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The chapters in this volume contribute to recent scholarship exploring the reform of worship as a central feature of Protestant communities at their inception and through the ages. Case studies ranging from sixteenth-century Geneva and its environs to the early modern Netherlands and South Asia to nineteenth-century America provide a corrective to traditional depictions of Reformed worship as a static, sober, interior, and largely individual experience focused on the sermon. The key moments in the broad stream of Reformed worship traditions analysed by an international team of experts yield collectively an image of the adaptive and negotiated character of worship attitudes and practices over time and in varied cultural settings. The contributions examine the phenomenon of worship in broadly construed ways and from angles ranging from ritual studies, liturgical innovation, material culture, and social impact. A second red thread running through the volume concerns the material, sensory, emotional, and experiential dimensions of Reformed religious culture. Worship emerges as both a site of conflict and renewal in Reformed traditions, inspiring not only confrontations and debates but also fruitful engagements that stimulated and continue to invite reflection on this critical category of Reformed faith traditions, self-understandings, and cultural impact.

In this study Charles Raith II fills a gap in Reformation-era scholarship by analyzing Calvins teaching on works and reward in light of medieval theological developments surrounding the doctrine of merit. While significant analysis has been given to Calvins doctrine of justification, its relation to sanctification, the notion of union with Christ, and the role of participation, there is as yet no sustained analysis of how these teachings are shaped by the most hostile and pervasive of his polemics, namely, his confrontation with a merit-based framework for understanding Christian salvation. This volume, however, interprets Calvins own theological constructions as contextually determined by the reigning polemics of his day. In addition, previous scholarship on these topics has largely failed to properly contextualize Calvins own thought against the background of scholastic theological developmentsdevelopments that Calvin both accepts and rejects in the formulation of his own theology. After Merit addresses these gaps by (1) analyzing Calvins tracts, scriptural commentaries and Institutes to demonstrate Calvins unique distain for the doctrine of merit among the early Reformers and the pervasiveness of this polemic within his theological program; (2) reviewing the scholastic developments surrounding the doctrine of merit from the High to Late Middle Ages as background to Calvins thought; (3) highlighting Calvins principle problems with the doctrine of merit: the competitive-causal schema between divine and human causality, merit as a basis for justification, and good works as "deserving" of reward; and (4) unpacking Calvins theology of justification, sanctification, the worth of works, and the role of works in salvation as an alternative to the "opponents" doctrine of merit. The volume concludes by reflecting on the reception of Calvins theology of works and reward in later Reformed thought.

Eric Platt examines British participation in the Dutch religious and political disputes of the early 17th century (the Bestandstwisten) and its significant impact on both countries. Although the disputes began over predestination, they quickly took on political overtones as the two sides, the Remonstrants (Arminians) and Contra-Remonstrants, vehemently debated proper church-state relations and leading Dutch officials began supporting differing sides. By 1611 King James I and other important British figures had also become closely involved. Although the Kings initial impulse was to defuse the conflict, he eventually threw his considerable influence behind the Contra-Remonstrants. This assistance helped them and their political allies secure victory, and a large British contingent participated in the Synod of Dordt that took place in the aftermath of the conflict. Not all British influences, however, came about as a result of direct involvement. Both sidesgreatly relied on British precedents and sources in arguing their positions. The conflict also had an impact on Great Britain. Observers there closely followed developments in the Bestandstwisten and repeatedly expressed concern that the conflict would spread to the British Isles. These fears proved true as the Dutch disputes contributed to increased British disputes about predestination during the 1620s.Scholars have long recognized the importance of the Bestandstwisten and Synod of Dordt for Dutch history and the development of Reformed doctrine. But there has never before been published a full-length treatment of the British involvement in the conflict and its impact on both countries. As the world prepares to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Synod of Dordt, Platts book fills this scholarly gap.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the development of Augustinestheology of Original Sin and Justification. Here the emphasis is placed on the defining moments ofthis development process. These moments are the second half of 390s (period during which theChurch Father wrote two of his key-works: De diversis quaestionibus ad Simplicianum (396/397)and Confessiones (397-400)) and the last twelve years of his literary career, with emphasis on theworks he produced in the heat of the long and bitter confrontation with Julian of Aeclanum.In the second part Pereira deals with Luthers doctrines of Original Sin and Justification of the sinner.The main source of analysis is Luthers Lectures on Romans (1515/1516). There is an intrinsicrelation between the two parts of the work. The author demonstrates how Augustine came tobreak with the patristic soteriology and anthropological theology and adopted the radicalism ofgrace with which he faced the theologians associated with the fifth-century Pelagianism, especiallyJulian of Aeclanum. In the second part, Pereira argues that it was precisely that radicalism of grace thatmade of Augustine Luthers favourite theologian. The same radicalism of grace was adopted byLuther in his opposition to the recentiores doctores, the Nominalist theologians, especially GabrielBiel. Without overlooking the crucial role played by the Pauline corpus, one can accurately say thatAugustines anti-Pelagian thesis were at the core of the young Luthers soteriological andanthropological claims (essential to understand what the Lutheran "insurgency" was all about) andwere the driving force behind Luthers cry for reformation, at least as far as the doctrine of salvationwas concerned.When it comes to the doctrine of salvation, Augustine found in Luther a prominent reader and a faithful follower. To understand this fact, it would suffice a careful analysis of Luthers doctrine of justification by faith alone since it contains a strong and genuine Augustinian tonality.

