Synod of Chanforan
With the Synod of Chanforan from September 12th to 18th, 1532, the Waldensians , a reform movement that emerged from the medieval piety of the poor, accepted the Reformation with Swiss characteristics. The reformer Guillaume Farel was present at the deliberations of the Waldensians and had a strong influence on the decisions.
Until then, an underground movement with traveling preachers, from now on the Waldensians built church buildings and celebrated public services. The Evangelical Waldensian Church was created .
One of the effects of the Synod of Chanforan was the translation of the Bible into French ( Bible d'Olivétan ).
prehistory
The Concilium general e of the Waldensians decided in 1530 to find out more about the Reformation movements. The two traveling preachers Georges Morel and Pierre Masson were sent out with a catalog of questions. They visited Guillaume Farel in Grandson , then Johannes Oekolampad in Basel and Martin Bucer in Strasbourg . Morel was captured and martyred on this trip, but Masson returned with the reformers' written replies.
Then a general assembly was called to Chanforan in the Angrogna Valley. She formulated and approved an official confession text in Italian ( dichiarazion ). The individual topics were dealt with in a three-step process: thesis - declaration of their conformity with script - proof of script.
Theses of the Dichiarazion
- (1) Oath . The Christian is allowed to swear without violating the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount .
- (2) - (4) Good works . What God has commanded is good, what He has forbidden is bad; what is neither forbidden nor forbidden, the Christian can decide at his own discretion.
- (5) Ear confession . It is not commanded by God.
- (6) Sunday rest . God has commanded the Christian not to do any work on Sunday.
- (7) - (8) prayer . Certain times of prayer, prayers, genuflections , signs of the cross , the main bare - all this is not necessary in prayer.
- (9) Lay on of hands . It is not necessary.
- (10) Retaliate . The Christian must in no way take vengeance on his enemies.
- (11) Attitude towards the state . The Christian is allowed to exercise an official office in relation to criminals.
- (12) Fasting. The Christian does not have to observe fixed fasting times.
- (13) - (16) marriage . Every Christian is allowed to marry. The celibacy to command, is a doctrine of demons. Whoever does not have the grace of abstinence should marry.
- (17) - (18) Take interest . Jesus did not fundamentally forbid taking interest.
- (19) - (21) predestination . Even before the world was created, God determined which people would be saved.
- (22) - (23) itinerant preacher . The preachers don't have to go from place to place. They are allowed to settle down, buy property and raise families.
- (24) Sacraments . There are two sacramental signs: baptism and the sacrament. In the sacrament Christians make sure they stand by their baptismal covenant; it is also a reminder of the benefits that Jesus Christ bestowed upon people through suffering, death and resurrection.
In all points Farel prevailed against the medieval-Waldensian tradition. Much of what the Waldensians had endured through centuries of persecution is given up: laying on of hands to pass on the office of preacher (9), confession as self-criticism practiced in the underground church (5), voluntary poverty and celibacy of the preachers (23), refusal of the oath ( 1), distance to the state (11), interest prohibition (17) - (18).
Web links
- Musée Virtuel du Protestantisme: History of the Waldensians
- Waldensian bibliography : literature on the Synod of Chanforan
literature
- Wilhelm H. Neuser : The Waldensian Confession of Chanforan - a Reformed Confession? In: HTS Theologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 48, No 3/4 1992 ( PDF )
- Wilhelm H. Neuser: Declaration by Chanforan 1532. In: Eberhard Busch , Heiner Faulenbach et al. (Ed.): Reformed confessional documents. Vol. 1/1: 1523-1534. Neukirchener Verlagshaus, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2002, ISBN 3-7887-1906-0 .