Neo-Lutheranism
Encyclopedia
Neo-Lutheranism was a 19th century revival movement within Lutheranism
which began with the Pietist driven Erweckung, or Awakening, and developed in reaction against theological rationalism and pietism
. This movement followed the Old Lutheran
movement and focused on a reassertion of the identity of Lutherans as a distinct group within the broader community of Christians
, with a renewed focus on the Lutheran Confessions
as a key source of Lutheran doctrine. Associated with these changes was a renewed focus on traditional doctrine and liturgy, which paralleled the growth of Anglo-Catholicism
in England. It was sometimes even called "German Puseyism". In the Roman Catholic Church
in Germany, neo-Lutheranism was paralleled by Johann Adam Möhler
. The chief literary organ of the neo-Lutheranism was Evangelische Kirchenzeitung, edited by Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg
.
like Tractarianism against the British Government's decision to reduce the number of Irish bishoprics. A divide developed in neo-Lutheranism whereby one side held to repristination theology which tried to restore historical Lutheranism
while the other held to the theology of the Erlangen
School. The repristination theology group was represented by Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg
, Carl Paul Caspari
, Gustav Adolf Theodor Felix Hönecke, Friedrich Adolf Philippi
, and C.F.W. Walther . Repristination theology is the mother of later Confessional Lutheran
ism. Confessionalism to the Erlangen School was not to be static but was to be dynamic. The Erlangen School tried to combine Reformation
theology with the new learning. Those of the Erlangen School included Franz Hermann Reinhold von Frank
, Theodosius Harnack
, Franz Delitzsch
, Johann Christian Konrad von Hofmann
, Karl Friedrich August Kahnis
, Christoph Ernst Luthardt
and Gottfried Thomasius
.
, August Friedrich Christian Vilmar
, Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe
, August Friedrich Otto Münchmeyer
and Friedrich Julius Stahl
who had particularly high
ecclesiology
. They were polemic against idea of invisible church
, strongly claiming church as an outward, visible institution of salvation and therefore laid emphasis on ordained ministry instituted by Christ and significance of sacraments above word as Means of Grace
. However, unlike the Erlangen School, this neo-Lutheranism did not make lasting influence on Lutheran theology. Properly speaking, High Church Lutheranism
began in Germany much later, 1917 the Hochkirchliche Vereinigung Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses
was created, inspired by 95 theses Stimuli et Clavi
, exactly 100 years after Claus Harms
' 95 theses.
Neo-Lutheranism should not be confused with term Neo-Protestantism, represented e.g. by Adolf von Harnack
and his followers, which means exclusively liberal theology.
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
which began with the Pietist driven Erweckung, or Awakening, and developed in reaction against theological rationalism and pietism
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
. This movement followed the Old Lutheran
Old Lutherans
Old Lutherans refers to those German Lutherans who refused to join the Prussian Union in the 1830s and 1840s.Attempted suppression of the Old Lutherans led many to immigrate to Australia and the United States, resulting in the creation of significant Lutheran denominations in those countries.The...
movement and focused on a reassertion of the identity of Lutherans as a distinct group within the broader community of Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, with a renewed focus on the Lutheran Confessions
Book of Concord
The Book of Concord or Concordia is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the 16th century...
as a key source of Lutheran doctrine. Associated with these changes was a renewed focus on traditional doctrine and liturgy, which paralleled the growth of Anglo-Catholicism
Anglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
in England. It was sometimes even called "German Puseyism". In the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in Germany, neo-Lutheranism was paralleled by Johann Adam Möhler
Johann Adam Möhler
Johann Adam Möhler was a German Roman Catholic theologian.He was born at Igersheim in Württemberg, and after studying philosophy and theology in the lyceum at Ellwangen, entered the University of Tübingen in 1817. Ordained to the priesthood in 1819, he was appointed to a curacy...
. The chief literary organ of the neo-Lutheranism was Evangelische Kirchenzeitung, edited by Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg
Ernst Wilhelm Theodor Herrmann Hengstenberg , was a German Lutheran churchman and neo-Lutheran theologian.He was born at Frondenberg, a Westphalian village, and was educated by his father, who was a minister of the Reformed Church and head of the Frondenberg convent of canonesses...
.
Repristination versus Erlangen school
Neo-Lutheranism was a reaction against the Prussian UnionPrussian Union (Evangelical Christian Church)
The Prussian Union was the merger of the Lutheran Church and the Reformed Church in Prussia, by a series of decrees – among them the Unionsurkunde – by King Frederick William III...
like Tractarianism against the British Government's decision to reduce the number of Irish bishoprics. A divide developed in neo-Lutheranism whereby one side held to repristination theology which tried to restore historical Lutheranism
Lutheran Orthodoxy
Lutheran orthodoxy was an era in the history of Lutheranism, which began in 1580 from the writing of the Book of Concord and ended at the Age of Enlightenment. Lutheran orthodoxy was paralleled by similar eras in Calvinism and tridentine Roman Catholicism after the...
while the other held to the theology of the Erlangen
Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg
The Universität Erlangen Nürnberg is a university in the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. It is the second largest state university in Bavaria, having five Schools, 308 chairs, and 12,000 employees. There are 28,735 students enrolled at the university, of which about 2/3 are...