The contributions in this volume enter the debate about the way in which the provision of poor relief can be influenced by its national confessional context. They bring new perspectives to the understanding of theological aspects of Lutheranism, such as the connection between justification by faith alone and care for the poor, and work and work ethics. The articles also analyse the implementation of social responsibility of the authority towards different categories of poor (deserving and undeserving), local administration and centralization of poor relief through connections of public and private sources of funding, and collaboration between state, church and civil society through different public and private aspects of poor relief. In this way the various contributions combine to demonstrate new ways in the study of the connection between confessional specifics and historical developments through detailed knowledge of theology, supported by concrete historical case studies.

The Synod of Dort was an international conference of Reformed leaders held in 16181619 in the Netherlands. It is famous for its so-called Five Points of Calvinism which were a refutation of the Five Remonstrances of the followers of Arminius on the nature of divine grace and the perseverance of believers unto eternal salvation. As an international Synod, Dort made a significant impact on the definition and development of Reformed orthodoxy for decades and centuries to come. In countries such as France, the Canons of Dort served as a confessional boundary for Reformed orthodoxy and all pastors had to swear allegiance to them. Despite its tremendous influence, the decisions of the Synod of Dort remain a mystery to many today and are subject to caricatures and stereotypes of an extreme divine determinism and the hijacking of Calvins pure theology. This volume seeks to shed light on various aspects of the Synod of Dort in order to inform the contemporary reader of its proper historical and theological context and its experiential emphases. Some leading scholars of post-Reformation Reformed thought and the Synod have contributed essays to this work.The book is divided into three major sections designed to deliver a better overall perspective on the Synod. The first section focuses on the reception of the Canons of Dort among the Reformed churches in France where they were accepted and enforced. However, there were some internal questions, concerns, and even objections to the canons which are detailed in these chapters. The second section hones in on the theology of the Canons of Dort with particular attention to the doctrines of election and the nature of the atonement. This section also includes an important chapter on the relationship between church and state, always a central concern in the Reformation and post-Reformation eras. Finally, the third major section looks at how believers could apply the theology to their daily lives and devotion to Christ. These chapters indicate that this was not merely a theological conference, but one that had practical and experiential implications as well. The book concludes with a chapter on the application of the Synod for believers today.

The contemporary world is marked by a sense of vulnerability not seen since the end of the Cold War. Climate change, migration, and political instability make people feel the inherent vulnerability of human life. Concepts of "risk" and "danger" are as relevant now as ever before for illuminating contemporary life. Yet, what changes in human lives if one interprets existence with "risk" and "danger" from the perspective of Christian faith? Does the Christian symbol system offer orientation for human lives in a time of crisis?Exploring the work of leading contemporary thinkers, Danish theologian Mikkel Gabriel Christoffersen develops a rich and varied account of Christian doctrine that enables human beings to live with risk and danger, in all vulnerability, with gratitude, courage and care for others.Christoffersen develops an interdisciplinary approach that allows him to draw upon sociological and anthropological reflections on life lived whilst facing risks and dangers. He brings these findings into conversation with Scandinavian, Anglo-American, and German theologians of risk.The result of his endeavor is a Trinitarian theology of risk that explores the extent to which one can consider the cross of Christ a risk of the incarnation rather than its very purpose. Focusing on vital existential questions makes Christoffersens considerations vibrant and relevant to scholars and lay-people with an open-minded, intellectual interest in contemporary Christian theology.

