Difference between revisions of "Reformation"

<p> usually spoken of the great Reformation in the church, begun by Luther in 1517. The sad departure from the standard of holiness which the Romish hierarchy should have placed before them, combined with the indecency and arrogance with which they trampled upon the rights of sovereigns, and upon the property and the comfort of all classes of men, had, for a considerable period, produced a general conviction, that a reformation of the church in its head and members, to use the expression which was then prevalent, was absolutely requisite: and some steps to accomplish this had been actually taken. The celebrated council of Constance, while, in its efforts to heal the schism which had so long grieved and scandalized the Catholic world, it set aside the rival pontiffs who claimed to be the successors of St. Peter, laid down the important maxim, that a general council was superior to a pope, and that its decisions can restrain his power; and this doctrine, which might otherwise have appeared to arise out of the extraordinary circumstances under which it was declared, was fully confirmed by the council of Basil, which met several years after, and which decided the point upon grounds that might at all times be urged. The popes, indeed, remonstrated against this, but still they were compelled to lower their tone; and they were often reminded, even within the precincts of their own court, that the period was fast approaching when the fallacy of many of their pretensions would be ascertained and exposed. It had become common, before the election of a new pontiff, to frame certain articles of reformation, which the successful candidate was required to swear that he would carry into effect; and although the oath was uniformly disregarded or violated, the views which led to the imposition of it indicated the existence of a spirit which could not be eradicated, and which might, from events that could not be foreseen, and could not be controlled, acquire a vigour which no exertion of power could resist. Such, under the beneficent arrangement of Providence, was soon actually the case. In the progress of the opposition made to some of the worst abuses of Rome, they who conducted that opposition were guided to the word of life; they studied it with avidity and with delight; and they found themselves furnished by it with sufficient armour for the mighty contest in which they were to engage. They discovered in the New Testament what Christianity really was; their representations of it were received with wonder, and read with avidity; the secession from the church of Rome became much more rapid and much more extensive than it had previously been, and all possibility of reconciliation with that church was done away. Of this the popes were fully aware; and as the only way of counteracting that which was to them so formidable, they attempted, by various devices, to fetter the press, to prevent the circulation of the Bible, and thus again to plunge the world into that intellectual darkness from which it had been happily delivered. The scheme was impracticable. The <em> "Indices Expurgatorii," </em> in which they pointed out the works that they condemned, and which they declared it to be heresy and pollution to peruse, increased the desire to become acquainted with them; and although some who indulged that curiosity suffered the punishment denounced by the inquisition against the enemies of papal superstition, there was an immense proportion which even spiritual tyranny could not reach; so that the light which had been kindled daily brightened till it shone with unclouded lustre through many of the most powerful and the most refined nations of Europe. </p> <p> It is worthy of careful observation, that the resistance which ultimately proved so successful, was first occasioned by practices that had been devised for establishing the monstrous despotism of the popes; that when it commenced, it was directed against what was conceived to be an abuse of power, without the slightest suspicion being entertained that the power itself was unchristian; that the reformers gradually advanced; every additional inquiry to which they were conducted enlarging their views, and bringing them acquainted with fresh proofs of that daring usurpation to which men had long submitted, till at length the foundation upon which the whole system, venerated through ages, rested, was disclosed to them, and perceived to be a foundation of sand. The consequence was, that the supremacy of the pope was by multitudes abjured; that he was branded as antichrist; that communion with the popish church was avoided as sinful, and that the form of ecclesiastical polity, the essential principle of which was the infallibility of the bishop of Rome, was for ever renounced. The wonderful manner in which this signal revolution, so fraught with blessings to mankind, was accomplished, the various events which mark its history, and the characters and exertions of the men by whose agency it was effected, cannot be too often surveyed, or too deeply fixed in the memory. The whole, even with reference to the illumination of the human mind and the improvement of the social state of the world, is in a high degree interesting; and that interest is unspeakably increased by our discerning the most striking evidence of the gracious interposition of [[Providence]] dissipating the cloud which obscured divine truth, and restoring to mankind that sacred treasure which is sufficient to make all who seriously examine it wise unto salvation. It does not, however, come within the province of this work to give a minute history of the origin and progress of the Reformation, to trace the steps of Zuinglius and of Luther, and to detail the circumstances which advanced or retarded them in the glorious career upon which they had entered. Much discussion has taken place with respect to the motives by which Luther was actuated. This point, in reference to what he accomplished, is really of little moment; but there cannot be a doubt that although he might, throughout his arduous struggle, be guided occasionally by inferior considerations, he was eventually, at least, chiefly animated by the noble and disinterested wish to emancipate his fellow creatures from what he was convinced was the direct and most infatuated spiritual oppression; that he looked to [[Heaven]] for support, and that such support he largely received. </p>

