History of Christianity Commons^™

Factors In Lutheran Unity, E. George Pearce

Concordia Theological Monthly

Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem in the fourth century, advised his people that when they attended a divine service in a strange city, they ought not merely to enquire for the church or for the lord's house, because Marcionists and Manicheans and all manner of sects professed to be the Church and called their meeting places the House of the Lord; but they ought to ask: Where is the Catholic Church? The name "Catholic," used in all the early creeds and in the writings of the Fathers, came into use first to distinguish the universal Christian Church from the national Jewish …

Saint Boniface, Lewis W. Spitz

Concordia Theological Monthly

Twelve centuries have passed since St. Boniface on June 5, 754, died as a martyr on the banks of the Borne at Dokkum, in Friesland. Much is being made of the anniversary of his death. Roman Catholics have organized pilgrimages both to Dokkum, the place of his death, and to Fulda, where his body now rests. Protestants, too, have honored his memory with special services. Many thousands of both Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians have thus paid their respects to a great man of God and to their common Christian heritage.

In Memoriam. Professor F. E. Mayer, D.D., William F. Arndt

Concordia Theological Monthly

The managing editor of the Concordia Theological Monthly has been taken to the home above where there is rest for God's children and editorial drudgery is unknown. Exigencies of space will not permit that we insert more than a few biographical data; for fuller accounts the readers are referred to the biweekly popular papers of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Lutheraner and the Lutheran Witness.

The Thought Of Stephen Toulmin And Some Theological Reflections, Kenneth Frese

Bachelor of Divinity

The five major works of Stephen Edelston Toulmin, currently professor of philosophy at Brandeis University, that will be treated in this paper are "Contemporary Scientific Mythology," An Examination of the Place of Reason in Ethics, Foresight and Understanding, The Philosophy of Science, and The Uses of Argument.? It will be my object to set forth the essentials of Toulmin's thought concerning first science and secondly extra-scientific endeavors, especially theology; to relate some of Mr. Toulmin's conclusions to those of two prominent exponents of "ordinary language" philosophy, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Gilbert Ryle; and finally to look at the work of a …

The Babylon Of 1 Peter 5:13, Roy Schroeder

Bachelor of Divinity

The problem discussed in this paper is the second one: Where is Babylon? Three theories have been advanced: “Babylon" is: (1) Rome, (2) Babylon in Mesopotamia, and (3) Babylon on the Nile River in Egypt. Each of these theories is discussed in a separate chapter. The wording of 1 Pet. 5:13 does not make it mandatory to say that Peter was in Babylon, wherever it is, at the time he wrote his first epistle. This is particularly true if the Egyptian theory is accepted. The greetings from the church ·at Babylon could have come through Mark. However, the natural thing …

Tertullian--His Life And Theology, Elmer Hethke

Bachelor of Divinity

With these considerations in minds we are ready to embark upon our study of his life and theology. First, this paper will consider his life and work as it affected the people of his day, his dealings with the heresies of his day, and his own heretical views. Then this paper will consider his theology, which will be done by a survey of the various loci in systematic theology.

Did Luther Teach That Christ Committed Adultery?, Arthur Carl Piepkorn

Concordia Theological Monthly

As every paster discovers, Roman Catholic ignorance - clerical hardly less than lay-of Lutheran and Luther's theology is often abysmal.

Something of a new nadir, however, was achieved by the Rev. Richard Ginder in the Roman Catholic weekly, Our Sunday Visitor, Vol.XLII, No.44, February 28, 1954, page 12, when he wrote: "Did Martin Luther believe that Jesus was God?

"In his Table Talk,' Weimar edition, ii, 107, one reads the following hair-raising blasphemy: 'Christ committed adultery first of all with the woman at the well about whom St. John tells us. Was not everybody about Him saying: "Whatever has He …

The Life And Labors Of Eduard Raimund Baierlein, Walter P. Schoenfuhs

Bachelor of Divinity

One cannot properly appreciate Baierlein's contributions unless one understands what has been accomplished before the missionary’s arrival. Thus, besides sketching his biography, the thesis will also discuss the early Christian missions among the Chippewa Indians in Michigan and the missionary activities in India before Baierlein's arrival. Particular emphasis will be devoted to Lutheran mission work in these countries.

The Wycliffite And Lutheran Element In The English Reformation, Walter M. Schoedel

Bachelor of Divinity

The period which this thesis discusses is one of the most important periods in English History. The years 1300 to 1550 show to the world why the Church of England is no longer a member of the Roman Church, This thesis endeavors to show how the teachings and works of John Wycliffe in the 14th century help lay the foundation and groundwork for the real beginning of the Reformation in England in the 16th century, and how the Lutheran element from the continent fits into the scheme of events during the early years of the English Reformation. Again we have …

Luther And The Canon, Erwin Prange

Bachelor of Divinity

The questions to be answered by the thesis are the following: What is Luther's attitude toward the Scriptural canon and what is the basis of or the key to his attitude? It will not be within the scope of the thesis to define or investigate Luther's doctrine of the "word " except where it may have direct and immediate bearing upon his treatment of the canon. His doctrines of inspiration and of the Holy Spirit will also not be considered separately but only in the immediate context of his attitude toward the canon.

