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Spener and the Rise of Pietism |
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Philipp Jakob Spenerby Eric Jonas Swensson
Nurtured by devout parents in upper Alsace with connections to the noble house of at Rappoltsweiler, young Philipp Jakob Spener (1635-1705) was mentored by his devoutly religious godmother, Agatha von Rappoltstein (d. 1648) and her chaplain, Joachim Stoll (1615-78), who became his catechist. Spener writings stretch at least equal in length to the 55 volumes of Luther's Works. From them we know he read his father's copy of Johann Arndt's True Christianity, a book he read the most after the Bible. He also acknowledged the influence by German translations of English devotional writers Lewis Bayly, Daniel Dyke and Emmanuel Sonthomb, especially Bayly's Practice of Piety, Dyke's Know Thyself and True Repentance, and Sonthomb's Golden Jewel. Spener thanked Stoll for revealing these works deeper meanings and "the first spark of true Christianity" as well as a life-long practice of focusing on Holy Scripture when preaching. Spener began his university education some thirty miles from his home at Strasburg in 1651, a Lutheran school whose faculty had a life-long influence shown in ongoing correspondence and reference to them in his writings, chiefly Johann Schmidt (1594-1658), Johann Konrad Dannhauer (1603-1666) and Sebastian Schmidt (1617-96). Johann Schmidt influenced Spener as one who combined a strict Orthodoxy with deep piety, stressed the importance of teaching the catechism, and taught the necessity of the preacher to prepare by prayerful meditation and make the sermon more accessible to the congregation by being less doctrinaire and removing quotes of church fathers in Latin. Spener saw that a learned preacher with a reputation for combining word and deed who strove to make the common people understand the gospel could draw large numbers and have a great influence. From Dannhauer, Spener received a foundation for Luther's thought which he built upon later while writing a projected commentary which was never published. Spener encountered many ideas for In 1667, Spener accepted his first call as an assistant at the cathedral in Strasburg. and continued to pursue his interest in heraldry (which led to many contacts which later proved very useful for the Pietist movement) but when he was offered an important post at Pia DesideriaPia Desideria contains Spener's articulation of the doctrine of justification as well as the implications this doctrine should have on church and life. As a call for church reform it gives insights into many aspects of Spener's ecclesiology. It also gives insights into his pneumatology. Though Pia Desideria is brief, the tone is collegial, and the content is non-academic, it is illustrative of a thinker who has historical breadth and theological depth and shows an appreciation of the work of the Holy Spirit in practical theology. Written in three parts, the first explains the need for reform in three classes of people, civil authority, clergy and the people. Part II is Spener's chiliastic vision, a hope for a better future for the all through a reformed church, and Part III is his six-point plan for reform. In Part I, Defects of Clergy, Spener explains that clergy who have not been born again are actually unable to set an example by their conduct for their parishioners because they have not yet received the fruits of faith, and what they take to be faith "is by no means that true faith which is awakened through the Word of God, by the illumination, witness and sealing of the Holy Spirit." Unregenerate clergy are able by reason to understand the letter of Scripture and even to obtain enough knowledge and skill to preach it to others, but they themselves "are altogether unacquainted with the true, heavenly light and the life of faith." They are able to preach the Word, but they are not able to teach how to be saved since they do not know how, and they suspect any teachers of holy living as "secret papists, Weigelians or Quakers." The unregenerate clergy's "taste for reason" makes the "simplicity of Christ and his teaching appear to be tasteless," their use of reason "puffs up," which leaving them without a faith awakened by the Word, therefore their preaching contains "subtleties unknown to Scripture," which "leaves man in his love of self." and such unconverted clergy with "the desire for a great reputation, which leads to the introduction of needless things into the Church while neglecting the one thing necessary, "edifying hearers who are seeking salvation." Spener adds wryly, "They can hardly be kept from taking to market what gives them the most pleasure," and suggests the simplicity of the proclamation of Paul, "not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power," as a solution, implying that Paul received his understanding from the Holy Spirit and so should they. Pia Desideria contains explicit statements throughout of the necessity of the Holy Spirit, not in the way of orthodoxy as moving theological chess pieces but rather as one who is grounded in biblical theology and a working, experiential understanding. Spener stated there is need for the Spirit to discern Scripture, which the Holy Spirit guided him in writing his proposals, and he trusted that the power given by the Spirit guaranteed the success of his proposal. He showed his breadth of historical knowledge quoting Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Eusebius in Part II, where he made a significant statement which gave those who embraced Spener's proposal 'hope for a better future.' The basis for his whole approach is, "It is the same Holy Spirit who is bestowed on us by God who once effected all things in the early Christians, and he is neither less able nor less active today to accomplish the work of sanctification in us."[1][61] It shows that Spener hoped for more than reform, that he also had an idea of a restoration of the apostolic Church through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Pneumatology is central to each step of Spener's proposal from its conception to its implementation. The focus on the work of the Spirit places the emphasis on God rather than on human works, necessary for Spener to remain Evangelical, which is explained clearly in his understanding of justification. Justification in Pia DesideriaSpener begins his address of the doctrine of justification referring readers to Paul Tarnov's 1624 address De novo evangelio which criticized a 'new gospel' in which Christians profess the orthodox doctrine of the Lutheran Confessions, attend services and take communion, but show by their actions that they do not follow the 'old' gospel of Jesus Christ. Examples of Spener's understanding of the relation of faith and works include, "We gladly acknowledge that we must be saved only and alone through faith," "works or godly life contribute neither much nor little to our salvation," and his desire to not "depart a finger's breath from this teaching, for we would rather give up our life and the whole world than yield the smallest part of it." This is followed by succinct paragraphs on other basic teachings of Lutheran theology, the doctrine of the Word, and the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. He said he takes more pleasure in Luther than any other author, but all this is preparation for what will be a new emphasis to many.[2][65] He made this move as he argued that many who call themselves Evangelical are not. Similarly to Tarnov earlier, he says we can know by their actions that they do not have the gospel of Jesus Christ in their heart if they do not have a living faith. There are two types of faith, one is divine, a living, active, mighty, thing; the other is a human idea, of course, quoting Luther's Epistle to the Romans. By their own powers [they] fashion an idea in their hearts which says, "I believe." This they hold for true faith. But it is a human imagination and idea that never reaches the depth of the heart, and so nothing comes of it and no betterment follows it. Faith, however, is a divine work in us. It changes us and makes us be born anew."