<p> (διόρθωσις) </p> <p> This word-fraught with so much significance in the history of Christendom-occurs only once in the English Bible. The passage is &nbsp;Hebrews 9:10, in which the writer, speaking of the ordinances of the First Covenant, says that they are ‘carnal ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation’ (Revised Version). The time of reformation referred to is the period of the New Covenant, described in &nbsp;Hebrews 8:8 ff. by a quotation from &nbsp;Jeremiah 31:31-34. The inauguration of it by the offering of Christ is set forth in &nbsp;Hebrews 9:11 ff., where His perfect sacrifice of Himself is contrasted with the annual sacrifices of the older dispensation. </p> <p> It is from an Old Testament point of view that this title is bestowed on the Christian era. Other aspects of that era, from the same point of view, are indicated by the words ‘regeneration’ (παλινγενεσία, &nbsp;Matthew 19:28) and ‘restoration’ (ἀποκατάστασις, &nbsp;Acts 3:21). The aspect of ‘reformation’ is complementary to these, and involves a necessary element. It was when Christ, the ‘High [[Priest]] of the good things to come,’ appeared that all defects inherent in the ancient system were remedied. The numerous ineffectual sacrifices were replaced by the one perfect Sacrifice; the veil was taken away. [[Religion]] became less a matter of mechanical routine, and more a matter of rational spiritual service. </p> <p> The corresponding Greek word διόρθωσις is equally unique in biblical usage. Except in &nbsp;Hebrews 9:10 it does not occur in the Greek Bible. It is fairly common in later Greek in the general sense of ‘amendment’ or ‘correction.’ [[Aristotle]] so uses it with reference to laws and constitutions (Pol. III. i. 5, VII. i. 9). [[Polybius]] employs it of the rectification of things that have mischanced or gone amiss (V. lxxxviii. 2, VI. xxxviii. 4). The corresponding verb διορθοῦν is used in the Septuagintof amending one’s ways (cf. &nbsp;Jeremiah 7:3; &nbsp;Jeremiah 7:5, &nbsp;Wisdom of [[Solomon]] 9:18). </p> <p> Literature.-J. F. Schleusner, Novum Lex. Gr.-Lat. in Nov. Test., Leipzig, 1819, s.v., and the [[Commentaries]] on Hebrews, in loc., esp. B. F. Westcott (London, 1889, p. 254); A. B. [[Bruce]] (Edinburgh, 1899, p. 324 f.). </p> <p> Dawson Walker. </p>

<div> '''1: '''''Διόρθωσις''''' ''' (Strong'S #1357 — Noun [[Feminine]] — diorthosis — dee-or'-tho-sis ) </div> <p> properly, "a making straight" (dia, "through," orthos, "straight;" cp. diorthoma in &nbsp;Acts 24:2; see [[Correction]] , No. 1), denotes a "reformation" or reforming, &nbsp;Hebrews 9:10; the word has the meaning either (a) of a right arrangement, right ordering, or, more usually, (b) of restoration, amendment, bringing right again; what is here indicated is a time when the imperfect, the inadequate, would be superseded by a better order of things, and hence the meaning (a) seems to be the right one; it is thus to be distinguished from that of &nbsp;Acts 24:2 , mentioned above. The word is used in the papyri in the other sense of the rectification of things, whether by payments or manner of life. </p>

<p> The word is διόρθωσις, from 'to amend, make right.' Hence the 'time of reformation,' or 'setting things right.' The thought is taken up from the prophets and will be fulfilled in the kingdom, and implies the setting in order of things on earth according to the mind of God. Christianity is in view and anticipation of this. &nbsp;Hebrews 9:10 . The Greek verb occurs in the LXX in &nbsp;Isaiah 16:5; &nbsp;Isaiah 62:7; &nbsp;Jeremiah 7:3,5 . </p>

<p> '''(1):''' ''' (''' n.) Specifically (Eccl. Hist.), the important religious movement commenced by Luther early in the sixteenth century, which resulted in the formation of the various Protestant churches. </p> <p> '''(2):''' ''' (''' n.) The act of reforming, or the state of being reformed; change from worse to better; correction or amendment of life, manners, or of anything vicious or corrupt; as, the reformation of manners; reformation of the age; reformation of abuses. </p>

<i> diorthosis </i> &nbsp; Hebrews 9:10[[Covenant]]

<p> The great event in the history of Europe in the 16th century, characterised as a revolt of light against darkness, on the acceptance or the rejection of which has since depended the destiny for good or evil of the several States composing it, the challenge to each of them being the crucial one, whether they deserved and were fated to continue or perish, and the crucial character of which is visible to-day in the actual conditions of the nations as they said "nay" to it or "yea," the challenge to each at bottom being, is there any truth in you or is there none? Austria, according to Carlyle, henceforth "preferring steady darkness to uncertain new light"; Spain, "people stumbling in steep places in the darkness of midnight"; Italy, "shrugging its shoulders and preferring going into [[Dilettantism]] and the [[Fine]] Arts"; and France, "with accounts run up on compound interest," had to answer the "writ of summons" with an all too indiscriminate "Protestantism" of its own. </p>

<p> ''''' ref ''''' - ''''' or ''''' - ''''' mā´shun ''''' : The word is found only in &nbsp; Hebrews 9:10 , being the translation of διόρθωσις , <i> ''''' diórthōsis ''''' </i> , in its only occurrence. This Greek word means etymologically "making straight," and was used of restoring to the normally straight condition that which is crooked or bent. In this passage it means the rectification of conditions, setting things to rights, and is a description of the Messianic time. </p>