The Lutheran Reformation transformed not only theology and the church but law and the state as well. Beginning in the 1520s, Luther joined up with various jurists and political leaders to craft ambitious legal reforms of church, state, and society on the strength of the new Protestant theology. These legal reforms were defined and defended in hundreds of monographs, pamphlets, and sermons published by Luther and his many followers from the 1520s onward. They were refined and routinized in hundreds of new reformation ordinances promulgated by German polities that converted to the Lutheran cause. By the time of the Peace of Augsburg (1555)--the imperial law that temporarily settled the constitutional order of Germany--the Lutheran Reformation had brought fundamental changes to theology and law, to church and state, marriage and family, education and charity.

D I C T I ONA R Y of LUTHER and the Lutheran Traditions

Matthias Flacius Illyricus is reputed to have been one of the most influential Croatian humanists and theologians of the 16 th century. Through his numerous works, he gave an efficient theological, philosophical, historical, linguistic and educational contribution to European cultural history. Besides a concise review of Flacius' life, the article discusses the truth as Flacius' starting point in his arguments and in life in general. Then it focuses on Flacius' spiritual/ theological struggle for the freedom of the church which contributed greatly to the defeat of the pro-Catholic politics of Emperor Charles V and the survival of the Lutheran tradition of the Reformation in the German countries.

Christian apologetics is the defense of the Christian faith. It can take many forms: philosophical, polemical, scientific, and Scriptural along with others forms as well. It has existed since New Testament times and grew as a discipline in both the Patristic and Medieval periods of the Christian Church. When apologetics were done in early Lutheranism, polemics were often intertwined. In the days of the Reformation, it usually wasn’t enough to defeat your opponent with cool, reasoned logic; the conventions of that day often required you to swing at your opponent with a ‘brick bat’ as well. Lutheranism, from its inception has been an apologetically active Church. Martin Luther's speech at the Diet of Worms, The Augsburg Confession, it's Apology and the Smalcald Articles, Chemnitz's Examination of the Council of Trent and Chemnitz and Andreae’s Catalog of Testimonies defended the pure Gospel against the errors of Calvin, Islam, Judaism, Rome, various sectarians and superstition. As the Reformation progressed, Lutheranism continued to face various challenges. It persevered in responding to Roman Catholicism, Calvinism and fanatical groups such as the Anabaptists on one hand and non-Christian groups such as Judaism and Islam on the other. Luther himself responded to all of these, some to a lesser degree, others to a greater degree.

The question addressed in Part One is whether Martin Luther's Small Catechism was ever used as Luther intended, and the research considered Reformation era Germany and in North America. How the Catechism represents a tool to be used to address our post modern context is addressed in Part Two.

Recent literature has cited the importance of union with Christ in Calvin’s theology, however, little scholarly research is devoted to discovering the historical and theological factors contributing to the growth and integrity of this doctrine within Calvin’s theology, especially the relationship of this doctrine to Calvin’s doctrine of the duplex gratia (double grace) of salvation in justification and sanctification. This thesis will investigate John Calvin’s development and defense of his doctrine of union with Christ against the backdrop of the ‘antinomian’ question raised by Luther’s formulation of justification and good works. The first chapter addresses the historical context of the Lutheran-Catholic controversy over the place of good works in salvation and ensuing impasse with a view to understanding the theological context in which Calvin found himself. Calvin’s perception of the social context in Geneva preceding his exile in Strasbourg and the formative work accomplished—a commentary on Romans and revision of the Institutes—provide the immediate backdrop for his creative formulation of the duplex gratia grounded in union with Christ. Based on the importance Calvin accorded to Paul, especially the epistle to the Romans, chapter two traces Calvin’s development of union with Christ from the 1536 Institutes and the Strasbourg exile through his later commentaries to the final edition of the Institutes in 1559 as expansions on an initial Pauline theme. Finally, the integrity of Calvin’s doctrine of union with Christ and the success with which it responded to the Lutheran impasse is addressed through an investigation of three influential controversies Calvin engaged in: his debate with Pighius over free will, the Eucharistic controversies with Westphal and his response to Osiander in his 1559 Institutes. From the perspective of Calvin’s historical and theological environment early in his career, his doctrine union with Christ takes on a new shape as the doctrine necessary for allowing the ‘distinction without separation’ of justification and sanctification in salvation.