A History Of Lutheran Missions To Islam, Robert E. Jones

Bachelor of Divinity

The paper attempts to gather the facts of the history of Lutheran Missions to Islam. The pursuit of these facts was hindered chiefly by two things. The first is that there is a lack or written material on this phase of missions. A large part of Lutheran Mission work today touches Islam only incidentally and the records of such work generally fail to mention Islam as a separate consideration. This is especially true in areas where Muslims and other peoples live side by side but as distinct groups, as in South India and the Near East. A comprehensive history of …

Pietism And Methodism: A Comparative Study, Alvin V. Kollmann

Bachelor of Divinity

Both of these movements stressed the personal side of religion, and because neither one intended to break away from the church, but merely reform it from within, they were similar. The similarity of the two is also found in the fact that they were both the results of their times. Both Spener and Wesley were influenced by many of the same things, another reason why people see much similarity in the two movements.

William Alfred Passavant- His Influence On Nineteenth Century American Lutheranis, Charles Reimnitz

Bachelor of Divinity

This report has been laid out under four general headings: The early life of Passavant, his labors first in the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, then in the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America, and finally his contacts with the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Christian Participation In The Second World War, Ralph Moellering

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Naturally the "conclusions” drawn by the writer are subjective to the extent that they are based on his own findings and no one person can pretend to be cognizant of all the data that would be relevant to a study so comprehensive in scope. Nor would we deny that our ultimate aim in offering this thesis is didactic and hortative. We will endeavor to uncover some of the shortcomings and past mistakes of the established churches, and we will indicate what we believe to be some correctives and safeguards for the future.

Luther On War And Revolution, H. R. Klann

Concordia Theological Monthly

Secular authority, according to Luther, is in a sense the extension of patriarchal authority to the community. As such it is part of the present order of creation, by which Luther meant the conditions of human activity and existence in history. However, its constitutional form, like all other political settlements within the frame of Moral Law, was for him a matter of human expediency. For his part, Luther was content to accept the political settlement of his time.

Marsiglio De Padua And The Defensor Pacis, Luther T. Engelbrecht

Bachelor of Divinity

The life of Marsiglio de Padua is a considerable problem in itself. Opinions concerning the details of his birth, activity, and death vary widely. Each scholar that writes on the subject refutes in some way all those that precede him. Scholz and Haller seem almost to go out of their way to contradict each other. The English and American scholars are slightly more polite to each other than their German colleagues, but they, too, disagree widely. I have tried to present the cases of the various scholars and to determine as much as possible the most plausible solution to the …

A History Of The Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church In The United States Of America, 1902-1927, George Dolak

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

The History of the Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States of America, 1902-1927

John Henry Charles Fritz, D. D., 1874-1953, John Theodore Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

On Sunday, April 12, 1953, about 9:40 A. M., at Springfield, Ill., there was called to his eternal reward a churchman, pastor, educator, editor, and administrator of our Church who was highly esteemed both at home and abroad-John Henry Charles Fritz. Born on July 30, 1874, he reached the age of 78 years.

German Society At The Close Of The Middle Ages And Its Effects On The Reformation, Walter Rosin

Bachelor of Divinity

The purpose of this thesis will be to discuss the social conditions prevalent at the close of the Middle Ages which are involved in the German Reformation, the role which they played in bringing it about, and also to trace the effects which the social factor had in assuring the success of the Reformation.

A History Of Missouri Synod Work In Japan, Arthur Strege

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The present thesis is entitled: “A History of Missouri Synod Work in Japan." It gives a brief history of the work done by members of the Missouri Synod in Japan itself from September, 1948, to January, 1953. In order that this thesis might give a more complete picture, Chapter II will be devoted to an overview of the past activities of the Missouri Synod which led to the opening of the field in Japan in 1948. For a more detailed picture of those activities, the reader would do well to consult the B.D. thesis mentioned above.

This overview will be …

Anglican And Orthodox Reunion, Milton Rudnick

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Progress in These efforts is apparent particularly since the last decade of the Nineteenth Century. This paper will study the Anglican-Orthodox relations with regard to reunion. The first section will deal with the factors which encourage reunion efforts. Then we will briefly sketch the actual negotiations themselves, as they have taken place since the Seventeenth Century. The next section will discuss the doctrinal issues involved in Anglican-Orthodox Reunion. Our concluding section will deal with the principal problems which are raised by Anglican-Orthodox Reunion Attempts.

