Something Else Reformation Related

Europa reformata (english edition)
Reformationsstädte Europas und ihre Reformatoren
edited by Michael Welker, Michael Beintker and Albert de Lange

More than forty European Reformation cities and their reformers are presented in this book, places spread from as far as Spain via Central Europe to Estonia and Finland, and from Scotland and England to Romania. Well-founded texts and abundant photographs make the activities of the reformers (and their five female counterparts) come alive and highlight the cities with their buildings and historical sources from the Reformation. Supplemented by an illustrated map of Europe and information on church and tourist center addresses, the book is moreover a useful travel guide on the trails of the European Reformation. The perfect gift for the 500th Reformation jubilee.

Here’s the link to ISD.

Martin Luther: The Art of the Reformation- Available from ISD

Via ISD-

This Fall, exhibitions commemorating the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation will be shown in Minneapolis, New York, and Atlanta. They offer a comprehensive picture of the life and work of Martin Luther, his Reformation, its cultural-historical context and lasting impact. Their focus is on unique exhibits from authentic places associated with Luther’s life and the history of the Reformation.

We are excited to announce new volumes from Sandstein Verlag that are companions to the exhibitions. They are available as a two volume set in a slipcase. You may learn more about that set by clicking through the image below.

Follow this link to learn more about the Essays volume:https://www.isdistribution.com/BookDetail.aspx?aId=76597

Follow this link to learn more about the Catalogue:https://www.isdistribution.com/BookDetail.aspx?aId=76596

The two volumes together can be found here.

Jerome Zanchi (1516–90) and the Analysis of Reformed Scholastic Christology

A new volume from V&R which the good folk there have been kind enough to send along for review.

This is a study of the Christology of Jerome Zanchi (1516–90). Scholars have examined aspects of his theology, but no one has treated his Christology at any length. Filling this gap in the study of reformed scholastic theology in general and Christology in particular, Lindholm has adopted a method that is somewhat atypical for reformation studies. This is not primarily a work in church history, historical or systematic theology, although it draws on and should be of interest to practitioners of these disciplines. Primarily, it is a work of philosophy of religion or what is sometimes called philosophical theology. Philosophical theology analyses theological concepts in their particularity, rooted in various religious traditions.

But a mere historical study will not deliver a proper understanding of Zanchi’s ideas (no more than a historically uninformed philosophical analysis will). Lindholm tries to show that a philosophical engagement with Zanchi brings greater understanding of his Christology. Moreover, this study does not stop at the level of explication: it also critically evaluates the findings. The text as a whole is bound together by doctrinal topics, themes and trajectories important to the 16th century Christological debates as well as by philosophical issues and arguments.

Stefan is a fine scholar.  Consequently, you can expect this to be a fine study. Read the front matter here.  Here is how Lindholm describes his project:

This is a study of the Christology of Jerome Zanchi (1516–90), a leading 16th century reformed scholastic theologian. Scholars have examined aspects of his theology, but no one has treated his Christology at any length. Filling this gap in the study of reformed scholastic theology in general and Christology in particular, I have adopted a method that is somewhat atypical for reformation studies. This is not primarily a work in church history, historical or systematic theology, although it draws on and should be of interest to practitioners of these disciplines. Primarily, it is a work of philosophy of religion or what is sometimes called philosophical theology.

A little further on, after delineating the contents of the study, L. writes

I will look at two scholastic arguments in Chemnitz for multilocation and reconstruct a possible Zanchian response to them.

From my point of view, this is the most interesting aspect of the book.  Here L. actually assumes the persona of Zanchi and argues with one of his contemporaries – a mightily influential one at that – about the ‘location’ of the Risen Lord.  The segment of the volume in which this occurs is stunning in its execution.

Before L. gets there, though, he has a number of details to address including the historical and philosophical contexts of Zanchi’s work.  He next moves to a very philosophically oriented discussion and investigation of the hypostatic union.  This part of the work will be extremely useful to students of the history of Christian philosophy.

