REFORMATION AND POST-REFORMATION CHRISTOLOGY

INTRODUCTION
When we think and learn of protestants, the work of reformers can’t be denied. It was Luther,
Calvin, Cranmer and Zwingly who brought reformation unto existence which brought protestants
into the Christian world. This paper is all about a brief study on the Christology of the reformers
which gives a special reference to Luther, Calvin and Socinus. Their contribution about
Christology is tremendous for the protestant Christianity.

THE TERM REFORMATION:

It is a movement which turned western church to move biblical foundation in relation to its belief
system, morality and structure Martin Luther, Zwingli, and John Calvin concern with the moral
theological and institutional reform of Christian church in region. The term is used in many
sense, and elements may be involved in definition are:

a. Lutheranism
b. Calvinism
c. Anabaptist or Radical Reformation
d. Counter Reformation or Catholic Reformation1

Martin Luther
The son of a miner Luther was born in the village of Fisleben in Thurigia. The young Martin was
brought up in a Catholic religion, in a world dominated by superstitious, the fear of evil spirits,
eternal domination in purgatory as well as for the hope of the heaven who did good. Where
salvation depends on the blind acceptance of church doctrines.

At one point of his life he became hermit later he was ordained as priest in 1507. he became
lecturer in moral philosophy at Wittenberg and later as professor. Luther oppose the doctrinal
belief of church for salvation. Papal power and indulgences too and wrote 95 theses against it
and pested at the church gates in 1517. Luther’s efforts brought Protestantism.2

Luther’s Christology
At the reformation, Luther’s Christology was based on Christ as true God and true man in
Communication of attributers there is one peculiarity of Lutheran held firmly to the doctrine of
the natures and their inseparable union in person in Lord’s Supper necessitated the view that,
after a ascension, the human nature of Christ is omnipresent. This led to Lutheran view of the
communication Indian autumn to the pttect that each of Christ’s nature present the other
(peridhoromis) and that his humanity participator in attributes of divinity but the certain divine
nature as omnipresent etc. describe to the human nature. According to formula of concerned the
divine nature impart its attributes in human nature. But it was use as the will of Son of God.
Formula was fake and so there were disagreement among Lutheran theologians.

Gierson: Christ laid and his divine attributes revealed in incarnation or used occasionally.
1
Alister I. Megerath. Historical Theology: An Introduction to History of Christian Thoughts (USA: Blackwell) 158.
2
Geottrey Hanks, 70 Great Christian: The story of the Chrisian church, (Secundarabd: OM, 2007) 111-14.

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Tuebingen: he always possessed them but used them secretly.
Quenstedt: concludes saying “the presence of strictly divine power in man head of Christ
became more potentially.3

Reformed Christology: II Helvitic Confession 1566:

 Son of God is coequal and co-substantial with Father in substance and nature. (Arius)
 Eternal Son of eternal God was made the Son of Man (Ebian)
 Lord Jesus Christ had not a soul without sense or reason (Apollianoris), nor flesh with
soul (Eunomi) soul with reason and flesh with its sense.
 There is one Lord with two natures. Divine and human but he is one (Nestorious).4
 Luther’s Christ is “separated from sinners and higher than heaven”.
 A brother in heaven and at same time Son of God.
 The man Jesus is (Deus Incarnatus) the eternal word the unique revelation and
manifestation of Father. Father can be known through Christ alone.
 The true God and true man are together in Jesus Christ.
 Man Jesus reveals us two things: spiritual sense of law and in His suffering and death,
loving will of God in visible manner.5
 Luther gives three meaning of ‘logos’.
a) eternal word which is heart of God or eternal Son. b) Christ is visible word, in Him heart
of God has become flesh that is historical reality. c) God’s word is spoken word.
 Luther said that in the doctrine of incarnation God made himself small in Christ.6
 Luther said that supper but Zwingly didn’t agreed with it.7