The Significance Of Luther's Hermeneutics For The Protestant Reformation, Raymond P. Surburg

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Protestant Reformation, called by Roman Catholics the Protestant Revolt, is generally conceded to have been one of the most significant movements in the last two thousand years of world history. Historians who have treated the Reformation have interpreted it from at least four distinct points of view: the religious-political, the rationalist, the liberal-romantic, and the economic-evolutionary. A current scholar, Rosenstock-Huessy, lists the Protestant Reformation as the first of four political revolutions occurring between 1517 and 1918.

Grace Of God In The Old Testament (Concluded), Walter R. Roehrs

Concordia Theological Monthly

After making a rapid survey of the terms that the Old Testament employs to denote the grace of God, we need to say that these words are not the fleeting sound of empty vocables. Nor do they describe an abstraction in the nature of a Platonic idea. They tell what God does to save men from the curse of their separation from Him and to bring them a life in blessed communion with Him. Our next task is, therefore, to trace how the grace of God entered the lives of the Old Testament believers to bring them salvation.

Our English Bible, E. J. Saleska

Concordia Theological Monthly

Many Biblical scholars are agreed that September 30, 1952, will go down in American church history as a red-letter day. It was the publication date of the highly publicized Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Special services commemorating the event were held in more than three thousand communities. Coupled with this was the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the first printing, in Mainz, Germany, of the famous Gutenberg Bible. In recognition of this event the United States Government placed on sale on September 30 a special commemorative three-cent stamp.

In Memoriam Joh. Albrecht Bengel, Jaroslav Pelikan

Concordia Theological Monthly

November 2, 1952, is the two-hundredth anniversary of the death of Johann Albrecht Bengel, a leading figure in the history of Lutheran theology. He has exerted an influence over subsequent Biblical scholarship comparable to that of Luther and Flacius in the sixteenth century, the Buxtorfs in the seventeenth, von Hofmann in the nineteenth, and Schlatter in the twentieth. Until a generation or two ago his Gnomon Novi Testamenti was a commonplace in the libraries of the evangelical clergy; and some of the works which have come to replace it, like Dean Alford's commentary and the Expositors Greek Testament, are expansions …

Primitive Eucharistic Belief As Reflected In The Catacombs Of Rome, Raymond W. Koster

Bachelor of Divinity

The Catacombs of Rome are a vast and intricate network of underground burial galleries located, not within the walls of the city itself, but under the rolling Campagna surrounding it.

A History Of Missouri Synod Work Among The Japanese, Arthur H. Strege

Bachelor of Divinity

This thesis gives a brief history of work done by members of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod among people of Japanese ancestry living in various places throughout the world. A complete title of the material covered in this thesis should probably read: "A History of Work Done by Pastors, Missionaries, Chaplains, Teachers, and Laymen of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod among People of Japanese Ancestry in the United States till 1952, and among Japanese People in China till 1950 and in Japan till September, 1948." Since the Rev. William J. Danker, first resident missionary of the Missouri Synod in Japan, arrived in …

The Rise And Fall Of The Schmalkaldic League: The Treaty Of Passau, 1552, Theo. Hoyer

Concordia Theological Monthly

There are several reasons that suggest the truce of Passau as a subject for special consideration at the present time. One is, of course, the date. Since 1883 we have followed up the great outstanding events in Reformation history by church-wide celebrations, beginning with Luther's birth and ending, in 1946, with Luther's death. But several events following Luther's death were to be of immense importance to the Lutheran Church; one of them is the Schmalkaldic War, ending in the truce of Passau, 1552, and the Religious Peace of Augsburg. 1555. - Another reason: We have seen a veritable flood of …

Inside Missouri Synod, James R. Blackwood

Concordia Theological Monthly

From what other people had told me, my mental picture of a Missouri Lutheran once took shape as a sort of scaly monster belching me.

But I have changed my mind in the last five years, since I have set out in my first charge, a Presbyterian minister in the thick of Missouri Lutherans. One day early in my pastorate I wanted to look up a reference in a certain volume of theology. The public library of nearby St. Louis did not have a copy of the book. What about Concordia Seminary? Perhaps the Lutherans would let me use their …

The Old Testament Concept Of God : Henotheism Or Monotheism?, Rodney R. Rynearson

Bachelor of Divinity

That there are occurrences of henotheistic practices in the Old Testament cannot be denied, as will be shown later. The major concern of this thesis is to determine what caused these occurrences of henotheism. Is henotheism a teaching and belief which the Old Testament sanctions or is it an aberration of its true teaching? Did the Old Testament concept of God develop gradually from henotheism to monotheism, as the liberal scholars claim, or was monotheism basic to its earliest teaching which later was corrupted by sin and which degenerated into henotheism among some of the people?