School. The repristination theology group was represented by Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg
Ernst Wilhelm Theodor Herrmann Hengstenberg , was a German Lutheran churchman and neo-Lutheran theologian.He was born at Frondenberg, a Westphalian village, and was educated by his father, who was a minister of the Reformed Church and head of the Frondenberg convent of canonesses...
, Carl Paul Caspari
Carl Paul Caspari
Carl Paul Caspari was a Norwegian neo-Lutheran theologian and academic. He wrote several books and is best known for his interpretations and translation of the Old Testament.-Early life:...
, Gustav Adolf Theodor Felix Hönecke, Friedrich Adolf Philippi
Friedrich Adolf Philippi
Friedrich Adolf Philippi was a Lutheran theologian of Jewish origin.He was the son of a wealthy Jewish banker, a friend of Mendelssohn....
, and C.F.W. Walther . Repristination theology is the mother of later Confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran
Confessional Lutheran is a name used by certain Lutheran Christians to designate themselves as those who accept the doctrines taught in the Book of Concord of 1580 in their entirety, because they believe them to be completely faithful to the teachings of the Bible...
ism. Confessionalism to the Erlangen School was not to be static but was to be dynamic. The Erlangen School tried to combine Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
theology with the new learning. Those of the Erlangen School included Franz Hermann Reinhold von Frank
Franz Hermann Reinhold von Frank
Franz Hermann Reinhold von Frank was a German theologian born in Altenburg. He was an important figure in the "Erlangen School" of the German Neo-Lutheranism movement, and a specialist in theological dogmatics....
, Theodosius Harnack
Theodosius Harnack
Theodosius Harnack was a Baltic German theologian.Harnack was a professor of Divinity at the University of Tartu in what is today Estonia...
, Franz Delitzsch
Franz Delitzsch
Franz Delitzsch was a German Lutheran theologian and Hebraist. Born in Leipzig, he held the professorship of theology at the University of Rostock from 1846 to 1850, at the University of Erlangen until 1867, and after that at the University of Leipzig until his death...
, Johann Christian Konrad von Hofmann
Johann Christian Konrad von Hofmann
Johann Christian Konrad von Hofmann was a Lutheran theologian and historian.-Biography:He was born at Nuremberg, and studied theology and history at the University of Erlangen...
, Karl Friedrich August Kahnis
Karl Friedrich August Kahnis
Karl Friedrich August Kahnis was a German Neo-Lutheran theologian.- Early life:From a poor background, Kahnis was educated at the gymnasium of his native town Greiz, and after acting as private tutor for several years began the study of theology at Halle. He was at first an ardent Hegelian, but he...
, Christoph Ernst Luthardt
Christoph Ernst Luthardt
Christoph Ernst Luthardt , German Lutheran theologian, was born at Maroldsweisach, Bavaria.-Biography:Christoph Ernst Luthardt studied theology at Erlangen and Berlin, and in 1856 became professor ordinarius of systematic theology and New Testament exegesis at Leipzig...
and Gottfried Thomasius
Gottfried Thomasius
Gottfried Thomasius was a German Lutheran theologian born in Egenhausen, Middle Franconia.He studied philosophy and theology in Erlangen, Halle and Berlin, and as a student had renowned instructors that included Friedrich Schleiermacher, August Neander, G. W. F. Hegel, Philip Marheineke and...
.
High Church Lutheranism
However, neo-Lutheranism is sometimes called only theology and activity represented by Theodor Friedrich Dethlof KliefothTheodor Friedrich Dethlof Kliefoth
Theodor Friedrich Dethlof Kliefoth, German Neo-Lutheran; born at Körchow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, January 18, 1810; died at Schwerin January 26, 1895.-Life:...
, August Friedrich Christian Vilmar
August Friedrich Christian Vilmar
August Friedrich Christian Vilmar, German Neo-Lutheran theologian; born at Solz November 21, 1800; died at Marburg July 30, 1868. In 1818-20 he studied theology at Marburg, only to learn doubt from rationalism, and from doubt to pass to unbelief...
, Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe
Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe
Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe was a pastor of the Lutheran Church, Neo-Lutheran writer, and is often regarded as being a founder of the deaconess movement in Lutheranism and a founding sponsor of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod . He was a pastor in nineteenth-century Germany...
