Reform Movements brought about by Print

First of all, I'd like to apologize for not posting last week. I realized too late that being out of town would mean no internet connection.

I loved visiting the library and perusing the shelves for books on these reform movements. As Blaine said in his post about printing presses, I loved how the books are grouped by subject. A library is much more convenient than Google in this respect. Online search engines may be fast and easily accessible, but you have to sift through a lot of fluff to really get down to the real scholarly materials; whereas in the library, if you find one good book nearby will be more. My favorite part about this was actually handling the books. An online article may say the same thing, but there is something about handling the leather-bound pages of a book that makes the information inside seem more real, more reliable. A couple of the areas I had difficulty finding any books in the library, including the online databases, so I had to turn to Google books. After handling the "real" references, it sort of felt like a betrayal.

Before the break in class we talked about the Catholic Church and the changes that were brought about by the printing press. One subject I found especially interesting was the different reform movements. Seen as heresy by the Catholic Church, these movements believed not just different doctrine (or the explanation of dogma), but different dogma itself (the immovable parts of a belief system). The different reforms were as follows:

1. Antinomianism. Basically, antinomianism is the belief that faith is the only thing that saves you. As long as you believe, you will get to heaven. Faith is the only necessary component to achieve salvation.

Bozeman, Theodore Dwight. The Precisianist Strain: Disciplinary Religion & Antinomian Backlash in Puritanism to 1638. Chapel Hill: Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia, by the University of North Carolina, 2004. This book focuses mainly on the Presbyterian movement of the English Reformation. It also explain the development of antinomianism in early America, including the origins and construction. (BYU Reference BX 9334.3 .B69 2004)

Winthrop, John. Antinomianism in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 1636-1638: Including the Short Story and Other Documents. John Wilson and Son, 1894. Also examines Antinomianism in the early American colonies, specifically Massachusetts Bay. I found it interesting that because of print, this idea was able to spread not just to a single village, but to an entirely new continent. (BYU Reference B no. 16 or Google Books)

2. Asceticism. Asceticism is the mortification of the flesh in an attempt to free the spirit.

Wimbush, Vincent L., and Richard Valantasis. Asceticism. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2002. This book discusses the history of asceticism. More fascinatingly, it delves into the pros and cons of, and reasons behind ascetics. One thing I found particularly interesting is the author's idea that asceticism "leads us to self-mastery and enables us to fulfill the purpose that we have set for ourselves". It makes sense, in a weird sort of way. (Google Books)

3. Donatism. This is the idea that there has to be purity on the part of the priest or your sacraments don't count, including confession.

Livingstone, Elizabeth A. Cappadocian Fathers, Greek Authors after Nicaea, Augustine, Donatism, and Pelagianism: Papers Presented at the Eleventh International Conference on Patristic Studies Held in Oxford 1991. Leuven: Peeters, 1993. This compilation delves into the Catholic Church, explaining Pelagianism, Fathers of the Church, and Christian literature It explains the effect of literature on the Church and also explores the idea of priesthood purity to qualify sacraments. (BYU Reference BR 41 .S8 vol.27)

4. Montanism. Montanists believe that current prophets and apostles can "override" scripture--the current doctrine is the most correct.

Trevett, Christine. Montanism: Gender, Authority, and the New Prophecy. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1996. This is a history of Montanism and the effects this doctrine had on the authority of Church leaders. One interesting thing is that an entire section, nearly a quarter of the volume, is focused on Montanism and women--the affect of and on women of Monatanism. There are chapters on women prophets and clerical women. (BYU Reference BT 1435 .T74 1996)

5. Christology. The Christological reform was based around the idea that since Christ sacrificed for us, there is no such thing as original sin. (Babies are not sinners!)

Edmondson, Stephen. Calvin's Christology. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2004. This volume contains an argument for Christology, which was an interesting perspective rather than a history of the idea like the other books. This book explains Christology and clarifies its ideas by studying Christ's works and current theological conversations. (BYU Reference BT 203 .E36 2004)