philosophy University of Edinburgh 2015 Declaration I declare that this thesis has been composed by myself, and that the work herein contained is my own. I, furthermore, hereby indicate that this thesis does not include work submitted for any other academic degree or professional qualification Signed Rev Dr John Andrew Scott January 2015 Abstract This thesis examines and critiques the doctrine of baptism in the theology of Thomas Torrance and utilises aspects of Torrance’s doctrine to recover and enrich the meaning of baptism in Westminster theology. Torrance’s doctrine of baptism has suffered from misunderstanding and has been widely neglected. This arises from Torrance introducing a new soteriological paradigm, that is claimed by Torrance, to be both new, and at the same time to be a recovery of the work of the early church fathers and Calvin.
    [Show full text]
  • The Following Article on How Religions Use Water in Rituals Is Recommended Reading Especially for Week I
    Lenten Study Reading Material: Week One The following article on how religions use water in rituals is recommended reading especially for Week I. Baha'i Water is fundamental in the rites, language and symbolism of all religions, and the Bahá'í Faith is no exception. There are Bahá'í laws concerning water and cleanliness, and many ways that water is used as a metaphor for spiritual truths. This brief summary of the Bahá'í perspective on water is based as far as possible on direct quotations from the Bahá'í Writings. (Full article by Arthur Lyon Dahl) In a more general context, the Bahá'í Faith places great importance on agriculture and the preservation of the ecological balance of the world. Water is of course a fundamental resource for agriculture. It is essential to the functioning of all ecological communities and plays a key role in all the life support systems of the planet. It is essential to life itself, which is why it is so often used in spiritual symbolism. Water is an important medium for linking us with the environment in the complex interactions that are such an important feature of our integrated planetary system. For Bahá'ís, respect for the creation in all its beauty and diversity is important, and water is a key element of that creation. "The Almighty Lord is the provider of water, and its maker, and hath decreed that it be used to quench man's thirst, but its use is dependent upon His Will. If it should not be in conformity with His Will, man is afflicted with a thirst which the oceans cannot quench." (`Abdu'l-Bahá, in Prayer, Meditation, and the Devotional Attitude (compilation), pages 231-232) Lenten Study Reading Material: Week One The wise management of all the natural resources of the planet, including water, will require a global approach, since water is not a respecter of national boundaries.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Christian Doctrine Vol 1.Pdf
    A HISTORYof Christian Doctrine The Post–Apostolic Age to the Middle Ages A . D . 100–1500 Volume 1 David K. Bernard A HISTORYof Christian Doctrine The Post–Apostolic Age to the Middle Ages A . D . 100–1500 Volume 1 A History of Christian Doctrine, Volume One The Post-Apostolic Age to the Middle Ages, A.D. 100-1500 by David K. Bernard ISBN 1-56722-036-3 Cover Design by Paul Povolni ©1995 David K. Bernard Hazelwood, MO 63042-2299 All Scripture quotations in this book are from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise identified. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of David K. Bernard. Brief quotations may be used in literary reviews. Printed in United States of America Printed by Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bernard, David K., 1956– A history of Christian doctrine / by David K. Bernard. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents: v. 1. The Post-Apsotolic Age to the Middle Ages, A.D. 100-1500. ISBN 1-56722-036-3 (pbk.) 1. Theology, Doctrinal—History. 2. Church history. 3. Oneness doctrine (Pentecostalism)—History. I. Title. BT 21.2.B425 1995 230'.09—dc20 95-35396 CIP Contents Preface . 7 1. The Study of Doctrine in Church History . 9 2. Early Post-Apostolic Writers, A.D. 90-140 . 21 3. Early Heresies . 31 4. The Greek Apologists, A.D. 130-180 .
