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THE EARLY Eucharistie THEOLOGY of MARTIN BUCER

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THE EARLY EUCHARISTie THEOLOGY OF MARTIN BUCER by Frank H. Meadows A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Sanctae Theologiae Magister Department of Divinity, McGill University, Montreal. April 1965 PREFACE Five years after Luther fixed his theses to the church door in Wittenberg, the Reformation was dealt a heav:v blow in the development of the controversy over the Eucharist. The controversy opened up a. deep split in the Protestant ranks, dividing Lutherans and Zwinglians not only confessionally, but politically as well. When the Protestants were in greatest need of unity, both at the bargaining table and on the battlefield, in confrontation with the Catholic Emperor Charles V, their inability to agree on the Eucharist kept them divided and weakened. In terms of armed forces they were stronger; in terms of bargaining, they were in a position to demand concessions from the emperor who needed their support to fight the Turks. In every case, the lack of unity caused by the Eucharistie controversy reduced these advantages to nothing. Charles V did not hesitate to exploit the division amongst Protestants to the ext.ent that the potential of the Reformation, inherent in its early growth, was at best only partially realized. The theological :i.mplications of the controversy however, were of no less importance. Theologically, the Protestants remained divided although Zwingli and Luther were able to reach agreement on every other doctrinal position at Marburg in 1529. In a sense, this made Eucharistie theology the test case for the Reformation. Justification by faith, which has been regarded as a sort of slogan representine; the heart and essence of Reformation theology, did not in fact turn out to be the crucial issue. Evidently, one 1 s be efs concerning the presence of Christ in the Eucharist ~ere of greater importance than beliefs concerning justification. Bath Zw lans and Lutherans professed belief in justification by faith, but this was not sufficient grounds for Luther; he would not share in the Eucbarist with Zwinglians until they professed to share his beliefs in the manner of Christ's presence there. Indeed, their differences over this matter hardly allowed Luther to regard Zwinglians as fellow Christians. As the controversy developed through the 1520's, the gulf that separated Protestants became wider and deeper. Beginning in 1528, a third factor in the controversy began to emerge. Under the -ii- leadership of Martin Bucer, the leading theologian of Strasbourg, a small number of people b an to express their desire for a settlement of the controversy. The movement grew in strength and numbers, gathering support from both Lutheran and Zwinglian partisans who saw the extent of the damage being done. In 1536, Bucer and his party saw ir efforts rewarded with the signing of the Wittenberg Concord proclaiming doctrinal unity between the Lutherans and the Zwinglians of Upper Germany. Although the Concord did not include the Swiss Zwinglians, it did bring the controversy to an end, and for the time being at least, both sides cea.sed open hostilities. This thesis surveys the Eucharistie controversy with particul~r reference to the part tha.t Martin Bucer played in it. Our concern is to trace the development of Bucer 1 s Eucharistie theology as it was formed within this particular context. Bucer's Eucharistie theology bears the marks of the debate witb which it Has form.ed and the concord which it sought. The author wishes to express his gratitude to the Faculty of Protestant Theology of the -iii- University of Strasbourg for its kind assistance to him during the academie year 1962-63. A special word of appreciation is due to the Dean, François Wendel and to M. Rudolphe Peter, chargé d 1 enseignment, who guided my research on Bucer in its initial stages. Finally, I would thank the women of the Town of Mount Royal United Church u.c.w. whose generous scholarship assistance made the year•s study in Strasbourg a financial possibility, -iv- ABBREVIATIONS LCC. The Library of Christian Classics, Edited by C. C. Richardson, S.C.M. Press, London, 1953 and continuing. LW. Martin Luther, Works, Edited by J. Pelikan, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1955 and continuing. MBDS. Martin Bucer's Deutsche Schriften, Edited by Robert Stupperich, Gütersloher Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn, GÜters1oh, 1960 and continuing. RHPR. Revue d'Histoire et de Philosophie Religieuses, Published by the Faculty of Protestant Theology of the University of Strasbourg with the collaboration of the Faculty of Protestant Theology of Montpellier and of Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris. -v- TABLE OF CONTENTS PliliF'ACE • • • • • • • • . • • . • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • i ABB.FŒVIAT IONS. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • v CHAPTER I THE BEGINNINGS OF REFORM IN STRASBOURG. 1 Bucer' s Early Years......................... 1 His Meeting with Luther ••••••••••••••••••••• 3 He Le ave s the Monas tery.. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • 6 The Refcrm of Wissemburg •••••••••••••••••••• 9 He arrives in Strasbourg •••••••••••••••••••. 10 The Das ym selbs •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 14 The Importance of This Work ••••••••.•••••••• 34 The Influence of Luther... • • • . • . • • • • . • • • • . 3 7 CHAPTER II THE EARLY YEARS OF TF..E EUCHARISTie CONTROVERSY .•• 39 Luther 1 s Eucharistie Theology •••••••••.••••• 40 Influence of Humanism on Bucer' s Tbeology ••• 50 The Summary Seiner Predig ..•••.••••...•••••• 52 Carlstadt Visits Strasbourg .•••••••••••••••• 55 The Grund und Ursach •••••..••••••••••••••••• 57 Strasbourg 1 s Neutra1 Position •••••••••.••••• 62 The Apologia Martini Buceri .•••••••..••••••• 68 Bucer Quarrels with Bugenhagen and Luther ••• 69 CHAPTER III FIRST ATTEMPTS AT CONCORD .•.••........• 76 Luther's Confession of 1528 ..•..••••..•.•••• 79 Bucer's Rep1y: Verg1eichung D. Lutbers •••••• 88 The Diet of Speyer, 1529 •••••••••••••••••••• 100 The Marburg Colloquy •••••••••••••••••••••••• l05 The Diet of Augsburg ••••••••••••.••••.•••••• 109 The Tetrapo1itana ...••••••••••.••••••••••••• ll2 The Conference at Coburg .•••••••.••••••••••• l22 The First Formula for Concord •••••••..•••••• l24 Bucer's Relations with Zwing11 •••..••.•••••. 125 -vi- TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER IV PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENT ••.••.••••.•••• l29 The Death of Zwingli •••••••••••••••••••••••• l29 The Policies of Charles V ••••••.•••••••••••• 133 The Conference at Schweinfurt ••••••••••••••• l35 The Strasbourg Synod •••.••••••••••••••••.••• 149 Bucer' s Confession for the Augsburg Theologians ••. l53 The Bericht ••• zU Manster ••••••.•...••••••••• l58 The Cassel Conference ••••••••••.•••••••••••• l60 The First Swiss Confession •••••••••.•••••••• l67 The Conference at Wittenberg ••••.••••••••••• l68 Articles of the Wittenberg Concord •••••••.•. 170 Attempts at Ratificatton •••••••••••••••••••• 172 CHAPTER V CONCLUSION •.••.•••.••••••••••••••.••••• 175 NOTES ••••••••.••••••.•..•••••••..••••••••••• 197 BIBLIOGRAPHY •••••.•..••.••..•••••••••••••••• 219 -vii- CHAPTER I THE BEGTIJNINGS OF REFORM IN STRASBOURG I Bucer 1 s Early Years On November 11, 1491, while Luther was still a 1 child and Calvin as yet unborn, Martin Bucer was born in Sélestat, a small city to the south of Strasbourg, the ancient capital of Alsace. While Sélestat today is only one of a number of small villages in the region devoted to the production of wine, in those times it was a city of some considerable importance. Two features of its life were in the main responsible for this importance. In the first place, an intense religious enthusiasm was evident from the large number of convents and monasteries, all of which were crowded so that the number of monks and nuns was disproportionately large compared with the size of the lay citizenry. The second important feature of the city 1 s life was its high regard for learning, a development due largely to a circle of humanists led by Jacob Wimpheling and the ramous Latin School in which they taught. Tradition says that Bucer as a youngster attended this school and sat under the noted Alsatian humanist Jerome Gebwiler, from whom he received not only religious enthusiasm, and a love for learning, but also a conviction that the Church of the day was in need of reform. When Bucer was ten years old, his parents moved to Strasbourg, but he was left with his grandfather in Sélestat, allowing him to continue his studies there. As the grandfather became older however, he found it increasingly difficult to earn enough to support the two of them. Bucer then was faced with the problem of how to get an education for which neither he nor his grandfather could afford to pay. The only solution which seemed sensible was that he should become a monk. It must be admitted that this decision on Bucer 1 s part was motivated more by his love of learning than by his religious enthusiasm. Relying upon the assurances of sorne of the monks with whom he spoke that within the order he would find ample opportunity to study the 1 new learn1ng 1 , he entered the Dominican monastery in Sélestat in 1506 at the age of fifteen. His novitiate was a succession of terrifying experiences. Bucer soon realized the error of his decision, and yet he remained to take his final vows, convinced by the Dominicans that not to do so would lead to eternal damnation. -2- It was at this time that Bucer ca..me into 2 contact with the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.
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