Martin Bucer: Reforming Church and Community

by D. F. Wright (Editor)

Overview

Martin Bucer (1491-1551) was one of the most important sixteenth century Reformers, who became leader of the Reformed Churches in Switzerland and South Germany after the death of Zwingli. To mark the 500th anniversary of his birth, an international team of specialists on Bucer highlight his contribution in thought and practice to building the community of the Church in England and Europe. The issues addressed also raise matters of contemporary significance, such as Church-state relations, Protestant-Catholic unity, and tensions between a church of true believers and a "people's" church.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521892520
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/18/2002
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.47(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Abbreviations; 1. Martin Bucer and the Old Church Peter Matheson; 2. The relation between church and civil community in Bucer's reforming work Martin Greschat; 3. Bucer's influence on Calvin: church and community Willem van't Spijker; 4. The church in Bucer's Commentaries on the Epistle to the Ephesians Peter Stephens; 5. Church, communion and community in Bucer's Commentary on the Gospel of John Irena Backus; 6. Church communion between Christ and believers: impulses and directions in Martin Bucer's Thought Ian Hazlett; 7. Martin Bucer and the Ministry of the Church James Kittelson; 8. Infant baptism and the Christian community in Bucer D. F. Wright; 9. Bucer's ecclesiology in the colloquies with the catholics, 1540–1541 Cornelis Augustijn; 10. The Strasbourg kirchenpfleger and parish discipline Jean Rott; 11. Ecclesiological motives behind the creation of the 'Christlichen Gemeinschaften' Gottfried Hamann; 12. Martin Bucer in England Basil Hall; 13. Martin Bucer and the Englishing of the psalms: pseudonymity in the service of the early English protestant piety Gerald Hobbs; Bibliography; Indexes.

Editorial Reviews

"With its emphasis firmly on Bucer's lifelong endeavor to formulate and implement a truly Christian society, this volume should do its bit to help the English-speaking academic world accord due recognition to Bucer as one of the most interesting, as well as most significant, among the makers of the sixteenth-century Reformation." Central European

"This collection of essays, published to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Strasbourg reformer's birth, is an excellent introduction in English to Bucer's ecclesiology and to the related issues of the ministry, church and state, and the sacraments, both in general and individually....By approaching the topic from different angles, this collection of essays offers insights into Bucer's ecclesiology as a whole. As such it is a valuable contribution to the growing body of work on Bucer, and it should help make the Strasbourg reformer's views better known to the English-speaking world." The Catholic Historical Review

"I highly recommend this book to any scholars or students of the Reformation. ...well-written and well-documented. ...it is the only book in English that deals so extensively with Bucer's ecclesiology. I also recommend it for those pastors who are looking for some thought-provoking reading on the church." Barry Howson, The Baptist Review of Theology

From the Publisher