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UNIV 1300003

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... been settled circa 1560 among Anabaptist groups apocalypticism and spiritualism. The spectacular failures of Anabaptist apocalypticism led to the discrediting of ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: UNIV 1300003


1
UNIV 1300-003
  • Conclusions the Church, Christology,
  • and the Surviving Anabaptist Traditions
  • Anabaptists shared with Protestant reformers a
    rejection of the sacra-mentalism of the Catholic
    Church. They were closest to Zwingli, who had
    come to believe that there was no real presence
    of Christ in the communion.
  • The Anabaptist outlook was incarnationalthey
    became the body of Christ by patterning their
    lives after the example of Jesus. In this, they
    aimed to be living saints.
  • Persecution of the Anabaptists by church and
    government confirmed to them that they were the
    true church because they saw in their trials
    and sufferings a reflection of the trials and
    sufferings of Jesus.
  • The early days of the movement were marked by
    dreams and visions and claims of miraculous
    events, but these faded as time passed.

2
UNIV 1300-003
  • Anabaptism linked the inner life to concrete,
    outer expressions of that inner life. The
    Anabaptists believed that the inner change
    wrought by the Spirit in every person had to be
    manifested not only in pious acts, but in
    practical life decisions that were in conformity
    with the social and economic ordering of
    scripture. (Snyder, p. 312).
  • A corollary to the linkage of the inner and outer
    lives was a connection of spiritual charisma with
    moral purity.
  • While Anabaptists denied that Christ became
    physically present in the communion elements at
    the invocation of priests (a view shared with
    Luther, Zwingli, and the Protestant reformers),
    they insisted that the real presence of Christ
    was in the members who made up the visible
    church. Thus the insistence on the external
    ceremonies (baptism, the Lords Supper), even
    when being known as an Anabaptist was likely to
    end in martyrdom.

3
UNIV 1300-003
  • Christology
  • The question arises naturally of who was the
    person of Jesus who was supposedly their pattern
    for living.
  • The Swiss and South German Anabaptists were
    largely uninterested in speculation about the
    nature of the Christ and were apparently content
    to repeat orthodox formulations.
  • Melchiorite Anabaptism, however, derived an
    unorthodox Christology from Melchior Hoffman who
    believed that Jesus had not taken on human flesh
    but brought a pure flesh from heaven.
  • Hoffman was coming very close to the ancient
    belief of docetism (from a Greek word meaning to
    appear) that held that Jesus was a divine being
    who only appeared to be a human being.
  • As a consequence, Hoffmans view of human
    regeneration was extremely optimistic the
    believer, joined to Christs body on earth and
    infused with his spirit, would lead a new life of
    conquering the flesh.

4
UNIV 1300-003
  • Pilgram Marpecks views provide a contrast with
    Hoffman Marpeck was more orthodox in his beliefs
    about the nature of Christ, but he also
    maintained that there was an essential unity
    between spiritual and human dimensions of
    believers.
  • Marpeck taught that believers are being
    regenerated but that they have not put aside
    their humanity and they have not been fully or
    perfectly wedded to Christ. Thus Marpecks
    thought softened the perfectionist edge present
    in Melchiorite Anabaptism.
  • Menno Simons as an heir to Melchiorite Anabaptism
    continued with Hoffmans unorthodox Christology
    but the distinct Christology in those movements
    that trace their origins to Melchiorite
    Anabaptism has faded with time.

5
UNIV 1300-003
  • The Anabaptist Tradition
  • Two major issues had largely been settled circa
    1560 among Anabaptist groupsapocalypticism and
    spiritualism.
  • The spectacular failures of Anabaptist
    apocalypticism led to the discrediting of the
    setting of timetables for the Last Days. The
    element expecting the imminent return of Jesus
    faded into the background.
  • The spiritualist enthusiasm that marked some
    early manifestations of Anabaptism also became
    muted and subdued.
  • The Anabaptists, despite persecution,
    nevertheless for the most part insisted on a
    visible community of faith rather than hidden
    believers.

6
UNIV 1300-003
  • Spirit and Letter the developing Anabaptist
    traditions moved in the direction of emphasizing
    the letter of scripture, read Christocen-trically.
  • The Anabaptist linkage of salvation with a new
    life of visible discipleship continued unchanged,
    but the movement moved toward legalism in what
    constituted the outward signs of spiritual
    renewal.
  • Free will the Anabaptist tradition continued to
    emphasize the free will of the individual and
    rejected ideas of predestination.
  • Submission of will (Gelassenheit) the inner
    struggle of yielding to Gods will became more
    visible and public with the experience of
    persecution.
  • Eschatology interest in eschatology faded as
    apocalyptic expectations were not realized.

7
UNIV 1300-003
  • Baptism the emphasis on water baptism remained
    unchanged, although the apocalyptic overtones
    became subdued.
  • The ban continued to be used, especially as more
    external signs of regeneration were defined. The
    ban was supposedly used to keep the community
    holy.
  • The Supper the anti-sacramental view continued,
    and the Supper continued to be seen as a memorial
    of Christs sacrifice.
  • Mutual aid the emphasis on mutual aid visible in
    early Anabaptism continued in the surviving
    traditions.
  • Sword and oath early Anabaptists had divergent
    views on both the sword and the oath, but the
    surviving traditions came to consensus over both
    issues.
  • Marriage and the role of women A consensus
    emerged that believers should marry only within
    Anabaptist circles. The roles of women became
    narrower and more confined with the fading of the
    apocalyptic elements in Anabaptism.
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