Irenik
The term Irenik (also Irenismus from Greek εἰρήνη , eirene , 'peace') comes from the theological analysis of the confessional conflicts of the early modern period .
The idea has been present for a long time, the term appears for the first time in the title of Eirenicum by the Reformed theologian Franz Junius the Elder, published in 1593 . In harsh criticism of the violent religious wars , Junius emphasizes the peacemaking character of the Christian faith and rejects any form of religiously based violence as well as the harsh polemics with which many theologians inflicted each other's denominations.
The main concern of the Irish people is to reflect on the common foundation of the Christian faith and to start from there in an open discourse about the differences. In addition to Franz Junius' mentioned Eirenicum , the Irenicum by David Pareus (1548–1622) published in 1614 has become known.
Opposite terms to Irenik are polemics (in Pareus) and zealotism (in the so-called syncretistic dispute ). The Irish were keen to enable communication between denominations ( Lutheran , Reformed , Catholic ) without having to give up basic religious norms. They thus took a middle position between dogmatism and relativism .
School directions
In theology, the word is used to designate different theologians and schools:
- Theologians of the post-Reformation period who tried to prevent or reverse the division of the Church through dialogue. The best-known representatives are Franz Junius the Elder , John Dury and David Pareus on the Reformed side and Georg Calixt on the Lutheran side. There was particularly strong opposition to Irish initiatives from Lutherans .
- Representatives of a postmodern orthodoxy , who theologically refer to the Consensus Ecclesiae , the still undivided faith of the early church , with emphasis on the ecumenical councils up to Chalcedon and the teachings of the four great doctors of the east ( Athanasius , Basil , Gregory of Nazianzen , John Chrysostom ) and the West ( Ambrosius , Augustine , Hieronymus , Gregory I ), which were received in ecumenism. This attitude is particularly found in the Anglican and Methodist churches . One of the most famous representatives is Thomas C. Oden .
- In the Roman Catholic Church , the term was used in particular by those who saw the Irenik as a danger to doctrine, for example in the encyclical Humani Generis by Pope Pius XII. ; afterwards it had a negative connotation, especially in the modernism dispute .
- Another direction of Irenik, which is particularly represented in the ecumenical movement , wants to see the differences between the Christian churches only as traditional contingencies without relevance to the question of truth.
Today the word Irenik has been almost completely displaced by terms such as dialogue, seeking consensus and ecumenical spirit .
The term has always been uncommon for the corresponding discussion in non-Christian religions and the discussion between churches and atheists .
Other well-known Irish people
literature
- Wilhelm Holtmann: Irenik . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie 16. 1984, pp. 268-273.
- Hans-Joachim Müller: Irenik as a communication reform. The Colloquium Charitativum von Thorn 1645. Göttingen 2004.