Gnesio-Lutherans

Gnesio-Lutherans(from Greek γνήσιος [gnesios]: genuine, authentic)is a modern name for a theological party in theLutheranchurches,in opposition to thePhilippistsafter the death ofMartin Lutherand before theFormula of Concord.In their own day they were calledFlaciansby their opponents and simply Lutherans by themselves. LaterFlacianbecame to mean an adherent ofMatthias Flacius' view of original sin, rejected by theFormula of Concord.In a broader meaning, the termGnesio-Lutheranis associated mostly with the defence of the doctrine ofReal Presence,along with the practice Eucharistic adoration.

Locations

The centres of Gnesio-Lutherans wereMagdeburgand theUniversity of Jena.

Notable proponents

Other notable Gnesio-Lutherans includeCaspar Aquila,Joachim Westphal,Johann Wigand,Matthäus Judex,Joachim Mörlin,Erasmus Sarcerius,andAegidius Hunnius.

Controversies

After the death ofMartin Luther,several theological controversies arose amongLutheransdue mostly to the teachings ofPhilip Melanchthon.Gnesio-Lutherans were profiled by defending Martin Luther's doctrine, led initially byMatthias Flacius.The Gnesio-Lutherans exercised strict doctrinal discipline, but they also opposed with equal determination what they considered to be the errors of their fellow combatants like von Amsdorf (Amsdorfians), Flacius (Flacians),Andreas Poach,and others.

Gnesio-Lutherans were involved in:

• theAdiaphoristic controversy
• theMajoristic controversy(Nicolaus von Amsdorf,Nicolaus Gallus)
• thesecond Antinomian controversy(Andreas Poach,Anton Otto)
• theSynergistic controversy(Matthias Flacius,Nicolaus Gallus)
• theOsiandrian controversy
• theCrypto-Calvinistic controversy.

The Crypto-Calvinistic controversy was the largest of the controversies of the second generation of the Lutheran Reformation. Since it was far more fundamental to the Lutheran Church, Lutherans outside of the Flacian party took the Gnesio-Lutheran position against Philippism and Crypto-Calvinism. In the middle between thePhilippistsand the Gnesio-Lutherans, the Centrist Party includedJohannes Brenz,Jakob Andreae,Martin Chemnitz,Nikolaus Selnecker,David Chytraeus,Andreas Musculus,and others.

Unlike the Gnesio-Lutherans, members of the centre party were opposed to any unnecessary controversies involving no doctrinal differences, and careful not to fall into any extreme position themselves. The Gnesio-LutheranJoachim Westphalwas first to write to defend theReal Presenceagainst theCalvinists,and Melanchthon stigmatized his and other Gnesio-Lutherans' doctrine as "bread worship".The Gnesio-Lutherans practiceEucharistic adoration,following Martin Luther's treatise titledThe Adoration of the Sacrament,in which he defended the practice of Eucharistic adoration.

References

• Bente, F. (1965) [1921].Historical Introductions to the Book of Concord.St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House.
• Livingstone, E. A., ed. (2013). "Gnesio-Lutherans".The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church(3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press (published 2015).doi:10.1093/acref/9780199659623.001.0001.ISBN978-0-19-174430-3.
• Lueker, Erwin L.; Poellot, Luther; Jackson, Paul, eds. (2000)."Gnesio-Lutherans".Christian Cyclopedia.St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House.Retrieved6 November2017– via Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.
• Schaff, Philip(1910).History of the Christian Church.Vol. 8 (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Christian Classics Ethereal Library (published 2005).Retrieved6 November2017.
• Sproul, R.C.; Nichols, Stephen J., eds. (2016).The Legacy of Luther.Orlando, Florida: Reformation Trust.