Sola Scriptura and Episcopal Succession: The Apostolicity Crises of the Sixteenth Century

Author

Jakob Karl Rinderknecht, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow

Date of Award

4-1-2005

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Theology

Department

School of Theology and Seminary

First Advisor

Susan Wood SCL

Second Advisor

Randal R. Lee

Third Advisor

Anthony Ruff OSB

Subject Categories

Christian Denominations and Sects | Christianity | History of Christianity | Religion

Abstract

The Diet of Augsburg (1555) settled the religious disputes of the sixteenth century by a legal separation of the church through its famous dictum cuius regio, emus religio. By doing so, it allowed for the first time two Christian confessions which were not in communion with each other to exist in one place. This toleration led to a marked change in the understanding of apostolicity for both parties. Among adherents to the Augsburg Confession, the Scriptures become -in an exclusive way- the primary mark of apostolicity. This study, after demonstrating this change, draws from ancient reformation and contemporary authors to describe the marks of the church as a recognizable apostolicity acceptable to both Evangelical Lutheran and Roman Catholic understandings of church.

Comments

Access restricted to College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University on-campus users.

Recommended Citation

Rinderknecht, Jakob Karl, "Sola Scriptura and Episcopal Succession: The Apostolicity Crises of the Sixteenth Century" (2005). School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses. 1869.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/sot_papers/1869