Gnesio-Lutherans

As Gnesio-Lutherans, a group of theologians is called, which has formed in the 16th century from internal Protestant doctrinal disputes out. Her contemporary name was, her best-known representatives Matthias Flacius after, " Flacianer ". In the 17th century the Gnesio-Lutherans, who called themselves ( what they used to be collusion their opponents ), their name, the Greek adjective γνήσιος ( = gnesios = true ) preceded by only a Lutheran received.

General

1548 was closed under pressure from the Emperor Charles V between him and the Protestant Estates the Augsburg Interim, or the Leipzig articles, which should offset the doctrinal disputes between the Catholic Church and the Reformation vorgegangenen from the novel teachings, to a general council, the final questions were able to clear. This and the death of Martin Luther in 1546 sparked among some theologians from fears of the end of the world and thus the desire for a purer doctrine. As a result, broke out among the Protestant theologians a disputation on six contentious issues of:

• Adiaphoristischen the dispute,
• Majoristischen the dispute,
• The antinomian controversy,
• The Synergistic controversy,
• Osiandrian the dispute and a
• Second Eucharistic controversy.

For those not intent on compromise strategy to ensure the survival of the Protestant religion grew the Lutheran orthodoxy.

Representative

Representatives of Gnesio-Lutherans were especially Matthias Flacius Nicholas of Amsdorf, Nikolaus Gallus, Johann Wigand, Matthew Judex, Kaspar Aquila, Joachim Mörlin, Timothy Kirchner, Joachim Westphal, Georg List and Tilemann Hesshus. For more Representatives and confessions from this circle see also the section " student " in the article to Matthias Flacius.

These theologians were against the so-called Philippists, that is, the followers of Philipp Melanchthon, who coined the line of church-political reformation in Germany especially after the death of Martin Luther. Only with the agreement of the Formula of Concord in 1577 it came to a certain balance of doctrinal disputes.

Because they feared the end of the world, the Gnesio-Lutherans were not willing to compromise and trying to achieve a shared widely, which is why they wrote many polemical pamphlets in German language. The Gnesio-Lutherans were rather a loose group of theologians, each with their own ideas. A common school they barely formed. This term covers so subsequently arranging a group of individual thinkers together that united a common interest in the pure doctrine, who had in the individual case but differing views.