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Comparing And Contrasting Luther’S And Aquinas’ Viewpoints Regarding The Essence Of Justification: A Step Towards Promoting Ecumenical Harmony, Paulinus Daeli Osc

Obsculta

This article is intended for Christians who recognize the importance of diversity in ecumenical unity. By comparing the views of Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther on the idea of justification, the author seeks to convey that faith in Christ helps one to grow and develop spiritually. The similarities and differences of the two figures offered in this sense invite Christians to see that their differences need not be contradictory and that they can be juxtaposed.

Is Assurance Of Salvation Of The Essence Of Saving Faith In The Gospel Of John?, Robert Vacendak

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Catholics, Calvinists, and Arminians deny absolute assurance of salvation. Instead, they imagine only “degrees of,” “a measure of,” “a kind of,” or “some level of” assurance before final judgment. Scholarly analyses of assurance often prioritize earlier studies, not Scripture. Therefore, few question whether partial assurance even meets the Biblical threshold. This dissertation seeks a fresh inductive analysis of John’s Gospel, a book challenging the scholarly consensus. Numerically, John’s divine truth-claims regarding eternal life/assurance far exceed other Biblical books. Careful exegesis of John vindicates absolute assurance and refutes partial assurance. Regeneration occurs the moment one believes Christ has irrevocably saved him …

Theology Of The Laity: The Lutheran Way, Brian M. Mosemann

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The distinction between the laity and clergy has been a contributing cause of disunity within the church because the clergy and laity are often pitted against one another with one or the other being elevated to the detriment of the other. This problem has plagued the church from the middle ages until the present day. Since the definition of the term “laity” is vacuous, the laity are generally defined relative to the clergy, specifically in reference to their authority and duties. This results in a negative definition when the laity are defined as the opposite of the clergy. The laity …

Sola Fide The Relevance Of Remembering The Reformation, Erik Herrmann

Concordia Pages

This two-part publication presents Erik Herrmann’s essay on the ongoing relevance of Martin Luther’s Reformation in light of its 500th anniversary, as well as his sermon on “sola fide” (faith alone), one of the hallmark slogans of the Reformation, which he preached on the 500th anniversary, October 31, 2017.

Luther’S Works, Volume 75, Church Post Edited By Benjamin G. Mayes And James Langebartels, Paul Robinson

Concordia Journal

Roth reproduced Luther accurately when he had a work by Luther in front of him, but he felt free to include other material in his editions when he lacked something by Luther.

Printing And Protestants: An Empirical Test Of The Role Of Printing In The Reformation, Jared Rubin

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

The causes of the Protestant Reformation have long been debated. This paper seeks to revive and econometrically test the theory that the spread of the Reformation is linked to the spread of the printing press. I test this theory by analyzing data on the spread of the press and the Reformation at the city level. An econometric analysis that instruments for omitted variable bias with a city's distance from Mainz, the birthplace of printing, suggests that cities with at least one printing press by 1500 were at minimum 29 percentage points more likely to be Protestant by 1600.

[Book Review Of] Reformation Und Konfessionelles Zeitalter (1517-1648), By Martin H. Jung, Denis Kaiser

Faculty Publications

This book on the reformation and the confessional era (1517-1648) is succinct, informative, and very readable. It is a textbook that contains fifteen neatly arranged chapters. The advantage of Jung’s textbook lies in the fact that it is not merely another book about the reformation and post-reformation period for its real strength is found not as much in the presentation of the historical facts and developments per se as in the enclosed pertinent syllabus for university studies and exams on both epochs. Instructors and professors may benefit from Jung’s teaching experience, using the materials and adapting them according to their …

Luther On The Priesthood Of All Believers And The State, Nicholas Miller

Memory, Meaning & Faith

No abstract provided.

Luther Promises To Recant, Nicholas Miller

Memory, Meaning & Faith

No abstract provided.

His Spear Through My Side Into Luther Calvin's Relationship To Luther's Doctrine Of The Will, Matthew Heckel

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Heckel, Matthew C. "'His Spear Through My Side into Luther:' Calvin's Relationship to Luther’s Doctrine of the Will." Ph.D. Diss., St. Louis, MO: Concordia Seminary, 2005. 307 pp.