While the forensic justification of Paul is given honor, the biological metaphor of new birth and the new man is preferred over it. Luther was no stranger to rebirth language but used it much less than Paul's legal image. Spener understood the need to point out that when Luther wrote about salvation, he meant ?true' salvation. The Preface to Romans proves the basis in Luther for Pietists that there is a real change in the believer effected through the power of the Holy Spirit. The move from emphasizing regeneration rather than justification is the move that allows a shirt from faith versus works, to a rationale for faith does works. Against the Lutherans who argue that baptism is a once-for-all action, Spener taught that it is true that you can only be baptized once, but baptism needs to be seen as God making a covenant, grace from his side and faith and a good conscience on the human side, and for the covenant to last "it must remain in constant use throughout your whole life." Baptism is more than wiping the ledger; it is God's power to regenerate. "Nor do I know how to praise Baptism and its power enough," and, "I believe that it is the real ?washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit' (Titus 3:5), "as Luther says in the Catechism, 'it effects forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil and grants (not merely promises) 'eternal salvation. Spener believed that baptism gave infants regeneration, but this was lost except in rare cases, hence it was necessary to receive regeneration through conversion. Both Spener and Arndt point out that opus operatum was a dangerous error, leads many to damnation because they think that all Christianity requires of them is to be baptized, go to worship services, listen to sermons, confess sins, receive absolution, sing a few hymns and take the wine and wafer "no matter how their hearts are disposed." What is necessary is to be born again, receiving "a capacity for the Holy Spirit and hence for true faith." In essence, the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to truly believe, and Spener emphasized Luther's warning in the Preface to Romans that belief may not exist because there are two kinds of faith, one that is based on reason and is no more than an opinion but the one necessary is divine. The danger of opus operatum is if one thinks all they need is the intellectual understanding of faith, one will not yearn for a living, operative faith. This is the essence of Spener's diagnosis of his culture: so few have faith because Christianity is not internalized because of the denial of the validity and importance of the experiential. Luther taught the need of a living faith, but he also warned against ?enthusiasm,' and the latter combined with scholastic orthodoxy gave the impression the faith Luther spoke of was intellectual, but can there be any question what kind of faith Luther meant in his commentary on Galatians in reference to the resurrection of Christ, "To the extent that you believe this, to that extent you have it."[3][74] Rather than emphasizing a legal drama ending with the accused going free, justification was taught as a step in a process which lead to a reformed way of life if one had true faith. Many clergy and theologians took exception at the division between the two categories. Spener pointed out this division in the writings of Luther, the Confessions, and Scripture in Pia Desideria, and asked his colleagues if it was not time to apply these principles. Spener wrote that the conditions of their day, unbelief and the immoral behavior that resulted from it, demanded a cure of the evils. His proposals were principally a turn toward Scripture, a turn away from doctrinal argumentation in the pulpit toward Scripture-centered proclamation augmented with weekly gatherings to study the Bible. Of Spener's interpretation of Luther, W. R. Ward said, Luther was no Orthodox collection of proof texts, but a practitioner of living faith and formation. Thus, Spener's doctrine of justification was Lutheran but not quite Luther's; and his systematic development of Luther's hints on the priesthood of all believers was something not found in Luther or Lutheran orthodoxy. He did not create a theological school, but created the basis on which the next generation of Pietists could do so."
Spener's emphasis on justification can be summed up as "justifying faith," as part of the process of regeneration leading to more emphasis on how the born-again life is lived. Justification did not lose its importance as a foundation of an evangelical doctrine, but besides a greater emphasis placed upon regeneration, justification tends to fall into the background being part of an order of salvation begun by Word and Spirit in which one is called, led into conversion through a deep remorse and repentance, followed by justification by grace through faith with the heart, mind, will and intellect being illuminated, being converted in a way that one is reborn, a new creature with a new mind, new will and a new way of life. Spener's theological contribution to the piety movement is that the believer's Christ-likeness becomes the characterization of the Christian life, not one's need for grace. This is part of my 2004 paper without footnotes (which are Pia Desideria for the main part). If interested, the whole thing with notes at:http://www.holytrinitynewrochelle.org/yourti89645.html
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