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Discussion about Baptism between Luther & Anabaptistis Observed in the Context of Medieval Theology

Lidija Matošević orcid.org/0000-0001-9199-7931 ; Teološki fakultet Matija Vlačić-Ilirik s pravom javnosti, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Sažetak

This article deals with the fraught conflict between Luther and Anabaptists regarding the baptism of small children. In an effort to clarify this issue and offer a synoptical view the article is divided into two parts. The first deals with (Understanding the sacraments in the theology of the Middle Ages and Luther's criticism) where the author surmises the development of sacramentology from the period of the New Testament on to Patristic and the early Middle Ages and in particular, understanding the sacraments in St. Augustine's theology. The article then reflects on the process resulted in the definition of mysterion/sacramentum from the sphere of cerigma which stepped into the area of the cult. In an effort to understand Luther in the context of the theology of his time the author concentrates on understanding Luther's theological development, exceptional vital notion of the sacraments and in particular baptism in higher and particular classic scholastics. The author comprehends Luther as a student and then as a critic of the theological school who was educated in: so-called nominalism. The author believes it to be undoubted that Luther started his discussion about the being of the sacraments - that is the sacrament of baptism - from the common position of the majority of nominalistic theology: in the context of nominalistic criticism of the teachings and actions of the sacraments ex opera operato. As distinct to sacramentalism that claims that the sacraments mediate mercy for all who do not place barriers, Luther emphasises the importance of faith to receive baptism. Nevertheless, even though Luther's criticism of medieval theology begins in the context of nominalistic criticism of sacramentalism, he also moves away from it and Luther quickly moves on from being a student to becoming a critic of the nominalistic model of alternatives to medieval sacramentology. The author stresses how the novelty of Luther's theology does not lie in his criticism of sacramentalism hence proposing a vitally different disposition to validly accept the sacraments but rather because it questioned the actual scheme of »mercy — disposition on behalf of the recipient« as such, be it under this disposition of thought or faith itself. Namely, in Luther's theology faith is not taken as a human disposition in the process of justification but as pure reception: Man can only accept God's mercy through faith. This, as the author emphasises, does not mean that Luther's understanding of the sacraments, that is baptism, represents a step into medieval sacramentalism. On the contrary, for Luther it is unquestionable that like the Word, the sacrament can only be active for someone who accepts it with faith because through the sacrament God speaks to man as a person and as such expects a man's response. However, this does not mean that faith should be taken as a presumption but, as the only correct view to use baptism.
In the second half of the article (Luther and Anabaptists about Baptism), the author investigates the Anabaptist notion of the sacraments and in particular baptism; Anabaptist arguments to deny the validity of baptising small children; and Luther's reopens to Anabaptist objections. The author then investigates Anabaptist teaching (observed on the example of the theology of Balthasar Hubmeier) in the context of medieval theology and in particular the late Middle Ages. According to the author's thinking, Anabaptist interpretation of the sacraments, including baptism, largely represents the literally implemented criticism of sacramentalism that is expressed in later medieval theology. However, Anabaptists take this criticism even further and part of the path that takes them away from the medieval notion of the sacraments coincides with Zwingli who denies the sacraments the nature of an act that mediates mercy and understands the sacraments exclusively as a sign of something that occurred inside a man, that is, a sign of what the renewed man obliges to. However, in contrast to Zwingli's theology according to which — even though Christianity is taken only as an external sign of faith of an individual and obligation to life according to Christian principles — he who publicly obliges this need not necessarily always needs to be an individual receiving baptism but in the case of small children their faith is witnessed by a community of the faithful, according to Anabaptist teaching the exclusive subject of faith can be the person receiving baptism. Hence Anabaptist insistence to (renewed) baptism for those christened as children. Even though the author believes that the logic of Anabaptist conclusions from Zwingli's presumptions is unquestionable, the author believes it is necessary to requestion Zwingli and with that Anabaptist notion of baptism as an exclusively external sign of what occurs inside man. In that context, therefore, Luther's understanding of baptism according to which God's action whose validity does not depend on the disposition of the recipient even though this occurs »behind human backs«, even if this means faith which must have logically led Luther to explicitly criticise Anabaptist understanding of baptism, deserves full attention.
As such the author concludes (Critical Evaluation of Luther's and Anabaptist Presumptions), requestions the arguments of collocutors in the Sixteenth Century starting from Scriptural testimonies. The author recalls that according to New Testament expression, even though that which baptism signifies becomes realitvy only for the person who believes, baptism in the New Testament represents something »more« than just an external sign of the individual's faith who is baptised because it is God's unopposive call that determines an entire human life. Luther's notion that baptism should not be repeated even when there is doubt about the existence of belief at the moment of baptism is more applicable to the New Testament notion compared to Anabaptist notion of baptism as an exclusively external sign of the individual's faith or the Anabaptist practise of repeating baptism for those who were baptised as children. According to the author however this does not mean that the question of baptising children could possibly hide a potential danger in neglecting man's personal relationship towards God even when one does not forget that baptism without faith does not lead to salvation, or to create the belief that mercy can be granted to man »automatically«. The author believes that the Anabaptist practise of baptism in faith is more explicit towards baptism always being related to as a personal contract to believe in God's calling which is sent to man and as such is closer to reformation of the significant emphasis of the personal relationship between man and God. This however does not mean any special advantage that this practise of baptism of believers justifies Anabaptist practise (renewed) baptism of those baptised as children. Finally the author condudes that these two practises need not mutually exclude each other infact that mutual exclusivity can easily lead to unilateralism and distorts the notion of the sacrament of baptism. They should instead be observed as a complimentary practise that the Churches that practise one or the other mutually motivate to self-criticism.

Ključne riječi

theology of the sacraments; baptism; Luther; Zwingli; Anabaptists; sacramentalism; nominalism; ecumenism

Hrčak ID:

23493

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/23493

Datum izdavanja:

17.7.2007.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

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