A History of Christian Theology

Class Notes #7 & 8 – November 8 & 15, 2006

Chapters 11 & 12

1. O God, who hast sent thy beloved Son to be unto us the Way, the Truth and the Life, Grant that we, looking unto him, may set forward the teaching power of thy Church, to the nurture of thy people, the increase of thy Kingdom, and the glory of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

2. Recap last class – October 18, 2006
   
   
3. Chapter 11The Absolute Power of God
1. Late Middle Ages

                                                               i.      Black death killed 1/3 of population in Western Europe

                                                             ii.      Regular state of war was developing between rising nation states

                                                            iii.      Increasingly petty and/or complicated theological arguments

                                                           iv.      The close cooperation between church & state that Aquinas had seen as the ideal was beginning to break down (if it had ever existed at all)

2. Pp 163Realism (Plato or Augustine)

                                                               i.      “In our world there exist ‘forms’ or ‘universals’ of an idea or thing, perhaps set by God and all things of that form are of the same type.

1.      clouds

2.      ‘men’ or ‘women’ or people

                                                             ii.      The theological impact is, for a Christian, the recognition of God as the “rule maker” of the universe.

3. Pp 162 Nominalism

                                                               i.      The way we order the world rests on our own choices – not on a natural, eternal or fixed design.

                                                             ii.      The impact to theology of nominalism is that salvation becomes arbitrary and individual.

4. Aquinas argued both were right – universals (from realism) are made up of individuals (from nominalism); however we can only know individuals through universal categories.
5. Pp 164 Scotus disagreed with Aquinas. He also believed Incarnation would have occurred even if Adam had not sinned.

                                                               i.      Theological result – if reason has little or no role in theology, then it becomes a matter of believing revelation (understanding God’s will). Faith and contemplation become more important.

                                                             ii.      Pp 167 Results of Nominalism

1.      God is absolutely sovereign and full of surprises – therefore we must look at particulars and not “forms”

2.      Everything – power and structure – can and should be questioned or examined

3.      God has not pre-ordered the world (or the church) so it is up to us to do so

a.       Democratic

b.      Skeptical

c.       Non-conformist

d.      Ultimately leads to scientific method – exam and test data (although realism is also necessary – ultimately science draws general conclusions from individual tests.

4.      Theological impacts

a.       Salvation – God simply chose to save via the cross as one of many (even infinite) possible actions

b.      God can do whatever he wants – even acting arbitrary, although He does not.

c.       Pp 168 It is Pelagian in that we must contribute to our salvation through our own efforts.

d.      Pp 169 Mysticism increased – the world was rejected in exchange for the search for an “inner God in us”.

                                                                                                                                       i.      This threatened the church, clergy and power structures since it bypassed them completely.

6. Pp 170 All of this came with a developing crisis in the western church and papacy

                                                               i.      Multiple popes led to questions of authority and concern of how to restore peace & harmony

                                                             ii.      Increasing corruption

1.      which led to ever increasing centralization to combat it which led to increased need for money to support structure which led to increased corruption

                                                            iii.      pp 173 Increasing dissidence as people tried to reform or set right the church and political structures.

                                                           iv.      Pp 174 John Hus circa 1400

1.      No one should interfere with popular preaching

2.      the laity should receive both bread and wine/

3.      clergy should give up their wealth

4.      clergy’s sins should be properly punished.

The reformation was about to take off!

4. Chapter 12  Faith Alone, Scripture Alone

1. VI.  Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation. Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.
   
   XI.  Of the Justification of Man. We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith only, is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.
   
   XII.  Of Good Works. Albeit that Good Works, which are the fruits of Faith, and follow after Justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith; insomuch that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit.
   
   XIII.  Of Works before Justification. Works done before the grace of Christ, and the Inspiration of the Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ; neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the School-authors say) deserve grace of congruity: yea rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin.
   
   see also Article 14 (of Works of Supererogation)
   and; 
   
   XIX.  Of the Church. The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ’s ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requiste to the same.
   
   As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred; so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith.
   
   pp 181 - Compare this to Luther’s quote
   
   

5. Like so many other Christian dogma’s, Luther’s theology developed through a series of controversies and reactions:

1. Luther recognized his inability to live a sinless (and therefore pleasing) life for God.

2. In reading Romans he finally realized he didn’t have to!
   
   

3. Other issues of the day:

                                                               i.      Indulgences

1.      a system of penance in medieval time – usually money for “good cause” (ie., the church)

2.      became a great money maker

3.      led to ‘Treasury of Merit’

a.       Christ and other saints “did more than they had to do to achieve salvation, leaving extra that had accumulated and could be used or distributed by the church

                                                             ii.      Pp 183 Purgatory

1.      Intermediate place of cleansing for those saved but not sainted people

4. Pp 184 Luther argued against all these things and encouraged the involvement of secular power (prince or king) to make necessary reforms in the church
   
   
5. Pp 186  As is often the case, supporters and followers went further than the original rebel!

                                                               i.      Muntzer placed greater weight on the “inner voice of the Spirit” than on scripture.

                                                             ii.      Zwingli – Father of Reformed theology

1.      rejected sacraments as anything more than a memorial – spiritual but not real presence. 

a.       Luther rejected Transubstantiation but proposed Consubstantiation.

                                                                                                                                       i.      Substances both of Body and Blood of Christ and of the bread and wine coexist in union with each other. Luther illustrated by analogy of iron put in fire whereby both fire and iron are united in the red-hot iron yet each continues unchanged.

6. The problem with reform:
   
   Pp 196 Quote: “Luther had championed faith alone and scripture alone….For Luther faith meant a personal relationship with God. Increasingly it came to mean assent to a set or propositions”.