lutherans – RCS

Calvinists at the Torun religious colloquium in 1645

Mikhail Petrovich Belyaev PhD in History, associate professor, Department of Law, Russian University of Cooperation (Vera Voloshina ulitsa, 12/30, Mytishchi, Russia, 141014)
babek-han@mail.ru

Belyaev M.P. Calvinists at the Torun religious colloquium in 1645, Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2019, vol. 8, pp. 252–273.

doi: 10.24411/2308-0698-2020-00001

Language: Russian

The article explores the Torun religious colloquium govered on the initiative of the Polish king Vladislav IV in 1645. This conference brought together German and Polish representatives of the Catholic, Lutheran and Calvinist (Reformed) denominations. The Reformed delegation was headedby Z. Goraisky from Chelm kashtelian and I. Bergius, the court preacherof the Brandenburg Elector. Calvinists advocated an alliance with the Lutherans against the Catholics. However, most of the Lutheran delegation wasagainst cooperation with the Reformed. The meetings of the colloquiumproceeded by setting out the foundations of their doctrine with the Сatholicsrefusing to include the foundations of Calvinist doctrine in the official protocol. In their opinion, the Reformed delegation violated the royal instructionsfor holding the colloquium, while its documents contained insult and slanderin relation to the Catholic doctrine. Besides, Lutherans were not allowed to layout the foundations of their doctrine. When representatives of both Protestantdelegations met with the Polish king, Vladislav IV stressed that he guaranteescomplete freedom to all delegations during negotiations. He explained thatthe royal instructions were just his suggestions. Inspite of that, as the authorshows, nothing changed after this meeting and mutual distrust betweenCalvinists and Lutherans increased. Catholics suggested Calvinists to makeextracts from extracts from their documents. However, Goraisky called thisproposal useless. The parties agreed to mutual checks of documents. In fact,after three months and 36 sessions, the colloquium ended in vain.

Key words: Reformed, Lutherans, Catholics, Theologians, Preacher, Doctrine

URL: http://rcs-almanac.ru/belyaev-2020-en/

How to speak to people about heresy? First prints against the Reformation in French (1520–1530)

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Tatiana Debbagi Baranova, PhD in history, assistant professor, Paris-Sorbonne University (75230, France, Paris, 1 rue Victor Cousin)

debbagi_baranova@yahoo.fr

Debbagi Baranova Т. How to speak to people about heresy? First prints against the Reformation in French (1520–1530), Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2017, vol. 6, pp. 182–207.

doi: 10.24411/2308-0698-2017-00010

Language: English

This article intends to address the ways of fighting against heresy in Catholic prints in French during 1520–1530s. The dominant position of the Catholic Church — formulated by the Faculty of Theology in Paris — was that the people had to be kept out of theological debate. On the one hand, the divines thought that public controversy in front of uneducated people — or even the description of the heresy -would contribute to the spread of Lutheran ideas or to the misunderstanding of the right doctrine. On the other hand, they needed to affirm their role as scholars and exclusive interpreters of Scripture. The Doctors of the Church wanted to limit the dissemination of heresy via preventive censorship, repression and theological controversy in Latin. However this proposal contradicted the need to warn the king, his entourage and the people of the danger posed by heretics. The Faculty of Theology authorised the publication of works which described heresy as an offence against God, his mother, the saints, and the whole Church, and which celebrated the repressive action of the political authorities. This description made the heresy identifiable without entering into theological argumentation. Furthermore, many anonymous works — songs, stories of miracles, defamatory poetry — condemned the heretics and their protectors. The king was the first target of these writings. However, towards the end of the 1530s, the success of the Lutheran doctrine persuaded the Doctors — such as Jerome de Hangest and Pierre Doré — of the need to defend the attacks on the Church in French in order to strengthen the consciences of the faithful who were exposed to the danger of seduction in their daily lives. They tried then to share their arguments while asserting themselves as the only specialists able to lead theological reflexion.

Key words: Luther, Lutherans, Reformation, Faculty of Theology, Church authority, religious polemic, miracle, public opinion

URL: http://rcs-almanac.ru/debbagi-baranova-2017-en/

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and its ecumenical relations

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Juha Pihkala, PhD, in 1997–2008 bishop of Tampere (Tampere, Finland), juha.pihkala@jp ihkal.pp.fi

Pihkala J. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and its ecumenical relations, Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2014, vol. 3, pp. 322–333.

doi: 10.24411/2308-0698-2014-00022

Language: Russian

In this paper the author shares his observations about the specifics of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, in particular, in terms of its role in interconfessional dialogue and ecumenical relations. The author notes the major stages in the development of the Church, starting from first Christian preaching to the Reformation time and then reform of the State and Church in the 19–20^th centuries. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland occupies a unique position, being a legal person and having legislative functions, while State has no right to change Church law. Brief amount of Church structure that reflect in organizational principles democratic ideas is also given, and as it is noted by the author the Church of Finland isn’t an ideological monolith, including a variety of ecclesial movements and groups of believers. Largely due to these features the Church of Finland occupies leading role in ecumenical dialogue in recent decades. Especially, the author notes the relationship with the Anglican Church, regular conversations with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic and other Lutheran churches in Scandinavian region. Of great interest are author’s observations on correlation in Church position and State international policy, that have different bases. However, Church being a universal phenomenon faces national and political background and reflects it in a variety of ways.

Key words: Lutherans, confession, ecumenism, Reformation, Finland, Ingria

URL: http://rcs-almanac.ru/pihkala-2014-en/

Die lutherische Kirche in der Gemeinschaft der anderen christlichen Konfessionen und der anderen Religionen

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Rainer Stahl, general secretary of Martin Luther Bund (Habichtstrasse 14 A, Erlangen, Germany, D-91056)

rs@martin-luther-bund.de

Stahl R. Die lutherische Kirche in der Gemeinschaft der anderen christlichen Konfessionen und der anderen Religionen, Religiya. Tserkov’. Obshchestvo. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po teologii i religii [Religion. Church. Society: Research and publications in the field of theology and religious studies], Saint-Petersburg, 2014, vol. 3, pp. 42–68.

doi: 10.24411/2308-0698-2014-00004

Language: German

The article describes specifics of the Lutheran identity, mainly relying on the vision of Luther. The author emphasizes conservatism and orthodoxy of the Lutheran Church, drawing parallels between the preaching of Luther and the content of Orthodox icons. Within the Reformation the Rainer Stahl Die lutherische Kirche in der Gemeinschaft… 61 Lutheran tradion was developed, that includes strong attitute to science and education as well as availibility of faith and salvation in ordinary life. However, the relation with other religions is the most accurate for the determination of specifics of this Christian community. The author stresses differences in approaching to the Old Testament by Lutherans and Judaismbelievers. Relations with Islam formed in comprehensive historical situation, when the conquest of the Holy Roman Empire by Turkish troops was a real threat. However, Luther and his fellows devoted a lot of time translating the Quran into German and Latin, and the acquaintance with another tradition was the first step to dialog. The main thesis of the article can be reduced to an understanding of the Lutheran Church as a continuation of the Old Christian Church, that at the same time is open to dialogue (especially with the religions of the Old Testament) and development.

Key words: Martin Luther, Lutherans, Church, Christ

URL: http://rcs-almanac.ru/rainer-2014-en/