Definitions Flashcards
Scholasticism
A way of teaching or a Medieval theological method in which the problem/question is stated, evidence from fathers/theology, philosophy and the bible which argue negative are laid out, evidence from fathers/theology, philosophy and the bible which argue fro the positive are laid out and than the question is answered synthetically.
- Aquinas is the chief representative of this in his Summa. Francis Turretin has sometimes been called a “reformed scholastic.”
Babylonian Captivity
In the history of the Roman Catholic Church, the Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1378 during which seven popes, all French, resided in Avignon. This period highlighted how corrupt the papacy had become and during this time there were “other” Italian popes trying to claim the title in Rome. Resulted in the Great Schism (1378-1414).
- Council of Constance in 1417 ended the time of multiple popes
Humanism
- Humanism arose as a competitor to scholasticism and emphasized the recovery of Greek and Latin literature (ad fonts – back to the sources) and ideals during the Renaissance.
- Humanism was a more “hands on” approach to philosophy and theology in which the emphasis the recovery of “human” elements of ancient society: attention to original languages and sources, more deliberate consideration of the human form, examination of the physical structures. It rejected philosophical speculation as a way forward and insisted on focusing on the concrete, the central, the tangible.
- Erasmus, Luther’s great dialogue partner, played a large role in developing humanism in a theological context. Calvin was educated in the humanist tradition; Luther was also sympathetic to humanism.
Radical Reformation
- The “radical reformation” (also known as the Anabaptist movement), which emerged in the 1520-1530’s, thought that some of the reforms of the reformers did not go far enough.
- In particular Anabaptists rejected the idea of state church; instead the church was to be a voluntary association of only those who were disciples and thus separated from the state and civil government. They also rejected infant baptism, stating that only adults able to make a profession of faith in Christ were eligible for baptism (hence the term “ana + baptist; to baptize again). Anabaptists were often ruthlessly persecuted by reformation states and catholic states alike. Key leaders Menno Simons (1496-1561), Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, Zwingli at first but later distances himself; Schleitheim Confession of 1527 is major document.
Pietism
1600’s German Lutheran movement; Jakob Spener (1635-1705) was the leader: Holy Desires (1675) – stresses personal relationship with Christ, being born again, Bible study, Practical living faith, Seen in Moravians, Methodists, and American evangelicalism.
Puritanism
- the beliefs or principles of a group of English Protestants of the late 16th and 17th centuries who regarded the Reformation of the Church under Elizabeth I as incomplete and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship.
- Scholars disagree as to who started the Puritanical movement, some hail Jonathan Edwards, Walter Travers or John Calvin and the Geneva Reformation as the beginning. The movement spanned two centuries and occupied mostly British Territories. British Protestants reacted against the Elizabethan Settlement in the English church. They rejected the “popish” elements in the Anglican Church and sought to reform the church, purging the catholic-like traditions, vestments and activities bringing it back to a sermon-centered, reformed theology perspective. Some stayed within the English church seeking to reform it; some left and started new churches. Those who remained established a Puritan republic under Oliver Cromwell. The new puritan Parliament called the assembly of divines at Westminster Abbey in London which developed the Westminster Confession (1646) and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1647).
Modernism
- The movement which establishes religious inquiry on the basis of a norm other than the authority of tradition.
- Also known as “liberalism,” in theological circles, the intellectual movement which acknowledged and/or capitulated to the influences of the enlightenment as they were applied to biblical and theological disciplines in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Of note were the influence of secular reason leading to the rise of higher criticism, theory of evolution, reinterpretations of historical dogma, and the reduction of Christianity to essentially a moral philosophy. The result was a Christian faith that no longer believed in the infallibility of scripture, looked to “natural revelation” as the real grounding for theology, conceived of doctrine as essentially a “human centric” enterprise, and which denied things like literal miracles, incarnation/resurrection of Christ, second coming etc. Fosdick, Auburn Affirmation, 1924 and Schleiermacher, Ritschl, von Harnack, JEDP theory of the Pentateuch.
Fundamentalism
- Conservative response to Modernism taking it’s name from a series of volumes published by conservatives titled “The Fundamentals.”
- The key teachings: deity of Jesus, atonement, resurrection, second coming, inspiration and authority of Bible.
- Response ranged from the astute (and Reformed) work of B.B. Warfield re: inspiration and J. Gresham Machen in NT studies to more combative and outright anti-intellectual movements. Produced a series confrontations re: Princeton Seminary in 1929 and the Scopes’s Monkey trial.
Eventually after WWII evangelicalism would take over the fundamentalist movement. These were people from multiple denominations defending the essentials of the Christian faith, defending Christianity against liberalism. From 1910 to 1915, The Fundamentals were published. Another key work was Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism (1923). There were a series of confrontations, with the Scopes Monkey Trial (1925) and the Princeton Seminary battle of 1929 being two key moments (subsequent formation of Westminster and the OPC).
Neo-orthodoxy
- Continental theological movement originating after WWI in which the dogmas of modernism/liberal theology were rejected in favor of a more conservative approach.
- Widely developed by Karl Barth and Emil Brunner, the movement stressed the importance of a real God, who works in time and history to save people from their sin.
- Criticized for by other conservatives for their doctrine of scripture which sought to sidestep the issues raised by higher criticism by stating that scripture was subjectively only God’s word (and thus infallible) when God chose to speak through it on specific occasions to individuals, though he did do this regularly. Conservatives though that scripture ought to be objectively and subjectively considered revelation. Brunner tended to be more open to natural revelation (Barth was staunchly opposed, “Nein!”), Barth favored universalism.
– Karl Barth (1886-1968)—the key leader in this. His groundbreaking word was Epistle to Romans (1919). His biggest work was Church Dogmatics. His key emphases were God as wholly other and Jesus Christ as the revealed word, with the Bible becoming God’s word as it speaks to us, and a rejection of natural theology. At the end of his life, seemed to see a shift to see Christ as man as well.
– Barmen Declaration (1934)—by the Confessing Church in Germany, written largely by Barth. It was a call to maintain theology of the Word instead of compromising with naturalism
– Reinhold Niebuhr—the key American theologian in movement. He became a leading teacher of the doctrine of sin after his experiences as a pastor in Detroit.
– Princeton would become a place for this
Natural Theology
A branch of theology based on reason and ordinary experience, explaining the gods rationally, as part of the physical world. Thus it is distinguished from revealed theology (or revealed religion) which is based on scripture and religious experiences of various kinds; and also from transcendental theology, theology from a priori reasoning (see Immanuel Kant et al.).
Knowledge and Epistemology
- the philosophical study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge
- a priori knowledge is independent of experience (e.g. All bachelors are unmarried); a posteriori knowledge is dependent on experience (e.g. Some bachelors are lonely).
