"Through Sin Nature Has Lost Its Confidence in God": Sin and Trust as Formative Elements of Martin Luther’s Conception of Society
This article explores how sin and trust as fundamental notions of Luther’s relational anthropology determine his understanding of social relations unfolding in the hierarchies of the earthly realm. Against scholastic works righteousness, Luther maintains that humans are absolute sinners incapable of...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2018
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| In: |
Journal of Early Modern Christianity
Year: 2018, Volume: 5, Issue: 2, Pages: 151-171 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CH Christianity and Society KAG Church history 1500-1648; Reformation; humanism; Renaissance KDD Protestant Church NBE Anthropology |
| Further subjects: | B
earthly hierarchies
B Sociality B obedient trust B Sin B Theological Anthropology |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article explores how sin and trust as fundamental notions of Luther’s relational anthropology determine his understanding of social relations unfolding in the hierarchies of the earthly realm. Against scholastic works righteousness, Luther maintains that humans are absolute sinners incapable of justifying themselves through good works and receive faith as a gift of unconditional trust in God. This reformulation of the human relation to God has profound consequences for Luther’s understanding of interpersonal relations. Luther understands the justifying relation to God as a precondition for fruitful and trusting social relations in a world infused by sin. Moreover, Luther patterns his understanding of the hierarchic relations between subjects and their earthly authorities on the trusting relation between God and human beings. However, because of sin individuals need to subject themselves to superiors. In this way, Luther’s understanding of the human being as both righteous and sinful seems to be the reason behind the apparent paradox of hierarchy and equality permeating his conception of society. |
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| ISSN: | 2196-6656 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Early Modern Christianity
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/jemc-2018-0009 |