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 2 CHRISTIAN INITIATION of ADULTS and CHILDREN of CATECHETICAL AGE I. INTRODUCTION 2.1.1 out of the Baptismal Font, Chri
    CHAPTER 2 CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN OF CATECHETICAL AGE I. INTRODUCTION 2.1.1 Out of the baptismal font, Christ the Lord generates children to the Church who bear the image of the resurrected one. United to Christ in the Holy Spirit, they are rendered fit to celebrate with Christ the sacred liturgy, spiritual worship.123 2.1.2 “This bath is called enlightenment, because those who receive this instruction are enlightened in their understanding....” Having received in baptism the Word, “the true light that enlightens every man,” the person baptized has been “enlightened,” he becomes a “son of light,” indeed, he becomes “light” himself: “Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift.... We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship.”124 2.1.3 From the time of the Apostles, becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages. This journey can be covered rapidly or slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic Communion.125 2.1.4 The image of the journey of faith is clearly evident in the Church’s ritual for the initiation of adults and older children.
    [Show full text]
  • An Old Believer ―Holy Moscow‖ in Imperial Russia: Community and Identity in the History of the Rogozhskoe Cemetery Old Believers, 1771 - 1917
    An Old Believer ―Holy Moscow‖ in Imperial Russia: Community and Identity in the History of the Rogozhskoe Cemetery Old Believers, 1771 - 1917 Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Doctoral Degree of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Peter Thomas De Simone, B.A., M.A Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2012 Dissertation Committee: Nicholas Breyfogle, Advisor David Hoffmann Robin Judd Predrag Matejic Copyright by Peter T. De Simone 2012 Abstract In the mid-seventeenth century Nikon, Patriarch of Moscow, introduced a number of reforms to bring the Russian Orthodox Church into ritualistic and liturgical conformity with the Greek Orthodox Church. However, Nikon‘s reforms met staunch resistance from a number of clergy, led by figures such as the archpriest Avvakum and Bishop Pavel of Kolomna, as well as large portions of the general Russian population. Nikon‘s critics rejected the reforms on two key principles: that conformity with the Greek Church corrupted Russian Orthodoxy‘s spiritual purity and negated Russia‘s historical and Christian destiny as the Third Rome – the final capital of all Christendom before the End Times. Developed in the early sixteenth century, what became the Third Rome Doctrine proclaimed that Muscovite Russia inherited the political and spiritual legacy of the Roman Empire as passed from Constantinople. In the mind of Nikon‘s critics, the Doctrine proclaimed that Constantinople fell in 1453 due to God‘s displeasure with the Greeks. Therefore, to Nikon‘s critics introducing Greek rituals and liturgical reform was to invite the same heresies that led to the Greeks‘ downfall.
    [Show full text]
  • Simple Catechism in Question-And-Answer Form [ Know and Love Your Catholic Faith \
    A Simple Catechism in Question-and-Answer Form [ Know and Love Your Catholic Faith \ Download, Print, Propagate. www.TheCatholicFaith.info Holiness Through Truth ✠ A Simple Catechism A Catholic Faith Booklet Download, Print, Propagate. www.thecatholicfaith.info Dedicated to St. Francis de Sales About this booklet: This booklet is directed to all Catholic lay faithful, young and old, to mobilise the ‘sleeping giant’ of the Church by helping them to know and love their faith. It is The Catholic Faith edition of the ‘Penny Catechism’, which features a few minor changes including updating of terminologies (QQ. 319, 321, 324, etc.) and dates (Q. 231), formatting improvements, and the addition of the five Luminous Mysteries (p. 59), introduced by Pope John Paul II in 2002. This version was last edited on October 20, 2013. Basic Catechism Of Christian Doctrine (4 Week Meditation Cycle) sourced with permission from: www.memorare.com with: Imprimatur ✠ John Cardinal Heenan Archbishop of Westminster 18 July 1971 Explanatory text from: The Complete Catholic Handbook www.holyspiritinteractive.net “Advance this book” - Mother Teresa of Calcutta (South Bronx, N.Y.) Permission is given to reproduce and distribute this booklet for non-profit purposes. 1 Preface The greatest commandment given to us as Catholics is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). As such, we must first know our faith with all our mind, for it reveals God – we cannot love what we do not know. It is for this reason that catechisms - meaning ‘oral instructions’ – developed in the early Church.