Writing a commentary on a biblical book is not limited to the scholars study and desk. Hence, several experts in the field of Hebrew Bible currently writing a larger commentary on the book of Leviticus followed the invitation of Christian Eberhart and Thomas Hieke to meet between 2014 and 2016 at the Annual SBL Conference. They shared their experiences, discussed hermeneutical and methodological considerations, and presented their ideas about particular themes and issues in the third book of the Torah. The results of these consultative panels had significant impact on the production of the commentaries.The first part of this volume features essays reflecting on the process of writing a Leviticus commentary, including boosts and obstacles, while suggesting innovative insights on particular problems of the book. The second part identifies certain themes of Leviticus, especially sacrifices and rituals ("the cult"), the notion of unintentional and deliberate sins and purity/impurity ("the bad") and how to eliminate them, and the relationship to the sphere of God ("the holy"). This section demonstrates how commenting a biblical book highly depends on the perspective a scholar takes, and how different commentaries on the same biblical text come to different conclusions because of a diversity of methodological and hermeneutical approaches. These are issues innate in the subject matter; in the end the variety of approaches bears witness to the complexity, intricacy, and richness of the biblical text. This volume, therefore, offers a fascinating inside view into the studies and onto the desks of several prolific biblical experts who share their reflections and concepts about their commentaries on Leviticus with an interested audience.

This study explores the Cocceian-Voetian debate through the eyes of Francis Turretin (16231687). There is a dearth of research on Turretins take on this debate, the author will parse out how Turretin adheres to the Voetianism of the Utrecht theologian Melchior Leydekker (16421721) while remaining conciliatory to the Cocceians. With Leydekker, Turretin argues that Christs suretyship in the Old Testament is identical to what it is in the New Testament. As the Father decrees that Christ is the most perfect and certain fulfiller of Gods promise, the ancients benefit from Christs sacrifice as much as do the saints in the New. The sins of the elect must be fully forgiven regardless of the progress of redemption in history, for the faithful both in the Old and the New are saved by the same grace of Christ, the expromissor. At the same time, not only does Turretin leave out some of the controversial issues between the two parties, but he also tends to neutralize Leydekkers acid criticism of the extreme form of Cocceianism. This conciliatory gesture indicates that Turretin does not consider Cocceianism his archenemy. Seen in this light, Turretin can be viewed as a moderate and peaceful Voetian.

Katalin Peter offers is a vigorous and stimulating reassessment of the history of the Protestant Reformation in Hungary. The Reformation has traditionally been explained in terms of theology, the corruption of the church, and the roles of princes. Katalin Peter shifts the context of study of the Reformation in Hungary to a bottom-up examination of the social dynamics of religious change, producing a lively narrative of the experiences and reactions of contemporary actors - including rural town and village communities, local priests and landlords - to evangelical ideas. Through a close reading of church visitation records, common men and women emerge on the pages of the book both as the agents of religious change and as the defenders of the old faith, while local priests, as Peter, had to adapt to lay demands. A comparative analysis of the position and actions of landlords as church patrons in all three parts of contemporary Hungary the kingdom under Habsburg rule, the Ottoman-vassal Principality of Transylvania, nd Ottoman Hungary leads to the conclusion that patrons did not interfere in local religious change, since this change did not interfere with the distribution of power. In addition to this radically new narrative of the social dynamics of the early Reformation in Hungary, Peter engages in the long-standing debates concerning the roles of the Protestant Reformation in intellectual culture, and she illuminates the scopes and limits of the confessional cultures that emerged in its wake. The book brings together a coherent body of work that began to be published in the 1990s and until now has only been available in Hungarian.

Edwards Amasa Park (1808-1900) of Andover championed Edwardsean Calvinism in the United States from the Jacksonian era until the very close of the nineteenth century by employing rhetorical strategies that lent his New England theology fresh apologetic usefulness. The thesis demonstrates that Park has been incorrectly identified as a Taylorite but, extending the argument of Joseph Conforti, ought to be viewed as re-casting his inherited Hopkinsian exercise scheme into a fresh historical synthesis influenced by contemporary patterns of thought. Parks own training at Andover in the irenic divinity of Moses Stuart and Leonard Woods, his application as rhetorician of the work of Hugh Blair and George Campbell and his exposure in Germany to the Vermittlungstheologie of Friedrich Tholuck and Julius Muller gave specific definition to his own theological project. Additionally, the thesis argues that Park ought not to be viewed as a romantic idealist in the line of Horace Bushnell or as a proto-liberal in advance of the Andover liberals who succeeded him. Park retained a life-long commitment to a commingled epistemology and methodology derived from Lockean empiricism, Baconian induction, natural theology and Scottish common sense realism. As a formidable apologist for his revivalist inheritance identified with Jonathan Edwards and Samuel Hopkins, Edwards Amasa Park conserved the substance and prolonged the influence of his beloved New England theology by securing for it modes of expression well fitted to his nineteenth-century audience.

