Irenicism and Dogmatics in the Confessional Age: Pareus and Comenius in Heidelberg, 1614

Abstract

The ecclesiastical history of early seventeenth-century Protestant Germany presents a generally gloomy picture. Lutherans and Calvinists, locked in increasingly uncompromising fratricidal controversy, divide the heartland of the Reformation against itself, thereby unwittingly preparing for the Habsburg reconquest of subsequent decades. In the light of this ensuing disaster, the heroes of the era are naturally identified as those few figures who attempted to combat the leading tendency of their age: the ecclesiastic irenicists, who appealed to the quarrelling theological groups to set aside their differences and join forces in defending the advances of the Reformation. In this they were destined to fail, but modern historians have nevertheless credited them with helping to break the ground later cultivated by the more successful proponents of reconciliation in the nineteenth century and the yet more broad-minded ecumenists of the twentieth.

Scientific and Cultural Relations between Heidelberg University and Hungary over Five Centuries

“…Gábor Bethlen assured Pareus in a letter that he was very impressed by Irenicum (1614, Pareus's chief work) and "holds it in his hands day and night" (Seidel, 2004, p. 247). The irenic theology that Pareus authentically practiced, which may be seen as a forerunner of today's ecumenical undertakings, emphasized the shared foundation of the Christian faith and rejected both religiously rooted violence and harsh theological polemics (Hotson, 1995(Hotson, , 2004. This notion was embraced by most of Pareus's students, too, and was fully consistent with the interests of the prince, whose reign was beset by foreign and domestic tensions.…”

“…438, 450-453;Röhrs, 1971, p. 5). Despite the brevity of his study in Heidelberg, the impression on him was lasting (on the nature of the teaching that Comenius received in Heidelberg and on the content of his theses, see Hotson, 1995). Pareus and his Irenicum underpinned the thoughts behind Comenius's efforts to end to the naval war between England and Holland and behind his general exhortations in Panorthosia (Universal Reform) for 26 Bethlen had acquired his title of prince in 1613 with the active support of the Sublime Porte (the Ottoman feudal government, with the sultan and his court at its center) but against the resistance of the court in Vienna.…”

John Amos Comenius: incipience of the ecumenical worldview

“…Це вчення призвело до ворожнечі між одновірцями, але воно, на думку Пареуса, не було принциповим, бо не могло похитнути релігійну віру. Таке ставлення до Святої Вечері чимало протестантів сприйняло як блюзнірство; твір Пареуса було вилучено з лютеранських університетів(Hotson, 1995).36 У творі "Діатриба про тисячоліття Апокаліпсису" (1627) Альстед звернувся до історичної хронології, нумерології, астрономічних явищ і наукових відкриттів, пов'язавши початок Міленіуму з поваленням папства, воскресінням святих і наверненням у християнство юдеїв(Hotson, 2000a, pр.182-201;.37 Перший досвід такого синтезу Альстед здійснив у "Філософській енциклопедії" (1607), трактатах "Панацея філософії" та "Компендіумі логіки гармонії" (1613). У 1630 р. побачила світ його "Енциклопедія у 7 книгах", що мала понад 2,5 тис.…”

Irenic Patriotism in Sixteenth- And Seventeenth-Century German Political Discourse

“…Die Geburt des internationalen Systems in der Krise des konfessionellen Zeitalters', Jahrbuch des Historischen Kollegs (2005) body of literature ; and the handful of figures celebrated in more general literature are just the tip of an iceberg.' 8 Hotson has likewise reminded us of the need to put German irenicist literature more consciously into the concrete political contexts of the confessional age instead of rather naively reading them as forerunners of modern tolerance and the Enlightenment. Consequently, one should clearly differentiate between the different phases around and after the Peace of Augsburg as well as with regard to the political and religious goals of each author and his confessional party.…”