    [Show full text]
  • Bogomils of Bulgaria and Bosnia
    BOGOMILS OF BULGARIA AND BOSNIA The Early Protestants of the East. AN ATTEMPT TO RESTORE SOME LOST LEAVES OF PROTESTANT HISTORY. BY L. P. BROCKETT, M. D. Author of: "The Cross and the Crescent," "History of Religious Denominations," etc. PHILADELPHIA AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 1420 CHESTNUT STREET. Entered to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by the AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. CONTENTS _______ SECTION I. Introduction.—The Armenian and other Oriental churches. SECTION II. Dualism and the phantastic theory of our Lord's advent in the Oriental churches —The doctrines they rejected.—They held to baptism. SECTION III. Gradual decline of the dualistic doctrine —The holy and exemplary lives of the Paulicians. SECTION IV. The cruelty and bloodthirstiness of the Empress Theodora —The free state and city of Tephrice. SECTION V. The Sclavonic development of the Catharist or Paulician churches.—Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Servia its principal seats —Euchites, Massalians, and Bogomils SECTION VI. The Bulgarian Empire and its Bogomil czars. SECTION VII. A Bogomil congregation and its worship —Mostar, on the Narenta. SECTION VIII. The Bogomilian doctrines and practices —The Credentes and Perfecti —Were the Credentes baptized? SECTION IX. The orthodoxy of the Greek and Roman churches rather theological than practical —Fall of the Bulgarian Empire. SECTION X. The Emperor Alexius Comnenus and the Bogomil Elder Basil —The Alexiad of the Princess Anna Comnena. SECTION XI. The martyrdom of Basil —The Bogomil churches reinforced by the Armenian Paulicians under the Emperor John Zimisces. SECTION XII. The purity of life of the Bogomils —Their doctrines and practices —Their asceticism.
    [Show full text]
  • David F. Wright, "One Baptism Or Two? Reflections on the History Of
    David F. Wright, “One Baptism or Two? Reflections on the History of Christian Baptism,” Vox Evangelica 18 (1988): 7-23. One Baptism or Two? Reflections on the History of Christian Baptism The Laing Lecture for 1987. David F. Wright [p.7] I have no doubt that some of my audience have undergone two baptisms―two water baptisms, that is. They may not now regard their first one as a baptism, but such a nicety need not detain us at this stage. (After all, it was certainly baptism in the mind of all those involved at the time who were capable of judging, and would be so reckoned by the great consensus of Christian people down the centuries.) I am also confident that many of my listeners can immediately think of churches which they instinctively regard as outstanding when measured by recognized yardsticks, but most of whose baptisms are not in their view Christian baptisms. These congregations’ main form of baptism is not that of my presumed hearers, and so much the worse for that, since the latter’s is alone true Christian baptism. One baptism or two? Is the state of affairs I have conjured up a matter of great concern to evangelical Christians today? It is my conviction that it should be, and if this lecture achieves anything, I hope it will at least provoke some to reflect afresh on ‘the waters that divide’, as Donald Bridge and David Phypers entitle their helpful introduction to ‘the baptism debate’.1 For this split among us is a blatant affront to a cherished axiom of the Reformation―the perspicuity of the scriptures.
