Sermons on the First Epistle of John: (A Handbook for the Christian Life)

by Johannes Oecolampadius, Timothy Slemmons (Translator)

Overview

Perhaps the most consequential series on 1John ever preached and one of the earliest examples of a complete expository series from the Swiss Reformation, these sermons mark Oecolampadius' arrival as the leading voice of the evangelical movement in Basel. As Ernst Staehelin noted, here in the 1John series the Reformer "for the first time organizes the reformatory message in a comprehensive manner." Preached over the course of twenty-one consecutive evenings in Basel's St. Martin's Church in December of 1523, this popular Advent series ran through six print editions in two years. More than any single series, it set the standard for Basel's program of lectio continua preaching which, with allowance made for the main feasts of the Christian year, became the norm for the Sunday service as well. In these sermons, modeled after the Reformer's important translations of Chrysostom and delivered concurrently with his famous lectures on Isaiah, he explains the pressing doctrines the congregation asked him to address: Are we indeed justified by faith, and if so, then what is the role of works in the Christian life? In response, Oecolampadius provides, among other things, a biblically rich and theologically lucid Johannine complement to Luther's labors on the Pauline doctrine of justification and a strong claim, ringing even in the final sentence, that the presence of Christ issues in works of love. Anyone seeking a fresh perspective on the preaching of the Reformation, an understanding of the chief homiletical corrective of the age, a clear articulation of basic Christian doctrine and the ordo salutis, or even (in the words of the Reformer himself) "an enchiridion for the Christian life," will find fresh and ample inspiration in this vital but forgotten classic which, after 500 years, appears here in English for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668519998
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	09/25/2017
Series:	Works of Oecolampadius , #1
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Johannes Oecolampadius (1482—1531), the Reformer of Basel, was a scholar admired by Erasmus, a supporter of the early Luther, a loyal friend of Zwingli, and a (posthumous) influence on Calvin. With his command of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, his translations of patristic sources, his biblical lectures, sermons, liturgical reforms, wise pastoral leadership, and moderate temperament, he ranks among the most important of the first generation of Reformers, yet few of his works have appeared in English.