The volume concludes with the previously mentioned scholastic arguments of Chemnitz and the rejoinder which Zanchi may well have offered.  In particular L. remarks

A Zanchian response should major on the claim that bodies are in place per se (due to their quantitative dimensions as material beings). If this claim is defensible, it constitutes a challenge to both of Chemnitz’ arguments. The Biel argument starts from the premise that it is natural though not necessary – in some stricter sense than natural necessity – for a corporeal nature to be in place whereas the Durandus-argument takes a step further, saying that single location is a non-essential attribute of bodies. The Biel-argument is content to say that there is some strong tendency or capacity in the human nature to be in one place but that this tendency might be overridden by divine omnipotence. It is possible that the scholastic notion of obediental potency (potentia obedientiae) is in the background here. The second premise in both arguments appeals to divine omnipotence saying that divine omnipotence is not bound by natural tendencies or that there is any contradiction for omnipotence to intervene in a substance’s accidental properties, such as place.

If that makes scant sense it’s because L.’s argument and the delivery of that argument are so tightly interwoven that the many pages preceding this observation are required to be well in mind for it to be comprehended.  This, then, isn’t the sort of volume that one can pick up and ignore the first chapter or the third and skip from one section to the other.  It is meant to be, and has to be, read in sequence as the author intended.  Elsewise, the structure will not be seen in its grandeur and beauty.

This is a niche work.  It will appeal to those who have an interest in the intersection of theology and philosophy.  It will not, however, be of interest to exegetes or biblical scholars.  It is far too focused on the intricacies of philosophy to find the time or space to turn its attention to the particularities of Scripture- the basis and foundation of all theology- whether biblical or philosophical.

Denying Her Voice: The Figure of Miriam in Ancient Jewish Literature

Newly published by V&R.  It’s a bit outside my area but I think it will be mind-expanding.  More on it in due course once I’ve reviewed it.

A New Volume by Diarmaid MacCulloch

All Things Made New: The Reformation and its Legacy.

The most profound characteristic of Western Europe in the Middle Ages was its cultural and religious unity, a unity secured by a common alignment with the Pope in Rome, and a common language – Latin – for worship and scholarship. The Reformation shattered that unity, and the consequences are still with us today. In All Things Made New, Diarmaid MacCulloch, author of the New York Times bestseller Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, examines not only the Reformation’s impact across Europe, but also the Catholic Counter-Reformation and the special evolution of religion in England, revealing how one of the most turbulent, bloody, and transformational events in Western history has shaped modern society.

The Reformation may have launched a social revolution, MacCulloch argues, but it was not caused by social and economic forces, or even by a secular idea like nationalism; it sprang from a big idea about death, salvation, and the afterlife. This idea – that salvation was entirely in God’s hands and there was nothing humans could do to alter his decision – ended the Catholic Church’s monopoly in Europe and altered the trajectory of the entire future of the West.

By turns passionate, funny, meditative, and subversive, All Things Made New takes readers onto fascinating new ground, exploring the original conflicts of the Reformation and cutting through prejudices that continue to distort popular conceptions of a religious divide still with us after five centuries. This monumental work, from one of the most distinguished scholars of Christianity writing today, explores the ways in which historians have told the tale of the Reformation, why their interpretations have changed so dramatically over time, and ultimately, how the contested legacy of this revolution continues to impact the world today.

In The Fullness of Time: Essays on Christology, Creation, and Eschatology in Honor of Richard Bauckham

This one looks quite good  so I am appreciative that Eerdmans has sent a review copy.  Expect said to be done in the next months.

Over the course of his distinguished career Richard Bauckham has made pioneering contributions to diverse areas of scholarship ranging from ethics and contemporary issues to hermeneutical problems and theology, often drawing together disciplines and fields of research all too commonly kept separate from one another.

In this volume some of the most eminent figures in modern biblical and theological scholarship present essays honoring Bauckham. Addressing a variety of subjects related to Christology, creation, and eschatology, the contributors develop elements of Bauckham’s biblical and theological work further, present fresh research of their own to complement his work, and raise critical questions.

The highlights may well be those essays by

• Philip Alexander
• James R. Davila
• James D. G. Dunn
• Philip F. Esler
• Larry W. Hurtado
• Bruce W. Longenecker

True superstars contributing to appreciation of a true superstar.  More anon.

Bavnik

Via Ben Myers- the index of Sonderegger’s theology confuses Herman Bavinck with his lesser known Eastern European cousin Herman Bavnik.  Bavnik was actually a cow-herd and not a Reformed theologian.  And, oh yeah, editing…