Philip Schaff

The most misunderstood aspect of the Reformation.

Well, in the 19th century, one of my heroes, John Williamson Nevin, and his co-worker Philip Schaff.

By the way, shout out to Schaff's History of Christianity, eight volumes, brilliant.

They made a case that the Reformation was not a bolt from the blue.

Not even Dixielander.

Trapped on an island with only one systematic theology, which one do you choose? Calvin's Institute.

Trapped on an island with only one church history resource, Philip Schaff.

Yeah.

But insofar as this hermit sentiment is intended to give us a right view of what it is to become a Christian, and right views of the imitation of Christ, we consider its tenets as containing a deep and perilous mistake.

end of recording christian ethics general part by dr h martinson translated by c spence pages three hundred and two to three hundred and five Sirin Kierkegaard Various Readings The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume 6, article by F. Nielsen, edited by Johann Jacob Herzog, Philip Schaff, Albert Hawke, Samuel Macaulay Jackson, published in 1910, page 330.

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the church of the sustaining and supporting power of church fellowship for the individual there is little or nothing to be heard in this system of christian instruction where some glimpses of this do appear as it were in passing they are not wrought out or digested the results are not brought forward so that thus they receive no determining no absorbing significance with power the example only is brought forth and the demand springing from this especially the demand to follow christ in his sufferings with power is only brought forth what he calls the paradox of faith namely that god became man in the midst of time and that eternal bliss is joined to the imitation of this marvellous example who by his revelation awakens the offence of the world and of our own hearts but of christ's work a very imperfect explanation is given christ's work according to kirkegaard is essentially merged in his prophetic office in the revelation of the absolute witness of truth who though he addresses himself to all will have nothing to do with the multitude who only desires to be what he is the truth to the individual who is therefore rejected by the multitude mocked and crucified but of christ's sufferings as high priest of the great sacrifice which he offered for the sin of the world in order to satisfy divine justice which we cannot do whilst the consciousness of guilt craves a satisfaction an expiation of transgression scarcely any mention is made again and again we are told of the sacrifice we ourselves should bring of the sufferings we ourselves must endure because in our sufferings we imitate the sufferings of christ but in this manner we are led back more and more to the ascetic errors of the middle ages from which the reformation has delivered us Although Kierkegaard is opposed to the cloister life and self-imposed penances of the Middle Ages, yet it is not manifest that his own system, which unquestionably sharpens the consciousness of guilt, yet without admitting the propitiation of Christ as a determining factor in the work of salvation, is a repetition of the same in the midst of the Protestant world of the 19th century.

a life carried out on the views of kierkegaard in which consciousness of sin and consciousness of guilt are essential ingredients in which the believer exists without this believer having found justifying faith can only become a life of penitence and as consciousness of sin craves propitiation but the propitiation of christ is absent we return to the self-accomplished propitiation because eternal salvation must be attained by a continued exercise of suffering and self-denial undoubtedly we also hear that eternal salvation is the gift of god's free grace and compassionate love but this grace only comes afterwards in the future life in heaven when the man first on earth by his own exertion has achieved all necessary preparations christianity on the other hand teaches us not a grace which only comes afterwards but a grace which is far in advance for man an anticipating grace which comes to meet him which from his birth receives man in its arms in baptism which kirkagort ended by rejecting a grace which step by step accompanies him to the grave and which to him who in faith devotes himself to it becomes sustaining grace which alone makes it possible for the man to strive after likeness to christ doubtless kierkegaard also speaks of a guidance in the life of the individual by which in his own concerns he is brought to admire the goodness of god and what the impotence of man can accomplish by divine assistance but this guidance is without any connection with the appointments of god's grace in his church and it must certainly appear paradoxical to us that this same guidance which according to kirkagore's own expression must have so great a share in his authorship should through more than eighteen centuries have been completely inactive and indifferent in regard to the greatest phenomenon in history the christ church on earth which throughout these centuries must have appeared as an institution which had failed in essentials which had admitted the multitude for us the question can only be if even this authorship has pointed out to us god's saving grace which is revealed to all men has revealed to us the way of salvation by which god will lead all men whilst he at the same time in his word warns us against all self-elected and self-discovered ways it is this which we must deny we do not deny that his religious teaching may exert a preparing and awakening influence in many respects may serve to arouse anxiety and earnestness but in so far as this hermit sentiment is intended to give us a right view of what it is to become a christian and right views of the imitation of christ we consider its tenets as containing a deep and perilous mistake end of recording christian ethics general part by dr h martinson translated by c spence eighteen ninety one pages three hundred and two to three hundred and five Sirin Kierkegaard Various Readings The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume 6, article by F. Nielsen, edited by Johann Jacob Herzog, Philip Schaff, Albert Hawke, Samuel Macaulay Jackson, published in 1910, page 330.

