Date of Award

1-1-1985

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Sacred Theology (STM)

Department

Historical Theology

First Advisor

George Robbert

Scripture References in this Resource

Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 1:21-32; Philippians 2:10-11; Jeremiah 31:35-36; Genesis 3:3-5; Ephesians 1:8-10; 1 Corinthians 3:10-11; Galatians 4:13-15; Luke 10:16; Ephesians 4:11

Abstract

There are two major areas that need to be investigated. The first concerns the ecclesiology of the four reformers selected for this study. It must be noted that the Reformation was not the work of isolated individuals, but a movement caused by the joint efforts of various persons and schools of thought. A comparison among these reformers is therefore very much needed in order to gain a better picture of the era. The following study will therefore analyse the various aspects of the ecclesiology of these four reformers and comparisons will be made accordingly.

Secondly, how the reformers' convictions of the nature of the 21James J. Raun, "Church Discipline: A Comparative Study of Luther and Calvin," The Lutheran Church Quarterly 6 (January 1933):61- 83. 12 church affect their practices in ecclesiastical discipline also needs to be studied. Implicit with it will be the reformers* views on the relationship between church and state in the enforcement of discipline and this will be discussed as well. Again, a comparative approach will be adopted so that a broader picture of the issue can be perceived.

These two areas—ecclesiology and discipline—will constitute the body of the present study. The investigation will focus on the major elements of the ecclesiology of the reformers and how these elements influence their understandings of the church and state relationship, especially in the administration of ecclesiastical discipline. As a comparative study, it will also attempt to analyse the factors, from an ecclesiological viewpoint, which caused the split between the Lutheran and the Reformed parties.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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