The Kantian And Lutheran Elements In Ritschls Conception Of God PDF Download

Excerpt from The Kantian and Lutheran Elements in Ritschl's Conception of God The theology which to-day occupies the most prominent place in Germany, and which is also making its way into England and America, is the theology developed by Albrecht Ritschl and expounded with various modification by his immediate followers, as Harnack, Kaftan, and Hermann. To give a brief analysis of some of the fundamental elements in the conception of God central in this theology is the purpose of this dissertation. At the beginning of the Reformation, Luther, who took the initiative in that movement, hardly perceived the need of a new, thorough-going theology. Melancthon's "Loci Communes," which appeared late in 1521, had Luther's unqualified approval. Of this work he says "A little book worthy not only of immortality, but of any ecclesiastical canon." But when examined it is found that for the most part it emphasizes the religious elements in Christianity and is designed more to develop a simple pious life than to present theological truths in an all-embracing system. Luther himself, at first at least, had no thought of a new church. He simply held a few principles tenaciously, but because he did so hold them, the events which his attitude occasioned made a new church the necessary consequence. Other men with more logical minds than his saw the drift of affairs and recognized the need of a new, completely articulated theology which should on the one hand afford a bulwark against the teaching of the old established Catholic Church, and on the other hand meet the needs of pious supporters of the new movement. This recognition shows itself clearly in the later editions of the "Loci Communes," and with them the new theological development was begun. As the years passed, however, the problem assumed new shape. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.