In thesis thirteen of his Disputation Against Scholastic Theology (1518), Luther stated that free choice before grace was a reality in name only and when it does what it can it sins mortally. This statement had a significant impact as it was one of the sparks that ignited Luther's conflict with Rome, as Luther's thesis was singled out for condemnation as the thirty-sixth article of the papal bull Exsurge Domine (1520). Luther …

Holiness And The Christian Life In The Theology Of Martin Luther And John Calvin, John Hamilton Weston

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of The Ecclesiology Of Representatives Of The Lutheran And Helvetic Reformers, Chun Kwan Lee

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

There are two major areas that need to be investigated. The first concerns the ecclesiology of the four reformers selected for this study. It must be noted that the Reformation was not the work of isolated individuals, but a movement caused by the joint efforts of various persons and schools of thought. A comparison among these reformers is therefore very much needed in order to gain a better picture of the era. The following study will therefore analyse the various aspects of the ecclesiology of these four reformers and comparisons will be made accordingly.

Secondly, how the reformers' convictions of …

An Evaluation Of The Position Of The Missouri Synod On The Antichrist, Richard Hillenbrand

Master of Divinity Thesis

In this study, then, we will concentrate on three main witnesses: that of the Scriptures, that of sixteenth century Lutherans (with special emphasis on Luther), and that of the Missouri Synod. Each will be dealt with thoroughly in separate sections. The stance taken will be presented, and also the historical circumstances that brought about that stance at that particular time. Stances and the reasons for them will be compared and, finally, the practical implications of differing stances will be discussed.

Luther's Attitude Toward Religious Toleration In Light Of His Two Kingdom Doctrine, Richard Elseroad

Master of Divinity Thesis

The purpose of the treatise is not simply to list the inconsistencies or contradictions that may exist in Luther's attitudes toward religious toleration (though at times it will become important to come to grips with these variances). No, the real challenge and goal is to uncover Luther’s rationale, if possible, which determines his relations with those he opposes. In other words, it is the attempt to find that consistency or loyalty to principle that will clarify the all too apparent inconsistencies.

Luther And The Late Medieval Augustinians: Another Look, David C. Steinmetz

Concordia Theological Monthly

The question of the relationship of Martin Luther to the theological traditions of his own order, to which he was exposed in a lesser or greater degree, has remained one of the interesting, if unsolved problems of Luther research.

The Motive For The Christian Life According To The Epistle Of James, Paul H. Dorn

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This study of the epistle of James arose out of a pastoral concern that members of the Christian community live their Christian discipleship. James is marked by its vigorous concern for Christians living a godly life; at the same time it raises a problem. The problem is that there is no motive immediately evident with which James encourages its readers to godly living--certainly nothing as evident as "by the mercies of God" (Rom. 12:1) or "if God so loved us" (1 John 4:11). The purpose of this study is to discover what the epistle's motive for Christian living is.

Műntzer's Translation And Liturgical Use Of Scripture, Joyce Irwin

Concordia Theological Monthly

If one were to adhere to the popular myth about Thomas Müntzer, one might expect few or only negative results of a study devoted to Müntzer's use of Scripture. The legend begun by Müntzer's enemies and perpetuated over the centuries is that Müntzer had little use for Scripture and relied mainly on dreams and personal inspiration for his source of divine revelation. This view receives its most extreme formulation among general historians or scholars in tangential fields who rely on secondary literature. For instance, the Germanist Paul Beckmann says: "With Müntzer the revolutionary attitude gets out of bounds because it …

The Reformation As A Youth Movement, John W. Constable

Concordia Theological Monthly

The parallels between then, the period of the Reformation, and now are striking: changing social patterns brought on by a growing money economy, a movement that grew out of the university experience of the reformers, a period of more time for thought, young people that were beginning to criticize the society in which they found themselves, and an establishment against which many were directing their darts of opposition.

The Curse Of Canaan And The American Negro, L. Richard Bradley

Concordia Theological Monthly

This survey of past interpretations of Gen. 9:25-27 supplies a helpful perspective from which to understand how the notion of white supremacy and Negro slavery in America were persistently justified on the basis of "the curse of Canaan." The article grew out of a course in black history which the author recently taught while a student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Ill.

Christian Humanism And The Reformation: Erasmus And Melanchthon, Carl S. Meyer

Concordia Theological Monthly

A closer examination of the relationship between Erasmus and Melanchthon - contemporaries who were both Christian humanists and ecclesiastical reformers, though they never met each other face to face - illuminates several significant aspects of the complex interrelationship between Christian humanism and the Reformation.

