Reformation Readings of the Apocalypse: Geneva, Zurich, and Wittenberg (Oxford Studies in Historical Theology)

In this study, Irene Backus examines the fate of the Apocalypse at the hands of early Protestants in three centers of the Reformation: Geneva, Zurich, and Wittenberg. To do so, Backus systematically investigates sources and methods of the most important reformed and Lutheran commentaries of the Apocalypse from 1528-1584. This Book Offers An Extended Essay In The History Of Biblical Interpretation. Irena Backus Examines The Fate Of The Apocalypse At The Hands Of Early Protestants In Three Centers Of The Reformation: Geneva, Zurich, And Wittenberg. Breaking Away From The Received View Of The Reformation As A Future-directed Movement, She Shows That The Most Important Sixteenth-century Reformed Commentators Of The Apocalypse Of John Remained Heavily Indebted To Their Patristic And Medieval Sources And Were Conservative In Their Estimation Of The Text's Eschatological Significance. Backus Shows That The Prevailing Division Of The Text Into Seven Sections, Going Back To Bede, Meant That Reformed Commentators Paid Much Greater Attention To The Trial And Tribulations Of The Church, Past And Present, Than To The Imminence Of The Last Judgment. Lutheran Commentators, On The Other Hand, Were More Overtly Future-oriented And Emphasized The Importance Of The Text For Their Era. Backus Also Offers New And Significant Information About Methods Of Commenting On A Biblical Text That Most Reformers Found Rebarbative, Sometimes To The Point Of Questioning Its Canonicity. This Study Focuses On Theologians Who Commented On The Apocalypse In The Period 1528-84 Without Commenting On The Whole Of The New Testament. As A Result, Several Forgotten Or Unknown Commentaries Are Brought To Light Here, Particularly Those Of Antoine Du Pinet, Leo Jud, Theodore Bibliander, Heinrich Bullinger, Nicolas Colladon, David Chytraeus, And Nicolaus Selnecker. By Shedding New Light On The Place Of The Apocalypse In The Religious And Cultural Context Of The Reformation, Backus Makes An Important Contribution To The History Of Christian Thought In Europe. Her Book Is For Scholars Of Theology, Reformation History, The History Of Biblical Exegesis, And Anyone Interested In The Apocalypse Of John And Its Reception In The West.--book Jacket. The Problem Of Canonicity. -- Antoine Du Pinet And His Models. -- Augustin Marlorat And Nicolas Colladon. -- The Apocalypse And The Zurich Reformers. -- The Lutheran Counterpoint: David Chytraeus And Nikolaus Selnecker. Irena Backus. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 169-174) And Index. MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 8 Abbreviations 10 Introduction 12 1. The Problem of Canonicity 24 2. Antoine du Pinet and His Models 58 3. Augustin Marlorat and Nicolas Colladon 82 4. The Apocalypse and the Zurich Reformers 108 5. The Lutheran Counterpoint: David Chytraeus and Nikolaus Selnecker 134 Conclusion 156 Notes 160 Bibliography 190 Index 196 A 196 B 197 C 197 D 198 E 198 F 199 G 199 H 199 I 199 J 199 K 200 L 200 M 200 N 201 O 201 P 201 R 201 S 202 T 202 U 202 V 202 W 203 Z 203 Although, by the early sixteenth century, the Apocalypse had acquired a dubious reputation due partly to the use that radical Franciscans and Hussites made of it, no one since the third century had questioned its place in the canon. Concerne notamment Nicolas Colladon, pp. 66-85