Irenicism

The term irenics (also irenicism of Griech. Εἰρήνη, eirene, peace ') comes from the theological reappraisal of the confessional conflicts of the early modern period.

The thoughts after a longer presence, the term first appears in the title of a 1593 published writing of the Reformed theologian Francis Junius the Elder. In sharp criticism of the violent religious wars transmitted Junius emphasizes the peacemaking character of the Christian faith and denies any form of religiously motivated violence back as well as the sharp polemics with which many theologians covered each other denominations.

Basic concern of Ireniker is, to reflect on the common foundation of the Christian faith and to get from there starting in an open discourse on the differences. In addition to the " Eirenicum " Franz Junius the Elder in 1614 published Irenicum of David Pareus ( 1548-1622 ) is known.

Opposing concepts to irenics are polemic (with Pareus ) and zealotry ( the so-called syncretic dispute ). The Irenikern was keen communication between denominations (Lutheran, Reformed, Catholic) to allow, without having to abandon basic beliefs standards. They thus took a middle position between dogmatism and relativism.

Schools of

In theology, are referred to with the word different theologians and schools of thought.

• Theologians of the Nachreformationszeit who tried to prevent the schism through dialogue or reverse. The important names are Franz Junius the Elder, John Dury and David Pareus on the Reformed side and Georg Calixtus on the Lutheran side. In particular, by Lutherans there was fierce opposition to pacifistic initiatives.

• Representative of a postmodern orthodoxy, the theological refer to the Consensus Ecclesiae, the undivided faith of the early church, with emphasis on the ecumenical councils to Chalcedon and the teachings of the four great doctors of the Church of the East ( Athanasius, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom ) and the West ( Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, Gregory I ), which were well received in ecumenism. This attitude is especially found in the Anglican and Methodist Church. One of the best-known representative is Thomas C. Oden.

• In the Roman Catholic Church, the term was used in particular by those who saw in the irenics a threat to the doctrine, for example, in the encyclical Humani Generis of Pope Pius XII. ; he then had a negative connotation, especially in modernism dispute.

• Another direction of irenics, represented especially in the ecumenical movement wants to view the differences between the Christian churches only as a tradition-based contingencies with no relevance to the question of truth.

Today the word irenics is almost completely replaced by terms such as " dialogue ", " search for consensus " and " ecumenical spirit ".

Disuse was the concept has always been for the corresponding discussion in non-Christian religions and the discussion between churches and atheists.

Other well-known Ireniker

• Nicholas Selnecker
• John Meisner
• Rupert Meldenius
• Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski
• Philipp Melanchthon