Companions Of The Augustana, E. George Pearce

Concordia Theological Monthly

How many of us Lutherans have wished at one time or another that our church might be called by another name? As an introductory thought, I should like you to consider the title of this essay, "Companions of the Augustana," as a possible alternative.

A Conversation Between Pasquil And German: Theological Mood And Method, 1537, Robert Kolb

Concordia Theological Monthly

Like the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles were forged for use in confessional confrontation and were the product of a complex political-ecclesiastical situation. Luther composed this confession of faith not for himself but at the request of his prince. Elector John Frederick of Saxony ordered the summary of the chief articles of faith as a position paper to be used in possible negotiations with representatives of the Roman party after Pope Paul III promulgated a bull of convocation for a general council in June 1536. The Smalcald Articles were but one literary reaction to the papal bull of convocation. Other …

Erasmus, Luther, And Aquinas, Philip Watson

Concordia Theological Monthly

One of the most recent additions to the growing Roman Catholic literature on Luther is a study of his doctrine of the bondage of the will in the light-as the subtitle of the German edition says-of the Biblical and ecclesiastical tradition. Its author, Harry J. McSorley, endorses Luther's own view of the outstanding importance of his De servo arbitrio as dealing with the most central issue of his reforming work. He also endorses Luther's claim that his primary concern was a reformation, not simply of practical abuses but of doctrine, and he fully agrees that no area of doctrine in …

Were The Reformers Mission-Minded?., Thomas Coates

Concordia Theological Monthly

The subject "The Reformation and Missions" might well suggest a very short paper indeed. Both theologically and practically, the Reformation period is notable chiefly for its lack of missionary emphasis.

The Gospel And The Smalcald Articles, Walter R. Bouman

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Smalcald Articles (hereafter abbreviated as S. A.) provide us with an excellent focus for the problems and possibilities which the 16-century confessional documents pose for 20th-century Lutheranism. The fact of our historical distance from the 16th century confronts us with the most obvious problems.

A Comparative Study Of The Prolegomena In Karl Barth's Christliche Dogmatik Of 1927 And The Kirchliche Dogmatik Of 1932-1938, Heino Olavi Kadai

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

After his first Prolegomena in 1927 seemed to indicate the shape which his theology was to take, Barth abruptly discontinued his work to start over again. The new beginning in 1932 led to the monumental Kirchliche Dogmatik. Did Barth need to start over again? In what way do the two Prolegomena agree or disagree? What were the advantages of the Kirchliche Dogmatik? These are the questions that should be answered in this study. In the process of the investigation Barth's basic foundations of theology become visible in the historical context in which they were conceived and in which they are …

Civic Order, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

Order is a gift. It may not be taken for granted. The tensions inherent in every social situation tend toward disruption unless they are harnessed toward creative ends.

Violence on our streets and in our cities has brought us up short to the realization that the social order is much like a garden: if left untended, it will produce only the weeds of exploitation, decay, frustration, and outrage. During some of the riots in our major cities we watched our television sea in sheer disbelief that this evil could erupt in our midst. Somehow we assumed that such things could …

The Posting Of Luther’S Theses - Legend Or Fact?, Franz Lau

Concordia Theological Monthly

Less than 10 years ago a discussion began over the posting of Luther's Ninety-five Theses, some doubting that it actually took place on the traditional day of October 31, 1517, some going so far as to contend that the posting never happened and is only a legend. Ten years ago, in the summer of 1957 at the Lutheran World Federation Meeting in Minneapolis, I was one of those who saw a young Sunday school teacher, impersonating Luther, on a float in a parade vigorously nail a copy of the Ninety-five Theses on a stage door depicting the one of Wittenberg. …

Luther: The Man Of The Hour, Daniel Walther

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Early Success And Gradual Decline Of Lutheranism In England, 1520-1600, Basil Hall

Concordia Theological Monthly

This calendar was an unofficial enterprise intended to oppose the names of "Protestant saints" to those of "Popish saints" in the traditional calendars in Elizabethan use, and it cannot be taken to mean that a deep or ready sympathy existed for Lutheran doctrine and religious practices at that time. In fact it would be difficult to find an Elizabethan writer approving of Lutheran teachings and methods of worship and advocating them apart from those subjects which had become common to Protestantism, including justification by faith.