, August Friedrich Otto Münchmeyer
August Friedrich Otto Münchmeyer
August Friedrich Otto Münchmeyer was a German neo-Lutheran theologian, born in Hanover on December 8, 1807; died in Buer , district of Münster, November 7, 1882; studied at Lüneburg, Holzminden, Göttingen, Berlin, and at the preachers' seminary in Hanover...
and Friedrich Julius Stahl
Friedrich Julius Stahl
Friedrich Julius Stahl , German ecclesiastical lawyer and politician, was born at Würzburg, of Jewish parentage....
who had particularly high
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
ecclesiology
Ecclesiology
Today, ecclesiology usually refers to the theological study of the Christian church. However when the word was coined in the late 1830s, it was defined as the science of the building and decoration of churches and it is still, though rarely, used in this sense.In its theological sense, ecclesiology...
. They were polemic against idea of invisible church
Invisible church
The invisible church or church invisible is a theological concept of an "invisible" body of the elect who are known only to God, in contrast to the "visible church"—that is, the institutional body on earth which preaches the gospel and administers the sacraments...
, strongly claiming church as an outward, visible institution of salvation and therefore laid emphasis on ordained ministry instituted by Christ and significance of sacraments above word as Means of Grace
Means of Grace
The Means of Grace in Christian theology are those things through which God gives grace. Just what this grace entails is interpreted in various ways: generally speaking, some see it as God blessing humankind so as to sustain and empower the Christian life; others see it as forgiveness, life, and...
. However, unlike the Erlangen School, this neo-Lutheranism did not make lasting influence on Lutheran theology. Properly speaking, High Church Lutheranism
High Church Lutheranism
"High Church Lutheranism" is the name given in Europe for the 20th century Lutheran movement that emphasizes worship practices and doctrines that are similar to those found within both Roman Catholicism and the Anglo-Catholic wing of Anglicanism...
began in Germany much later, 1917 the Hochkirchliche Vereinigung Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses
Hochkirchliche Vereinigung Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses
Hochkirchliche Vereinigung Augsburgischen Bekenntnisses is a Lutheran High Church organisation in Germany. It was founded in Berlin, October 1918, inspired by High Church theses Stimuli et Clavi 1917 by Heinrich Hansen...
was created, inspired by 95 theses Stimuli et Clavi
Stimuli et Clavi
Stimuli et clavi i. e. theses adversus huius temporis errores et abusus: Spieße und Nägel d.i. Streitsätze wider die Irrnisse und Wirrnisse unserer Zeit ....
, exactly 100 years after Claus Harms
Claus Harms
Claus Harms was a German clergyman and theologian.Harms was born at Fahrstedt in Schleswig-Holstein, and in his youth worked in his father's mill...
' 95 theses.
Neo-Lutheranism should not be confused with term Neo-Protestantism, represented e.g. by Adolf von Harnack
Adolf von Harnack
Adolf von Harnack , was a German theologian and prominent church historian.He produced many religious publications from 1873-1912....
and his followers, which means exclusively liberal theology.
See also
- Gottlieb Christoph Adolf von HarlessGottlieb Christoph Adolf von HarlessGottlieb Christoph Adolf von Harless , was a German Lutheran theologian.-Life:He was born at Nuremberg. As a youth, he was interested in music and poetry, and was attracted by ancient and German classical literature, especially by Jean Paul. He was indifferent to Christianity...
- Andreas Gottlob RudelbachAndreas Gottlob RudelbachAndreas Gottlob Rudelbach was a Dano-German neo-Lutheran theologian; born at Copenhagen September 29, 1792; died at Slagelse , Zealand, March 3, 1862. He was educated at the university of his native city, where he became privatdozent. During this period he edited, in collaboration with N. F. S...
- Charles Porterfield KrauthCharles Porterfield KrauthCharles Porterfield Krauth was a pastor, theologian and educator in the Lutheran branch of Christianity. He is a leading figure in the revival of the Lutheran Confessions connected to Neo-Lutheranism in the United States.- Education and parish ministry :He was born in Martinsburg, Virginia...
- Ludwig Adolf PetriLudwig Adolf PetriPetri, Ludwig Adolf , was a German Neo-Lutheran clergyman.He was born at Lüethorst , and was educated at the University of Göttingen and, after being a private tutor for some time, became, in 1829, "collaborator" at the Kreuzkirche in Hanover, where he was assistant pastor from 1837 until 1851,...
- Fredrik Gabriel HedbergFredrik Gabriel HedbergFredrik Gabriel Hedberg was Finnish Lutheran priest, Neo-Lutheran writer and father of confessional Lutheranism in Finland....
- Evangelical Catholic
- Old LutheransOld LutheransOld Lutherans refers to those German Lutherans who refused to join the Prussian Union in the 1830s and 1840s.Attempted suppression of the Old Lutherans led many to immigrate to Australia and the United States, resulting in the creation of significant Lutheran denominations in those countries.The...