Although considered as one of the 20th century most central ethical thinkers, Emmanuel Levinas claimed that his task was not to construct an ethics, but to seek the meaning of the ethical. In this study Stine Holte examines the problem of ethical meaning in Levinas thinking and shows how the articulation of the ethical implies notions like trauma, melancholy, and shame, and hence a questioning of what we normally regard as meaningful.

Calvin betrachtet Rechtfertigung und Heiligung als Guter des dreieinigen Gottes, die dem Menschen durch das Heilswerk Christi uber den Heiligen Geist zuteil werden, so die These dieser Studie. Die Lehre von der doppelten Gnade steht dabei in dem groeren Zusammenhang der Rede von Gott als dem Schopfer und Erloser. Diesen beleuchtet Cornelis P. Venema und verortet die Lehre von Rechtfertigung und Heiligung in Calvins Theologie. Daruber hinaus werden strittige Fragen der Calvinforschung erortert, z.B. Calvins Verstandnis von Gesetz und Evangelium und die Rolle guter Werke.

Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) is best known for founding the religion of Christian Science - an international institution which has extended beyond her lifetime and into the twenty-first century. Often labelled as fringe theology, rather than core philosophy, Eddys work has remained on the peripheries of academia. Her unmitigated idealism, and occasionally nebulous style, have led to a reluctance to apply a philosophical rigour to her thinking. In The Philosophical Foundations of Christian Science, Nicholas Sheldon rediscovers her as a radical philosopher, one of many female philosophers of her time who, he contends, should no longer be underestimated. Carefully analysing her non-linear style in order to understand her internal system of thought, Sheldon resolves flaws within her argument, and draws out Christian Sciences remarkable philosophical assertion: that it is not only illness and suffering which are unreal, but the entire physical realm. For Eddy, it is only the spiritual which remains.

In her study Chaoluan Kao offers a comprehensive investigation of popular piety at the time of the European Reformations through the study of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Protestant prayerbooks. It pursues a historical-contextual approach to spirituality by integrating social and religious history in order to yield a deeper understanding of both the history of Christian piety and of church history in general. The study explores seven prayerbooks by German authors and seventeen English prayerbooks from the Reformation and post-Reformation as well as from Lutheran, Anglican, and Puritan traditions, examining them as spiritual texts with social and theological significance that helped disseminate popular understandings of Protestant piety. Early Protestant piety required intellectual engagement, emphasized a faithful and heartfelt attitude in approaching God, and urged regular exercise in prayer and reading. Early Protestant prayerbooks modeled for their readers a Protestant piety that was a fervent spiritual practice solidly grounded in the social context and connections of its practitioners. Through those books, Reformation could be understood as redefining the meanings of peoples spiritual lives and re-discovering of a pious life. In a broader sense, they functioned as a channel of historical and spiritual transition, which not only tells us the transformation and transmission of Reformation historically but also signifies the development of Christian spirituality. The social-historical study of the prayerbooks furthers our understanding of continuity, change, and inter-confessional influence in the Christian piety of early modern Europe.

James E. Bruce explores the relationship between morality and Gods free choices in the thought of Francis Turretin (16231687). The first book-length treatment of Turretins natural law theory, Rights in the Law provides an important theological backdrop to Early Modern moral and political philosophy. Turretin affirms Thomas Aquinass approach to the natural law, calling it the common opinion of the Reformed orthodox, but he develops it, too, by introducing a threefold scheme of right (ius)divine, natural, and positiveto explain how change within the law is possible. For example, God can change the specific day for Sabbath observance from Saturday to Sundayfrom positive rightwithout changing the natural law precept that finite creatures ought to rest. Yet even with respect to the natural law God is still free. God can make a world in which there is no such thing as murder: he can choose not to make a world that contains such a thing as man. What God cannot do is make a murderable man. So Gods free choices determine the natural law insofar as the natural law is constituted by the nature of the things that God has chosen to create.

Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) is best known for founding the religion of Christian Science - an international institution which has extended beyond her lifetime and into the twenty-first century. Often labelled as fringe theology, rather than core philosophy, Eddys work has remained on the peripheries of academia. Her unmitigated idealism, and occasionally nebulous style, have led to a reluctance to apply a philosophical rigour to her thinking. In The Philosophical Foundations of Christian Science, Nicholas Sheldon rediscovers her as a radical philosopher, one of many female philosophers of her time who, he contends, should no longer be underestimated. Carefully analysing her non-linear style in order to understand her internal system of thought, Sheldon resolves flaws within her argument, and draws out Christian Sciences remarkable philosophical assertion: that it is not only illness and suffering which are unreal, but the entire physical realm. For Eddy, it is only the spiritual which remains.

Lebendige Tradition Kontinuitat und Wandel als Herausforderungen fur Kirchen und Theologien Tagungsbericht der 21. Wissenschaftlichen Konsultation der Societas OecumenicaLiving Tradition Continuity and Change as Challenges to Churches and Theologies Proceedings of the 21st Academic Consultation of the Societas OecumenicaLiving tradition is the focal point of this volume, exploring theologies of tradition, captivities of tradition, changing traditions, and dynamics of Tradition. It takes on the notion of living tradition from four distinct angles. How do various churches and denominations handle continuity while embracing different theologies of tradition? How do individuals address traditionalism and fundamentalism when faced with the captivities of tradition? In what ways can identity be preserved through discontinuities when dealing with changing traditions? The volume encompasses contributions from 31 scholars, presented during the 21st academic consultation of Societas Oecumenica (the European Society for Ecumenical Research).[Lebendige Tradition. Kontinuitat und Wandel als Herausforderungen fur Kirchen und Theologien] Die lebendige Tradition steht im Mittelpunkt dieses Bandes und untersucht Theologien der Tradition, Gefangene der Tradition, sich verandernde Traditionen und Dynamiken der Tradition. Der Begriff der lebendigen Tradition wird aus vier verschiedenen Blickwinkeln betrachtet. Wie gehen verschiedene Kirchen und Konfessionen mit Kontinuitat um und berucksichtigen gleichzeitig unterschiedliche Theologien der Tradition? Wie gehen Einzelpersonen mit Traditionalismus und Fundamentalismus um, wenn sie mit den Fesseln der Tradition konfrontiert werden? Auf welche Weise kann Identitat durch Diskontinuitaten im Umgang mit sich verandernden Traditionen bewahrt werden? Der Band umfasst Beitrage von 31 Wissenschaftlern, die wahrend der 21. akademischen Konsultation der Societas Oecumenica (der Europaischen Gesellschaft fur okumenische Forschung) vorgestellt wurden.

Post-war Lower Silesia was intended by the communists to be a "laboratory of socialism". Hence, they developed and pursued a special policy towards the Catholic Church. The book highlights the specificity of the pastoral ministry provided by the successive rulers of the Church in Wrocaw (Karol Milik, Kazimierz Lagosz, Cardinal Bolesaw Kominek) in the realities of the communist state. It shows the role of Cardinal Kominek who was persecuted for his attitude towards communists, his activity in the Polish Episcopate and in the forum of the universal Church. Moreover, it presents the system of repression aimed at diocesan clergy and religious orders and limiting theological education. With the objective of secularising the Lower Silesian society, the communists put emphasis on promoting their ideology, especially among the young generation. The Church responded with speeches by hierarchs condemning these activities and with pastoral initiatives to slow down the process.

From his death in 1761 through the American Civil War, Samuel Davies was a recognized name among American Presbyterians, yet for more than a century he has remained far more obscure in discussions of American religion. During the mid-Eighteenth Century, New Side Presbyterian evangelist and preacher Samuel Davies was a pioneer for religious toleration in Colonial America, yet to date no single work has examined Davies vision for the interior life. Theology and Spirituality in the Works of Samuel Davies is the first monograph-length analysis of Davies conception of Christian spirituality. After a decade of pastoral ministry to congregations in Virginia, Davies followed eminent American theologian Jonathan Edwards as the fourth President of the College of New Jersey (Princeton University), a tenure cut short by his early death at age thirty-seven. J.C. Harrod examines various aspects of Davies own personal piety as well as the place that Scripture, conversion, holiness, and the means of grace played in his formulation of Christian piety.