    [Show full text]
  • Christian Apocalyptic Extremism: a Study of Two Cases
    CHRISTIAN APOCALYPTIC EXTREMISM: A STUDY OF TWO CASES Alar Laats Ph.D. in Systematic Theology, Professor of Religious Studies, Tallinn University, Estonia, [email protected] ABSTRACT. The article treats two cases of large scale Christian extremism: the estaBlishment of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in China in the middle of the 19th century and the Russian Old Believers movement that started in the second half of the 17th century. In Both cases there were intense expectations of the end of the world. In Both cases their extreme actions were provoked By the violent activity of the state authorities. The extremism of the Chinese Christians was directed outside whereas the extreme Behaviour of the Russian Old Believers was directed first of all inside, towards themselves. One of the reasons of the difference in their actions was the difference in their respective theological thinking. Key words: Christian extremism, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Russian Old Believers, eschatological figures, utopias and dystopias. There are various ways to classify the phenomena of extremism. One possiBility is to divide these phenomena into external and internal ones. In the first case the extremism is directed towards others. Its aim is to change the other, usually to reBuild the whole world. It can easily Become aggression. In the case of the internal extremism it is directed towards the extremists them- selves. Its aim can Be a withdrawal or a change of themselves. Sometimes it Becomes self-denial. The last one hundred years have mainly Been an era of the atheistic extremism. Tens of millions of people have perished in the concentration camps created By national socialist or communist extremists.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of Religion on Ethnic Survival: Russian Old Believers in Al Aska
    CALIFORNIA GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY Vol. XXXI, 1991 THE IMPACT OF RELIGION ON ETHNIC SURVIVAL: RUSSIAN OLD BELIEVERS IN AL ASKA Susan W. Hardwick istorical and cultural geographers have long been in­ Hterested in the processes of immigrant settlement and subsequent cultural change (Joerg, 1932; Jordan, 1966; Mannion, 1974, 1977; McQuillan, 1978; Ostergren, 1988; Swrerenga, 1985). However, except for limited studies of ethnicity in the central United States, very little has been ac­ complished to date on the significant relationship between religion and ethnic retention and sense of place (Jordan, 1980; Ostergren, 1981; Legreid and Ward, 1982). Russian Old Believers in North America offer a particularly fascinat­ ing case study for an investigation of the role of religion as a key variable in culture change. For over three hundred years, in Russia, China, South America, and the United States, Old Believers have maintained their Russian lan­ guage, their religious beliefs, and their traditional lifestyle while living within very different, dominant majority cul­ tures (Colfer, 1985; Smithson, 1976). Will they continue to Dr. Hardwick received her Master's degree in Geography at California State University, Chico, and is now Associate Professor of Geography there. 19 20 THE CALIFORNIA GEOCRAPHER maintain their distinctive cultural and religious identity in Alaska in the 1990s? Regional Setting The tip of the Kenai Peninsula can barely be seen in the thick coastal fog. Glaciated peaks, fiorded coasts, and roar­ ing mountain streams dominate first impressions of this rolling, spruce-covered landscape. Old Believer settlements in Alaska are located in isolated, inaccessible places in three regions of the state of Alaska including Kenai forests, the Matanuska Valley, and islands just north of Kodiak (Figure 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Didache of the Apostles1
    The Didache of the Apostles1 The teaching2 of the Lord to the Gentiles through3 the twelve apostles The Two Ways and the First Commandment 1.1 There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is much difference between the two ways. 2. On the one hand,4 the way of life is this: first, you shall love5 the God who made you; second, [you shall love] your neighbor as yourself6; but all things, if you want them not to happen to you, then see you do not do to another.7 3. Now the teaching of these words is this: Bless those who curse you,8 and pray for your enemies, but fast for those who persecute you9; for what credit is it if you should love those who love you?10 Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?11 But you must love those who hate you and you will not have an enemy.12 4. Abstain from fleshly and bodily cravings. If someone should give you a slap on the right cheek, turn to him the other also,13 and you will be mature14; If someone compels you to go with him one mile, go with him two15; if someone takes away your cloak, give him your tunic also16; if 1 Based on the translation by J. B. Lightfoot, 1891; but a translation of the recent Greek text: The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations (ed. and transl. Michael W. Holmes; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 20073). Other works consulted: Rodney A.
    [Show full text]