Johannes Oecolampadius (1482-1531) is a figure who spent a better part of the three hundred years following his death buried in relative obscurity, as both his life and thought had been relegated to dusty bookshelves in magnificent libraries throughout Europe and America. Particularly in the English-speaking world, there was little of substance written about him until approximately thirty years ago. It is true that he is named, or elements of his work are referred to, in the many extant summary histories concerning the early modern period. However, whatever mention has been made of Oecolampadius in these histories has often been in relationship to his 'Swiss theology', which many authors argue is simply a recapitulation of the better-known Zwingli. The purpose of this study will be to attempt to further 'dust off' certain aspects of Oecolampadius' theological and patristic reflection for the contemporary reader. Specifically, because he spent the better part of his adult life involved in patristic translation and the eucharistic rows of the mid-1520s to early 1530s, we will attempt to survey both. In this regard, we will concentrate on how Oecolampadius perceived and theologized the eucharist throughout his life - in other words, what were the theological anchors of his doctrine, and what or who influenced them, and did these points of focus change or evolve during his career? Second, on the patristic front, we will consider which patristic authors Oecolampadius was familiar with, how and why he sought their help (or rejected it) to make the case for the particular form of eucharistic theology that was his own, and what this can ultimately begin to tell us about his reception of the fathers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:494324 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Northway, Eric W. |
| Publisher | Durham University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1941/ |
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