Protestantism–Religion Glossary III

2011-12-13T18:33:00.001-05:00

Understanding religion is tough even for those who were lucky enough to receive a non-abusive education. Navigating the numerous inadequacies and misunderstandings that surround this subject is a multidisciplinary endeavour, involving psychology, history, economics and to a certain extent, religion.

Martin Luther, a German, was the first priest to publicly criticize the Catholic tenets in a coherent, convincing and ultimately “viral” fashion, apparently incensed by the selling of indulgences. While he believed in salvation through good works, John Calvin, a Frenchman who came 26 years after, was either seduced by “predestination” (salvation cannot be made dependent on human decisions) or was simply trying to find some middle ground with Catholic orthodoxy. While Luther thought the Church should be subordinated to the state yet separated, Calvin disagreed considering the Church superior and independent, but this may simply be a matter of circumstance:

Calvin, who began writing nearly twenty years after, did not have to face the question of separation. The breach was a fact. He simply knew that Rome persecuted "Lutherans," that she handed them over to the state to be burned, and that she accused them falsely of subversion.

After the excommunication of Luther and condemnation of the Reformation by the Pope, Calvin’s writings brought a certain unity to the various splinter groups. It was, in a way, an attempt to reconcile with the tradition strongly rejected by Luther. The other significant difference was on how the two interpreted the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, or what the Catholics called the transubstantiation dogma.

antisemitism

Luther was the son of a farmer turned miner, was jovial, quick-tempered and did not mince his words. In his early life he hoped that he could convert all Jews to Christianity, but in the latter part of his life he became a grumpy old bigot. He would often engage in what today would be called “trolling”; for instance, in On the Jews and Their Lies, he says, among other things (cf pedia):

In the treatise, Luther describes Jews as a "base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth." Luther wrote that they are "full of the devil's feces ... which they wallow in like swine," and the synagogue is an "incorrigible whore and an evil slut".

Such trolling inspired the Nazis, Henry Ford’s The International Jew and influenced Germany’s attitude toward its Jewish citizens since the Reformation and until the Holocaust. However, he did recognize early on that Jews could not possibly convert out of hatred:

In 1519 Luther challenged the doctrine Servitus Judaeorum ("Servitude of the Jews"), established in Corpus Juris Civilis by Justinian I in 529. He wrote: "Absurd theologians defend hatred for the Jews. ... What Jew would consent to enter our ranks when he sees the cruelty and enmity we wreak on them—that in our behavior towards them we less resemble Christians than beasts?"

In the 1523 essay That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew, he went even further:

If I had been a Jew and had seen such dolts and blockheads govern and teach the Christian faith, I would sooner have become a hog than a Christian. They have dealt with the Jews as if they were dogs rather than human beings; they have done little else than deride them and seize their property. When they baptize them they show them nothing of Christian doctrine or life, but only subject them to popishness and monkery... If the apostles, who also were Jews, had dealt with us Gentiles as we Gentiles deal with the Jews, there would never have been a Christian among the Gentiles ... When we are inclined to boast of our position [as Christians] we should remember that we are but Gentiles, while the Jews are of the lineage of Christ. We are aliens and in-laws; they are blood relatives, cousins, and brothers of our Lord. Therefore, if one is to boast of flesh and blood the Jews are actually nearer to Christ than we are...If we really want to help them, we must be guided in our dealings with them not by papal law but by the law of Christian love. We must receive them cordially, and permit them to trade and work with us, that they may have occasion and opportunity to associate with us, hear our Christian teaching, and witness our Christian life. If some of them should prove stiff-necked, what of it? After all, we ourselves are not all good Christians either.

personalities

After an emotionally tumultuous youth, Luther seems to have understood that salvation came not through works, but through grace and by faith (Rom. 1:17). In 1519, Luther underwent what he called his "tower experience," when he suddenly became convinced of the truth of the certainty of the gospel - the unforgettable experience of switching from despair and uncertainty to true faith and conviction. This experience was decisive in his life, and dramatically symbolizes his discovery of the Gospel.

In contrast to Luther’s mercurial, explosive personality, Calvin was calm and collected:

Many think of Calvin as a cold, judgmental, and inflexible theocrat. The 19th century historian, John Fiske described Calvin as "the constitutional lawyer of the Reformation, with vision as clear, with head as cool, with soul as dry, as any old solicitor in rusty black ...His sternness was that of the judge who dooms a criminal to the gallows." But historical evidence shows that Calvin attracted many, varied, and warmly attached friends who spoke of the sensitiveness and the charm that were beneath his shy and withdrawn manner in public life. And judging by his correspondence, he was a caring man. If one thing stands, out especially from Calvin's letters, it is his concern for people and their salvation.

currents

The basic tenets of Calvinism are Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, Sola Gratia, Soli Deo Gloria. Justification through faith alone is a concept first espoused by Pelagius around 400 AD. Augustine was more prolific and managed to drown opposition to his pessimistic views which, nonetheless, gained the Pope’s support.

Edutarian

Protestantism–Religion Glossary III

antisemitism

personalities

currents