Denominational Group of Apostolic Communities

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The Apostolic in Germany - a simplified overview

The denominational group of the apostolic communities is a multi-layered movement that began in the first half of the 19th century. The oldest communities in this movement are the Catholic-Apostolic Congregations , which have their origins in both Anglo -Catholicism and the Awakening Movement , and in the course of history they have created a number of church communities through divisions and new foundations. The best known and largest among them is the New Apostolic Church . Referring to Edward Irving , one of the early representatives of this denominational group, the apostolic communities were and are sometimes (incorrectly) referred to as Irvingians . This is also the case in other languages ​​such as English or French ( Irvingites ). A constitutive characteristic of all apostolic groups is the apostolic office as the leading magisterium.

Currents

The Apostolic in the Netherlands, an overview

One can roughly distinguish between four currents within the Apostolic Communities:

Catholic Apostolic Communities

This group includes above all the original community of all apostolic communities, the Catholic-Apostolic Congregations (kaG).

Furthermore, groups can also be counted among them who have tried to revive the “Catholic Apostolic Model” in liturgy and ministry, such as the Catholic Apostolic Church - Congregation of God , the Catholic Apostolic Community under van der Poorten , the so-called Gossliwil-Apostel and the Catholic-Apostolic Congregation (Christ Congregation International).

Here, however, the objection could be made from the point of view of the kaG that these communities themselves claim to be a continuation of the kaG, but this is decidedly rejected by the kaG themselves and is also questionable from their theological point of view. Because CAG apostles had established in 1832 that they themselves were the "apostolate of the end of the times" which will not be continued. When communities appear that continue this apostolate, they are in no succession to the apostolate of the kaG - but they can, at least in part, appeal to the Catholic-apostolic doctrine of the work of the seventy , which could follow the work of the twelve .

Apostolic Communities of the Renewed Apostolate

This group represents the group of apostolic congregations which refer in particular to the calling of new apostles in Hamburg in 1863. These communities (in contrast to the previous group) consider a permanent apostolate necessary until the return of Christ . Furthermore, they adhere to the doctrine of the fourfold office , especially the prophetic office , but are strongly Calvinistic in their liturgy . These communities are also strongly influenced by the person of the apostle Friedrich Wilhelm Schwarz and hold fast to his reforms and innovations (sealing of children, children's supper, dispensing of the sacraments to the deceased). These communities include the two Apostolic Mission Churches ( Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk and Hersteld Apostolische Zendingkerk - Stam Juda) and the Hersteld Apostolisch Zendinggemeende . Individual, smaller, partially submerged communities also belong to this tradition, for example the Old Apostolic Church .

The classification of the General Christian Apostolic Mission from 1863 and its Dutch sister, the Apostolic Zending, is problematic. The churches of the New Apostolic tradition see this as the basis for their own tradition and continuity, on the other hand there are strong differences in their understanding of ministry.

Due to the return to the fourfold office, but the retention of the Calvinist liturgy, the Apostolic Congregation Wiesbaden eV (and its splits) could also be classified in this group - otherwise it could also be included in the group of the New Apostles due to a partially indicated "vacancy doctrine" for the Chief Apostle's office Communities are classified.

New Apostolic Communities

The beginnings of the New Apostolic Communities date back to 1878 at the latest. The New Apostolic Communities see themselves in the tradition of the Catholic-Apostolic communities, but because of their historical development they reject the office of prophets or only refer to a vacancy in this office. The New Apostolic Communities have traditionally emphasized the apostolate very strongly, but modified this again in the course of their development. In numerical terms, this group represents the absolutely largest group of the Apostolic Communities, because the largest community (and mother of all other Apostolic Communities of the New Apostolic tradition), the New Apostolic Church , has around eleven million members. Numerous communities have emerged from it, most of them from different doctrinal understandings and conflicts with the New Apostolic Chief Apostle ministry . The New Apostolic Communities include the New Apostolic Church, the communities of the Association of Apostolic Congregations , the Apostolic Congregation of the Saarland and some smaller communities.

The communities of the apostolic tradition that no longer expect a parousia

The fourth group are the apostolic communities which, in contrast to the three previous groups, no longer expect the parousia of Christ (the saving return of Jesus) in the traditional way. In terms of their origins, they all emerged from the New Apostolic Church, but are far removed from the other apostolic communities. Together with the apostolic communities of the other three groups, they only have the office of apostle. Mostly it is argued that in this office or in a holder of this office Jesus Christ has already returned. Sometimes people have strayed very far from Christian views and tended towards pantheism . This very heterogeneous subgroup of apostolic communities includes the apostolic office of Judah , the apostolic office of Jesus Christ , the Old Apostolic Church and the Apostolic Genootschap .

Other differentiations

In the (older) literature, a distinction is often only made between the Catholic Apostolic Churches, the New Apostolic Church and the so-called free Apostolic Churches. The term “free apostolic congregations” in particular is not convincing, because on the one hand this term suggests that it would be a question of free individual congregations (which is only the case with very small apostolic communities, which consist of only one or two local congregations). Furthermore, most of the free apostles' congregations are their own (regional or international) church bodies or organizations. Such a differentiation also fails to recognize the history of the apostolic movement, because many of the free apostolic congregations either have no historical reference to the New Apostolic Church, or only an indirect one ( separation of the split from the NAK or the kaG ). All communities of the apostolic community have only an indirect origin from the Catholic apostolic movement. Furthermore, the term of the free apostles ' congregations must be criticized as ideologically judgmental . The origin of this term is that in these communities one sees oneself “liberated from the rule of the chief apostle office”. Even if this point would correspond to the self-understanding of a community, it does not apply to all those communities which are summarized under the generic term of the free apostolic communities.

literature

  • Johannes Albrecht Schröter: The Catholic Apostolic Congregations in Germany and the Geyer case. Tectum, Marburg 1997, 2004 (3rd edition). ISBN 3-89608-814-9
  • Helmut Obst : Apostles and prophets of the modern age. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2000. ISBN 3-525-55438-9
  • Kurt Hutten : seers - brooders - enthusiasts. Quell, Stuttgart 1997 (15th edition). ISBN 3-7918-2130-X
  • E. Diersmann: You should recognize them by their fruits. The legacy of Friedrich Wilhelm Schwarz, 100 years of apostolic communities in the Netherlands, a historical overview. Re Di Roma, Remscheid 2007. ISBN 3-940450-20-0

Web links