Justification through grace by faith alone Rom. 3: 2, 8, trusting in Christ restores relationship
with God, people may be punished and rewarded but believers need not to worry about God’s
justice rather enjoy the grace. Father sent the Son on the earth for the human sin, by His death on
the cross we become righteous, which is ‘sola fied’. The heart of Luther’s theology was that in
Jesus Christ has given himself, utterly and without reserve, for us. Luther’s doctrine was Christ
centriess of scripture. Christ is at ones the center of scripture and the Lord of scripture. While all
scripture treat of Christ and all scripture speaks plainly about Christ.8

John Calvin’s life

Calvin was a reformer of second generation. He was born in north France in 1509, Luther was
already giving lecture at the university of Erfurt, and Zwingly was hurring about his pastoral
duties in Glarus. When Calvin became a protestant in the early 1530s, he inhabited a tradition
and a theology already well defined by nearly two leaders of controversy. There are several
myths told about Calvin for example, in year 1551, the Canons of the Cathedral of Calvin’s
hometown of Noyan received word of the reformer’s death, the celebrated and gave thanks to
God for taking the noted heretic from their midst. Their rejoice was cut short, however, when
they discovered rumor of his death was premature. They still had 13 more years to put up with
Calvin. In 1577 Jerome Bolsec, a sometime protestant who had return to Roman church,
3
Louis Berkho, The History of Chrian Doctirne (Michigan: Bakers Book home, 1969) 114-17.
4
I bid., 116-117.
5
J. C. Nove, History of Christian doctrine Vo. 7 (Philadelphic: Pennsyluania, 1946) 228-29.
6
Karl E. Braaten ed, A History ofChrisian Thoughts, (New York: Siman and Schuster, 1968) 249-50.
7
Hans Sehwaz, Christology (Michgan: W.B.E Pub, 1998) 168-72.
8
Timothy George, Theology of Reformers (Tennessee: Brandman Press, 1988) 81-83.

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published a secrrilous attack an the character of Calvin. Bolsec Calvin not only as imperious and
ill-tempered, which in fact he may have been, but also as a drunkard, an adulterer and a
homosexual which certainly was not. 19th century liberalism saw Calvin as ‘the great black
phantan, a slacian person, sanbar, unfeeling, hurled nothing in him speaks of heart.”9

In 1556 the Scottish reformer John Knex described Calvin’s Geneva as “the most perfect school
of Christ that ever was in the earth the day of the apostles other said the greatest teacher of
Christian doctrine.10

Calvin’s theology: the person of Christ

The themes which dominates the Calvin’s Christology is not knowledge of Christ in his essence,
but in His redemptive role speculative Christology (e.g. I am in the Father and the Father is in
me” John 14: 10). Calvin commented: Christ is here speaking not of what he is himself, but of
what he is towards us, it is the question or power rather then essence.11

Heb. 13: 8- “Jesus Christ is same today tomorrow and forever” apostle is speaking not of Christ
as eh is eternity, but our knowledge of him… he is not speaking of Christ being but, so to say of
his quality, or now he acts towards us.12

Although Calvin was careful to say within the confines of classical Catholic Christology he
would have readily asserted to melanchthom’s statements to know Christ not to study His natures
or properties, but rather to know his benefits. The revelation of God in Christ is also the supreme
example of God’s accommodation of Himself to human capacities. We can dictate it in word of
Christ which Calvin use more than any other mediator.13

“even if man (sic) had remained free form all stain, his condition would have been too lowly for
Him reach God without a mediator” even the elect angels looks at Christ as their head and
mediator. But the fall of human made more nosegay for a mediator. Because of the sin of Adam
and punishment of death and hell, gracious God sent His Son to save us.

