42 ΟΒΙΕΝΤΑΤΙΟΝ.
the triumph of truth. Christianity is independent of all critical questions on the canon, and of human theories of inspiration ; else Christ would himself have written the Gospels, or commanded the Apostles to do so, and provided for the miraculous preservation and inspired translation of the text. His “words are spirit, and are life.’ ‘The flesh profiteth nothing.” Criticism and speculation may for a while wander away from Christ, but will ultimately return to Him who furnishes the only key for the solution of the problems of history and human life. “No matter,” says the world-poet Goethe in one of his last utterances, “how much the human mind may progress in intellectual culture, in the science of nature, in ever-expanding breadth and depth: it will never be able to rise above the elevation and moral culture which shines in the Gospels.”
NoreEs.
The famous close of the Preface of Luther’s edition of the German New Testament was omitted in later editions, but is reprinted in Walch’s ed. XIV. 104 sqq., and in the Erlangen Frankf. ed. LXIII. (or eleventh vol. of the Vermischte Deutsche Schriften), p. 114 sq. It is verbatim as follows:
“ Aus diesem allen kannst du nu recht urtheilen unter allen Biichern, und Unterschied nehmen, welchs die besten sind. Denn, namlich, ist Johannis Evangelion, und St. Pauli Episteln, sonderlich die zu den Rémern, und Sanct Peters erste Epistel der rechte Kern und Mark unter allen Biichern; welche auch billig die ersten sein sollten, und einem jeglichen Christen zu rathen wire, dass er dieselben am ersten und allermeisten ldse, und thm durch taglich Lesen so gemein miachte, als das tiglich Brod.
“Denn in diesen findist [ findest] du nicht viel Werk und Wunderthaten Christi beschrieben ; du findist aber gar meisterlich ausgestrichen, wie der Glaube an Christum Stind, Tod und Holle iiberwindet, und das Leben, Glerechtigkeit und Seligkett gibt. Welchs die rechie Art ist des Evangelii, wie du gehoret hast.
“Denn wo ich je der eins mangeln sollt, der Werke oder der Predigt Christi, so wollt ich lieber der Werke, denn seiner Predigt mangeln. Denn die Werke helfen mir nichts; aber seine Worte, die geben das Leben, wie er selbst sagt (Joh. 5. V. 51). Weil nu Johannes gar weniq Werke von Christo, aber gar viel seiner Predigt schreibt ; wiederumb die andern drei Kvangelisten viel seiner Werke, wenig seiner Worte beschreiben: ist Johannis Evangelion das einige zarte, recht(e) Hauptevangelion, und den andren dreien weit fiirzusichen und hoher zu heben. Also auch Sanct Paulus und Petrus Episteln weit tiber die drei Evangelia, Matthai, Marci und Lucé vorgehen.
“Summa, Sanct Johannis Evangel. und seine erste Epistel, Sanct Paulus Epistel(n), sonderlich die zu den Romern, Galatern, Ephesern, und Sanct Peters erste Epistel, das sind die Biwcher, die dir Christum zeigen, und alles lehren, das dir zt wissen noth und selig ist, ob du sohon kein ander Buch noch Lehre nummer [nimmere
§ 10. PROTESTANTISM AND DENOMINATIONALISM. 43
mehr] sehest and horist [hérest]. -Darumb ist Sanct Jakobs Epistel ein recht strohern(e) Epistel, gegen sie, denn ste doch kein(e) evangelisch(e) Art an thr hat. Doch davon weiter in andern Vorreden.”
§ 10. Protestantism and Denominationalism.'
The Greek Church exists as a patriarchal hierarchy based on the first seven cecumenical councils with four ancient local centres: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople; to which must be added, since 1725, St. Petersburg where the Holy Synod of orthodox Russia resides. The patriarch of Constantinople claims a primacy of honor, but no supremacy of jurisdiction over his fellow-patriarchs.
The Roman Church is an absolute monarchy, headed by an infallible pope who claims to be vicar of Christ over all Christendom and unchurches the Greek and the Protestant churches as schismatical and heretical.
The Reformation came out of the bosom of the Latin Church and broke up the visible unity of Western Christendom, but prepared the way for a higher spiritual unity on the basis of freedom and the full development of every phase of truth.
Instead of one organization, we have in Protestantism a number ἢ of distinct national churches and confessions or denominations. Rome, the local centre of unity, was replaced by Wittenberg, Zurich, Geneva, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh. The one great pope had to surrender to many little popes of smaller pretensions, yet each claiming and exercising sovereign power in his domain. The hierarchical rule gave way to the cesaropapal or Erastian principle, that the owner of the territory is also the owner of its religion (cwjus regio, ejus religio), a principle first
1 Denominationalism is, I believe, an American term of recent origin, but useful and necessary to express the fact, without praise or blame, that Protestant Christianity exists in various ecclesiastical organizations, some of which are large, others small, some differing in doctrine, others only in polity and worship, some liberal and catholic, others contracted and exclusive. I use it in this neutral sense, in preference to Confessionalism which implies confessional or
doctrinal difference, and Sectarianism which implies bigotry and is a term of reproach.