Scholastic Lutherans

[JM]

https://www.youtube.com/@ScholasticLutherans/videos

A resources for scholastic Lutheranism.

Yours in the Lord,

jm

 

[J_B_]

Hmm. Given how Luther raged against Scholastics, that seems an oxymoron.

 

[JM]

Hmm. Given how Luther raged against Scholastics, that seems an oxymoron.

The second generation Reformers used some scholasticism in their theology and if you give them a listen they talk about Luther's scholasticism.

 

[J_B_]

The second generation Reformers used some scholasticism in their theology ...

Are you familiar with how Jaroslav Pelikan dealt with this (From Luther to Kierkegaard)? It's essentially a fine balancing act of a "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" argument and a recognition that later Lutherans who lacked Luther's force of personality allowed their opponents to chose the battlefield.

No doubt Aquinas was a genius and the pinnacle of Scholasticism, but that doesn't mean we embrace his errors ... nor must we shun truth just because Aquinas might have said something similar to it.

I don't understand the appeal of Scholasticism, have no interest in it, and don't think Lutherans have any need of it.

 

[JM]

Are you familiar with how Jaroslav Pelikan dealt with this (From Luther to Kierkegaard)? It's essentially a fine balancing act of a "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" argument and a recognition that later Lutherans who lacked Luther's force of personality allowed their opponents to chose the battlefield.

No doubt Aquinas was a genius and the pinnacle of Scholasticism, but that doesn't mean we embrace his errors ... nor must we shun truth just because Aquinas might have said something similar to it.

I don't understand the appeal of Scholasticism, have no interest in it, and don't think Lutherans have any need of it.

I've been Reformed for over 20 years so I'm not as keen on the nuances of Lutheranism...yet. My wheelhouse is Calvin, Bavinck, Vos, etc.

Watch out for the nuances, they are like weeds people of letters get lost in.

 

[J_B_]

I've been Reformed for over 20 years so I'm not as keen on the nuances of Lutheranism...yet.

Maybe we can work on fixing that. I understand your point, but nuances are not something that can be completely eliminated ... well, maybe if we were able to maintain the faith of a child they wouldn't be necessary, but that doesn't seem to be the nature of this conversation.

 

[JM]

"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 Counter-Reformation.

Lutheran scholasticism was a theological method that gradually developed during the era of Lutheran orthodoxy. Theologians used the neo-Aristotelian form of presentation, already popular in academia, in their writings and lectures. They defined the Lutheran faith and defended it against the polemics of opposing parties."

Dr. Cooper is one of my favs. He gives a broad overview of Scholasticism and mentions Protestants forms of it.

Another vid with Dr. Cooper where he discusses his book defending Lutheran Scholasticism.

Reeves adds to what has already been mentioned by J_B, that Luther was trained in Scholasticism but did not trust the method, it was picked up by his successors.

Yours in the Lord,

jm