Calvin affirmed without equivocation that Christ as a mediator was both true God and true man.
The redeemer in the flesh is one with the eternal Son of God. Calvin’s favorite designation of the
incarnation Christ was the Pauline expression, (God) was manifested in the flesh (I Tim. 3: 16).
Christ was not “an upstart the temporary God” but the eternal word of God begotten of Father
before all ages. Christ must have been truly God.14

In incarnation Christ did not of cause renounce His divinity, but rather concealed it under the
‘veil’ of his flesh in Gethsemane Son of God was “plunged into such an extremity that seemed
he was at the depths of the abuse”. He was oppressed by real sorrows and prayed the father for
help. In incarnation, Christ did not need to be clothed with humanity to become accustomed to
mercy but because he could not persuade people that he was find and ready to help unless He had
9
Timothy George, Op, cit., 165.
10
I bid., 168.
11
Commentary 160.
12
I bid., 142.
13
Timothy George, Op, cit.,
14
Timothy George, Op, cit., 217.

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been tested by human misfortunes. Jesus Christ was true God and true man, but while the tow
natures were untied in one person they were not by reason of the union amalgamated to one
another.15

Work of Christ
Calvin gives threefold works of Christ as prophet, priest and king. As prophet Chris did not only
claims the reign of God but He also brought it with Him as king. He fulfilled the priestly office
when in His capacity as a pure and stainless mediator. He appeased the wrath of God and made
perfect satisfaction for human sins. Through Jesus Christ atoning act God the Father takes away
all curse for enmity and reconciliates believer’s utterly to himself. Then He wipes out all evil in
us by the explain set froth in death of’ Christ.

He said Christ “seemed from a heavenly decree, on which men’s salvation depended, God did
not love us because Christ died for us Christ died for us because God loved us.16

His Life
Fausto Pavolo Sozzni, anti-Trinitarian theologian; known in Latin as Faustus Socinus Sozzni was
born in Siena on 5th December 1539. On coming of age, he left Italy, living first at Lyons and
then at Geneva, where he was enrolled s a member of the Italian congregation Sozzini largely
self-educated, was a protific writer of anonymous manuscript. As early as 1562 him “Explicatio
raised questions about the divinity of Christ and in 1563 he returned to Italy where he served at
the court of Cosimo I, duke of Florence. After Cosimo’s death in 1574, he returned to
Switzerland an dsepnt bytes in Basel studying scripture an theology this greatest work De Jesu
Christo Servatore (on Jesus Christ, the Saviour) which was completed in 1578 dramatically
interpreted the person and work of Christ underlining their exemplary character. In 1579 he
arrived in Poland where he became a member of the minor Reformed church though not fully as
he did not regarded adult baptism as essential for church membership. Here he wrote number of
merits defending the church against attack, on it santi-trinitariam theological views and tis
pacifist social and political views.17

In 1586, Sozzini married Elzbieta Morsz Tyn, who died within a year in 1589 he married to
Luclamice this celloquis within his followers in 1601 at Rakon presented his mature views
Sozzini died at Ludania on 3 March he was 65 years old. The Christology of Sozzini is set out in
regard to Christ’s person or ‘nature’, and this work or office. He viewed Christ as ‘a unique man
whose is divine not in nature but by virtue of his office, for God instructed Christ, resurrected
him and gave all power over the church in heaven and on earth.18 To Him Jesus was truly a
mortal man while he lived on earth, but at the same time the only begotten Son of God, being
conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin thus separated from all other men. He rejected
the orthodox teaching of Jesus being the same with God, he rejected his disunity.

He holds that by Jesus resurrection, he was begotten second time and became like God immortal.
He rejected the atoning death of Jesus on the cross fro the redemption of salvation of humankind
15
I bid., 218.
16
I bid., 221.
17
I Breward, Socinos and Sociniaism “New Dictionary of Theology”; Sindaisr B. Fewguron and David F. Wright
n.d, 649.
18
John C. Godbey, “Sozzini” Fausto Pavolo, The Encylopedia of Religion, Ed. Mircea Eliade. Vol. 13, nd. 553.

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and argued that Christ is saviour by his teachings and exemplary life, and he emphasized the
importance of faith, as trust in God and in Christ as essential for salvation.

