Defending Faith: Lutheran Responses to Andreas Osiander's Doctrine of Justification, 1551-1559

ISBN-13: 9783161517983 / Angielski / Twarda / 2012 / 468 str.

Timothy J. Wengert

Opis

Justification by faith alone defined teaching in Evangelical churches of the sixteenth century. In 1550 the former reformer of Nuremberg, Andreas Osiander (1498-1552), as a new professor of theology at the University of Konigsberg in East Prussia, advocated a divergent understanding of that doctrine, arguing that a Christian's righteousness consisted of the indwelling of Christ's divine nature. In the ensuing years, almost all other Evangelical churches and theologians in German-speaking lands rejected his position. In this book Timothy J. Wengert studies their objections to Osiander's theology in detail, offering a theological perspective on the process of confessionalization among Lutherans in the period after Martin Luther's death in 1546 and before publication of the Book of Concord in 1580. Reactions against Osiander represented a singular literary event in the development of Evangelical churches in central Europe, with over 100 tracts for and against Osiander's position being published between 1551 and 1559. The lines between so-called genuine followers of Luther and backers of Philip Melanchthon disappeared, as nearly all Lutheran theologians joined in the attack. Timothy J. Wengert, after providing an outline of Osiander's position in an initial chapter, focuses on his opponents' published responses. Not only does he provide a detailed chronology for these tracts, he also looks at the various theological themes struck by their authors. Separate chapters pay special attention to the contributions of Gnesio-Lutherans (Joachim Morlin, Matthias Flacius and Nicholas Gallus), to the very different approaches to the dispute pursued by Johannes Brenz and Philip Melanchthon, especially after Osiander's death, and to the struggle over Martin Luther's writings and their authority. Philip Melanchthon's contributions, especially a speech from 1551 and his 1556 commentary on Romans, are also examined.

Justification by faith alone defined teaching in Evangelical churches of the sixteenth century. When the former reformer of Nuremberg, Andreas Osiander (1498-1552) advocated a different understanding of that doctrine in 1550 as professor of theology at the University of Königsberg in East Prussia, almost all other Evangelical churches in German-speaking lands rejected his position. Timothy J. Wengert studies their objections to Osiander s theology in detail, offering a theological perspective on the process of confessionalization among Lutherans in the period between Martin Luther s death in 1546 and the publication of the Book of Concord in 1580. Reactions against Osiander represent a singular literary event, when 100 tracts for and against Osiander s position were published between 1551 and 1559. The author of this study examines these responses, paying special attention to the contributions of Gnesio-Lutherans, Johannes Brenz and Philipp Melanchthon but also to the role that Luther s writings played in the debate.

O autorze

Born 1950; 1972/73 Bachelor and Master of Arts at the U. of Michigan; 1977 Master of Divinity at Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN); 1984 PhD at Duke University; ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; since 1989 Professor at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia; Professor of Church History at the Ministry of Pennsylvania.