![]() Two abortive conferences had already been held, one in Hagenau (June 1540) and the other in Worms (January 1541). 5 Then, after only five days, on May 3, the theologians reached agreement on Article 5, “On the Justification of Man.” 6 This consensus did not, however, drop out of the sky. ![]() The participants quickly agreed on the first four articles regarding original sin and Pelagianism. Watching the match from the sidelines was John Calvin (1509-1564). Among the Protestants were Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560) and Martin Bucer (1491-1551). In attendance at Regensburg were some of the greatest and most interesting theologians of the sixteenth century. 3 To garner that support, he needed his theologians to find a formula on which they could agree. Threatened to his west by France and to his east by Muslim armies, he needed a unified Empire, and to get that he needed the support of the Lutheran Electors. On April 27, 1541, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V convened the Imperial Reichstag (parliament) and a theological conference at Regensburg (also known as Ratisbon). Ecumenism is well and good, but what about justification? Then, as today, the evangelicals and Roman Catholics had a plan: they called it “double justice” ( duplex iustitia). For a time in the early 1540’s it appeared to several leading Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians that the division might be healed. This is not the first time that there has been such a flurry of ecumenism. To many Christians (both broadly evangelical and in the liberal mainline) the time appears to be right to heal what seems to them to be the shame of Christendom: the schism between Wittenberg and Rome. Most notable among these agreements has been the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) 1987 statement, “Salvation and the Church”, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” (1994), the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” approved by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (1997), and most recently, “The Gift of Salvation” or ECT II. Thus, from the point of view of historic Protestant orthodoxy, it is remarkable that since the early 1980’s, on more than one occasion, Protestants and Roman Catholics have reached (apparent) agreement on the doctrine of justification. Alsted (1588-1638) declared that the Protestant doctrine of justification is that “article of faith by which the church stands or falls” ( articulus stantis et candentis ecclesiae), he was only repeating what all Protestants had learned from Martin Luther and what all true Protestants and evangelicals still believe. Originally published in Modern Reformationmagazine (Sept/Oct, 1998) Federal Vision and New Perspectives on Paul.The famous Beneficio di Cristo can be found here. Additionally, this documentary from PBS takes a look at the spirituali, focusing on Michelangelo’s connection to the group. This interview with Dr Christopher Malloy may also be helpful on justification, as may this essay from an opposite perspective by Bp C. On the Protestant side, Richard Hooker’s “Learned Discourse on Justification” can be accessed here. Below are links to several versions of the text of the article.įor comparison, the Council of Trent’s definition of Roman Catholic teaching on justification can be found here. It is concerned with justification and marks the attempt to find a position acceptable to both sides. The fifth of the Regensburg articles draws the greatest interest. Lane, whose writings can be consulted for more information. Among the scholars who have studied Regensburg is Anthony N.S. Much has been written on the meeting, its initial headway on the doctrine of justification, and its ultimate failure. The discussions notably became a highpoint for the spirituali, reformers who had remained loyal to the old Church. Representatives from Rome and leading Protestants came together at Regensburg in 1541 in order to seek a doctrinal agreement that could restore peace to the Church.
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