He focuses on the prophetical of Christ and briefly dismisses the other two namely High priest
and the king. He gives them a new moderate interpretation. Jesus is our high priest not because
of His sacrifice at Calvary but because of His mediation and intercession after his resurrection to
heaven Jesus is our king because God has placed Him at His right hand and given Him all
authority. In His prophetic office Jesus has manifested and confirmed the knowledge of the
hidden will of God, and His work was consummated in the new covenant, as it is found in Heb.
8: 6.

Christ prophetic office fulfilled His supreme function in His confirmation of the divine will by
His perfect innocence His miracles and His death. Sozzini viewed Christ’s death as not atoning
sacrifice for the sins of the others but that he was victim of sin. And because of this willing
submission to the rage of sin, men and women have a right to the remission of sins, and a new
hope in God. Thus the forgiveness of God is because God was willing to accept Christ’s
sacrifice. The conclusion reached is that God whose will could have chosen any more of
forgiveness which is met alien to His nature, chose to make acceptance of Christ death at
Calvary the ground of forgiveness.

Zwingly’s Life:
He was born in 1st January 1484, in the Toggernburg village of Wildnaus high in the Aleph he
grew up in mountans which made him more think of God and heaven. He was both a pastor and
patriot, a theologian and a politician. As the mercy of Christ, he applied the protestant message
directly to the social and political condition of day.19

Christology:
Skirmish Lutehr and “Christ was one person in two natures”, while Zwingly Ephas the
detterance in the natures oas Nestorian. In the view of Bodily present or Christ he said ‘ in with
and under” Zwingly had no trouble affirming that Christ was present in the supper according to
his divinity. However, he could be present bodily only according to contemplation and memory.
The risen, glorified body of Christ remains in heaven, seated on God’s right hand.

In all of this Zwingly sought to safeguard the integrity of Christ humanity. In incarnation the
second person of Godhead assumed human nature. His body was henceforth circumscribed by
specific place. The resurrection and arceensia did not rob Christ of this finite human nature for
him, however, the supper was not so much as extension of the incarnation as it was a sign which
pointed to the historical uniqueness of incarnation. Thus Christ’s death on the cross and not the
supposed munching on the Christ body in the Eucharist, was a the only way” to salvation. Even
in the atonement for Him the divinity and Christ and not His humanity was crucial for
salvation.20

Zwingli’s Thoughts
 True religion is which springs from the font of God’s word

19
I bid.,
20
W. M. Clohn , “Socinianism” Encylopedia of Religion and Ethics ed. James Hastings Vol. 11, nd. 653.

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  He condedes that the existence of God is knowable by human reason, as the ancient
philosopher bear witness. But Christians know God by faith. Which God has taught by
his words through Holy Spirit. so the Holy Spirit may bring people to faith without any
eternal means at all.
 Christ died on the cross for our sins.
 Christ is the Son of Living god who God sent he is not an angel or a man rather he
himself to justify His justice by offering himself.
 Zwingly regarded the virgin birth of Jesus to be critical importance in the economy of
redemption. Only is could be said that deity took flesh without imperfection only with
virgin birth could the sacrifice for man’s atonement be unblemished.
 We Christian by faith find solidarity in Christ as we know that we are forgiven indeed
‘just’ and we live in newness of life.
 He said that faith is a state of being that is created in us by Holy Spirit, it is new
relationship between us and God. It is the ‘light and security of the soul. By which we are
delivered from anxiety and defend against adversity and it involves a spiritual union with
Christ. Although it is not clearly defined as Calvin’s “mystica unio” or union between
Christ and the believers.21

Conclusion
Study on the reformers’ Christology I have come to a conclusion that the commitment, hard
work and wiling ness not to give up brought a nearness change in the Christian they had their
own view on the person and work of Jesus Chris but the unity brought reformation in the concern
and gave birth to the Protestantism.
**************

21
Timothy George, Op, cit., 125.