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a life carried out on the views of kirkagourde in which consciousness of sin and consciousness of guilt are essential ingredients in which the believer exists without this believer having found justifying faith can only become a life of penitence and as consciousness of sin craves propitiation but the propitiation of christ is absent we return to the self-accomplished propitiation because eternal salvation must be attained by a continued exercise of suffering and self-denial undoubtedly we also hear that eternal salvation is the gift of god's free grace and compassionate love but this grace only comes afterwards in the future life in heaven when the man first on earth by his own exertion has achieved all necessary preparations christianity on the other hand teaches us not a grace which only comes afterwards but a grace which is far in advance for man an anticipating grace which comes to meet him which from his birth receives man in its arms in baptism which kirkagort ended by rejecting a grace which step by step accompanies him to the grave and which to him who in faith devotes himself to it becomes sustaining grace which alone makes it possible for the man to strive after likeness to christ doubtless kirkagord also speaks of a guidance in the life of the individual by which in his own concerns he is brought to admire the goodness of god and what the impotence of man can accomplish by divine assistance But this guidance is without any connection with the appointments of God's grace in his church.

and it must certainly appear paradoxical to us that this same guidance which according to kirkagore's own expression must have so great a share in his authorship should through more than eighteen centuries have been completely inactive and indifferent in regard to the greatest phenomenon in history the christ church on earth which throughout these centuries must have appeared as an institution which had failed in essentials which had admitted the multitude for us the question can only be if even this authorship has pointed out to us god's saving grace which is revealed to all men has revealed to us the way of salvation by which god will lead all men whilst he at the same time in his word warns us against all self-elected and self-discovered ways it is this which we must deny we do not deny that his religious teaching may exert a preparing and awakening influence in many respects may serve to arouse anxiety and earnestness but in so far as this hermit sentiment is intended to give us a right view of what it is to become a christian and right views of the imitation of christ we consider its tenets as containing a deep and perilous mistake end of recording christian ethics general part by dr h martinson translated by c spence eighteen ninety one pages three hundred and two to three hundred and five Sirin Kierkegaard Various Readings The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume 6, article by F. Nielsen, edited by Johann Jacob Herzog, Philip Schaff, Albert Hawke, Samuel Macaulay Jackson, published in 1910, page 330.

This is a LibriVox recording.

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Article by F. Nielsen.

Edited by Johann Jacob Herzog, Philip Schaff, Albert Hawke, Samuel Macaulay Jackson.

Published in 1910.

Page 330.

Yeah.

So it seems like from your telling of the Oxford movement, that soteriological concern to protect the idea that Christ is our sole mediator, that we do not make satisfaction for sins, Christ ma- has made our full satisfaction always, that concern actually, uh, maintains the central link with what Schaff calls the formal principle of, of the Reformation.

Yes.

And this is something I'm actually so grateful for your personal, like, ministry and witness to the church in these recent years of, like, so many folks who go to Rome, you know, they read Ratzinger's '97 Catechism, they read a Scott Hahn book, which is really like presenting a minimal, a deceptively minimalist presentation-

Yeah.

Um, sh- yeah.

Um, but no, I, I, I do think when Philip Schaff calls the formal principle of the Reformation justification by faith alone and then the material principle as sola scriptura rightly defined-

Yeah

No, I understand that.

The Council of Ephesus, 431, Philip's profession of faith.

There is no doubt, in fact, it has been known in all ages that the blessed Peter, prince and head of the apostles, pillar of the faith, foundation of the Catholic Church, was given the keys of the kingdom of heaven from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the human race.

He was given the power to bind and lose sins and down unto this day and forever lives and judges in his successors.

They don't have... a leg in this race to prove the Roman indefectibility claims.

So I can cite Henry Chadwick.

I can cite Philip Schaff.

I can cite these Protestant historians that agree with me.

The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume 6.

Article by F. Nielsen, edited by Johann Jacob Herzog, Philip Schaff, Albert Hawk, Samuel Macaulay Jackson.

Published in 1910, page 330.

This is a LibriVox recording.