Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Bullinger's Defence of the Old Faith

2004; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 6; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1558/rarr.6.1.36.52507

1743-1727

W. P. Stephens,

American Constitutional Law and Politics

Bullinger regarded the evangelical faith and the evangelical churches as old and the papal faith and church as new. He was convinced that the evangelical faith was continuous with that of Scripture and the catholic church. In 1537 against the charge of being new or heretical, he went behind the New Testament to the Old, appealing to the faith of Adam and the prophets in Christ. In 1549 against the charge of separating from the church with the succession of bishops as a mark of the apostolic church, he appealed to the succession in apostolic teaching. Against further charges he appealed to the ancient Roman Church against the new Roman Church, and to the true church cleaving to Christ against the false church persecuting those who believe in Christ. Against charges of heresy and schism, he affirmed the orthodoxy and catholicity of the evangelical churches. Against the charge of disunity among evangelicals he appealed to the New Testament and the early church with their differences in minor matters. He used the concept of Satan being bound a thousand years to explain the growth thereafter of papal error, but he also named people who had challenged that error.