Lambeth Quadrilateral

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The Lambeth Quadrilateral ( Quadrilateral is English for "square") describes four principles that were considered by the Lambeth Conference (1888) as basic conditions for church unity. These goods:

  1. the Old Testament and the New Testament as the revealed Word of God ;
  2. the Nicene Creed ( Nicäno-Konstantinopolitanum ) as a statement of the Christian faith ;
  3. the two Lords sacraments , d. H. the baptism and the Supper / Eucharist ;
  4. the historical episcopate .

It is also sometimes referred to as the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral or Lambeth-Chicago Quadrilateral , as a previous document was adopted in Chicago in 1886 by the Bishops of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America . In the meantime, the four principles are seen as the core of the Anglican self-image, even if their origins were a basis for ecumenical discussions . With this, William Reed Huntington , a priest of the Episcopal Church, wanted to discuss in an essay from the year 1870 the foundations on which the unification of the Anglican churches with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches could be achieved.

Origin and text variants

Decision of the American bishops

The four foundations that make up the Lambeth Quadrilateral were enumerated in an 1886 resolution of the House of Bishops of the US Episcopal Church. The resolution passed there read as follows:

We, Bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America, gathered in the Council as Bishops of the Church of God, solemnly declare to all who are concerned, and in particular to our fellow Christians of the various denominations of this country, who in their respective spheres for the religion of Christ have quarreled:
  1. Our sincere desire that the Savior's prayer , “That we may all be one,” be fulfilled in its deepest and truest sense;
  2. That we believe that all who have been properly baptized with water are members of the Holy Catholic Church in the name of the Father , the Son, and the Holy Spirit ;
  3. That in all matters of human order or human choice, as to modes of worship and order or traditional custom, this church is ready, in a spirit of love and humility , to renounce all of its own preferences;
  4. That this Church does not seek to incorporate other denominations , but instead to work with them on the basis of a common faith and order, to condemn schism , to heal the wounds of the body of Christ, and to promote charity , which is the foremost of all Christian grace and the visible manifestation of Christ to the world is.
But we also hereby affirm that Christian unity can only be brought about by the return of all Christian denominations to the principles of unity which were demonstrated by the undivided Catholic Church during the first epochs of its existence; Of these principles we believe that they are essentially the legacy of the Christian faith and order which were entrusted by Christ and his apostles to the Church to the end of the world and therefore without the possibility of compromise or abandonment by those who act as corrupters and entrusts have been called for the common and equal benefit of all people.
As essential parts of this sacred legacy, and therefore essential for the restoration of unity among the separate branches of Christianity, we count the following:
  1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God .
  2. The Nicene Confession as a sufficient confession of the Christian faith.
  3. The two sacraments - Baptism and the Lord's Supper - always administered with the words of Christ and under the elements ordained by Him.
  4. The historical episcopal office, the administrative methods of which are adapted to local conditions to meet the different needs of the nations and people whom God has called to be unity in His Church.
Furthermore, deeply dismayed by the sad divisions that are afflicting the Christian Church in our own country , we hereby declare our desire and willingness, as soon as there is an authorized response to this declaration, with any and all Christian bodies seeking the Restoration seek the organic unity of the Church to come together in fraternal conference, with the intention of seriously examining the conditions in which such an invaluable blessing may fortunately be brought about.

Decision of the Lambeth Conference of 1888

In 1888 the third Lambeth Conference met and passed Resolution 11. This was an abbreviated version of the resolution passed by the US bishops in Chicago two years earlier, and closer to the original Huntington wording. The text was as follows:

That, in the opinion of this conference, the following articles should create the basis on which, through God's grace, an approach towards "church unity" is possible:
a) The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, which contain “all that is necessary for salvation, ” and which are the rule and ultimate norm of faith.
b) The Apostolic Confession as the baptismal confession and the Nicene Confession as a sufficient confession of the Christian faith.
c) The two sacraments which were instituted by Christ himself - baptism and the Lord's Supper - always administered with the words of Christ and under the elements ordained by him.
d) The historical episcopal office, the administrative methods of which are adapted to local conditions in such a way that they meet the different needs of the nations and people whom God has called to be unity in His Church.

Meaning of the quadrilateral

Within the Anglican community

The Anglican Community saw great growth throughout the British Empire in the 19th century, which is marked in pink on the map.

The Quadrilateral has significantly shaped the Anglican identity since it was passed by the Lambeth Conference. The resolution came at a time of rapid growth in the Anglican community, particularly in the territories of the British Empire . It provided the basis for a common theology that became increasingly important in the ensuing period of decolonization , in which colonial churches, which were largely influenced by British culture and values, developed into national churches, which were more strongly influenced by their own norms.

Nonetheless, there has been heated debate about the quadrilateral, especially on its third and fourth points. However, these debates were mostly conducted within the individual Anglican churches, often between supporters and opponents of the high church movement , and not between the individual churches among themselves. The first point, which addresses what is called "the sufficiency of scripture" by Anglicans (that scripture contains everything that is necessary for salvation), is taken directly from Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Faith , which in turn has been a cornerstone of the Anglican script exegesis and hermeneutics since the 16th century. Hence, it is widely accepted in the form in which it was written. Similarly, the second point describes the “sine qua non” of the Catholic faith since ancient times, and so it has found similar acceptance. If the second point was considered controversial at all, then the controversy related to those parts of the Anglican community that had attempted to spread the creed enough to include more formula. The third point is viewed by some Anglicans as inappropriately limited - the Anglo-Catholics in particular have taken the view that, in addition to the two Lord's sacraments, ordination , confession , marriage , confirmation and the Last Unction should be included as essential characteristics of the true Church (see Anglican Sacraments ) . By far the most controversy, however, has caused the fourth point, as it is seen by many as an opportunity to question the Apostolic Succession which is part of the Church's episcopal tradition.

The Quadrilateral in Ecumenical Dialogue

The quadrilateral has also proven to be important in ecumenical dialogue. Originally proposed as a basis for discussion, it has often been used as a non-negotiable basis for reunification. In this context, it was conducive to talks between the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches (see also: Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission ), as well as with some Lutheran national churches. On the other hand, it has proven to be an obstacle in the talks between the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada and between the Church of England and the Methodist Church of Great Britain : in both cases the discussions have stalled because of differences in attitudes towards Episcopate .

literature

  • Perry Butler: The History of Anglicanism From the Early Eighteenth Century to the Present Day . In: Stephen Sykes , John Booty (Eds.): The Study of Anglicanism . SPCK, London 1988, pp. 28-48.

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