Theologia crucis

Theologia crucis ( lat. "Theology of the Cross") is theterm coinedby Martin Luther in 1518 during the indulgence dispute for a theology thatfocuses onthe cross of Christ andmeasures thedoctrine and life of the Church by it. Luther tied directly to key statements of the Apostle Paul .

The theologia crucis is understood within the Reformation churches as the opposite of a scholastic-speculative theologia gloriae ("theology of glory"). It is criticized that it speculates about God's existence far from life and that it grants the church a sacramental possession of salvation, while the theologia crucis guides on the path of the knowledge of sin to accept the redeeming grace of Christ ( doctrine of justification ) and the church merely as a creature and instrument of the message of the cross understand.

In the ecumenical dialogue today there is widespread agreement that the cross and glory are inseparable in the Christian practice of faith.

literature

Walther von Loewenich : Luther's Theologia Crucis. Luther-Verlag, 5th edition, Witten 1967.
Theodor Nikolaou : Aspects of a theology of the cross from an orthodox point of view. In: Orthodox Forum. Journal of the Institute for Orthodox Theology at the University of Munich. Year 8, Issue 1 + 2, EOS Verlag Erzabtei St. Ottilien, Sankt Ottilien 1994, ISSN 0933-8586 , Issue 2, pp. 201-213 ( PDF file; 1.85 MB ).
Yong Joo Kim: Crux sola est nostra theologia: The cross of Christ as a key concept in Luther's “Theologia crucis” (= European University Writings, Series 23 / Theologie, 863). Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2008, ISBN 978-3-631-57736-3 .

Individual evidence

↑ Scott Hendrix: Luther's Theology . In: EKL Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon . 3. Edition. tape 3 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht , Göttingen 1996, ISBN 3-525-50137-4 , pp. 213 : “The indulgence controversy, which broke out with the famous 95 theses of October 31, 1517, forced Luther to develop the insights gained so far within the framework of the sacrament of penance and - for example, in 1518 before Cardinal Thomas de Vio (Cajetan, 1468-1534) in Augsburg - to defend publicly. "

^ ^A ^b G. Ebeling: Luther, Martin . In: Religion Past and Present (RGG). 3. Edition. Volume 4, Mohr-Siebeck, Tübingen 1960, Sp. 502. “The theologia crucis (Luther coined this term in 1518 during the indulgence dispute in antithesis to theologia scholastica as the theologia gloriae: 1, 354, 613 f.) Was challenged to protest against an understanding of penance and justification that legitimizes indulgences. "

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Reinhold Bernhardt / David Willis-Watkins: Theologia crucis . In: EKL Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon . 3. Edition. tape 4 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht , Göttingen 1996, ISBN 3-525-50141-2 , pp. 733 : “The term theologia crucis is first found in Martin Luther (1483-1546), above all in three writings from the year 1518: in his lecture on Hebrews (WA 57, 79/20), in the Heidelberg disputation theses (WA 1,354) and in the explanation of the 58th indulgence thesis (WA 1, 613 / 21-25; 614 / 17-27). Referring back to the factual connection between the cross and wisdom established by Paul (especially 1 Cor 1, 18-2, 8), Luther sharply opposed a speculative reconstructive doctrine of the cross, embodied in the scholastic type, in the Heidelberg theses 19-21 . Such a "theologus gloriae" is an "enemy of the cross of Christ" (Phil 3:18) because trusting in his gift of reason he recognizes God's invisible being "through created things" and in scholastic systems theol. wants to rationalize ( natural theology ). Only the "Theologus crucis" is "worth" to be called "a theologian" because he "sees and recognizes God's visible and (to man) being through suffering and the cross." He knows (from the law) about the depravity of sin human nature, desperate in itself and humbled under the word of the cross of Christ. "

[1] Scott Hendrix: Luther's Theology . In: EKL Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon . 3. Edition. tape 3 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht , Göttingen 1996, ISBN 3-525-50137-4 , pp. 213 : “The indulgence controversy, which broke out with the famous 95 theses of October 31, 1517, forced Luther to develop the insights gained so far within the framework of the sacrament of penance and - for example, in 1518 before Cardinal Thomas de Vio (Cajetan, 1468-1534) in Augsburg - to defend publicly. "

[rgg-2] A ^b G. Ebeling: Luther, Martin . In: Religion Past and Present (RGG). 3. Edition. Volume 4, Mohr-Siebeck, Tübingen 1960, Sp. 502. “The theologia crucis (Luther coined this term in 1518 during the indulgence dispute in antithesis to theologia scholastica as the theologia gloriae: 1, 354, 613 f.) Was challenged to protest against an understanding of penance and justification that legitimizes indulgences. "

[ekl-3] Reinhold Bernhardt / David Willis-Watkins: Theologia crucis . In: EKL Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon . 3. Edition. tape 4 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht , Göttingen 1996, ISBN 3-525-50141-2 , pp. 733 : “The term theologia crucis is first found in Martin Luther (1483-1546), above all in three writings from the year 1518: in his lecture on Hebrews (WA 57, 79/20), in the Heidelberg disputation theses (WA 1,354) and in the explanation of the 58th indulgence thesis (WA 1, 613 / 21-25; 614 / 17-27). Referring back to the factual connection between the cross and wisdom established by Paul (especially 1 Cor 1, 18-2, 8), Luther sharply opposed a speculative reconstructive doctrine of the cross, embodied in the scholastic type, in the Heidelberg theses 19-21 . Such a "theologus gloriae" is an "enemy of the cross of Christ" (Phil 3:18) because trusting in his gift of reason he recognizes God's invisible being "through created things" and in scholastic systems theol. wants to rationalize ( natural theology ). Only the "Theologus crucis" is "worth" to be called "a theologian" because he "sees and recognizes God's visible and (to man) being through suffering and the cross." He knows (from the law) about the depravity of sin human nature, desperate in itself and humbled under the word of the cross of Christ. "