Document analysis of "Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances"

1 ASSIGNMENT TITLE PAGE NAME (in full): ACT NUMBER: UNIT CODE AND TITLE: LECTURER: DUE DATE: SUBMISSION DATE: WORD COUNT: Jeremy Hollyer CH624 – The Reformation in Europe and Britain D. Morcom 18th May 2017 14th May 2017 2932 The following essay,of which I have kept a copy, is entirely my own work. All sources of ideas and quotations are duly acknowledged in references. I have not submitted any of this work in part or whole for any other item of assessment. SIGNATURE OF STUDENT: Jeremy Hollyer ASSIGNMENT TITLE: Document analysis of Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE: 1. INTRODUCTION 2. BACKGROUND 3. DOCUMENT ANALYSIS 3.1 Offices of the Church 3.1.1 Pastors 3.1.2 Doctors 3.1.3 Elders 3.1.4 Deacons 3.2 Responsibilities of the Church 3.2.1 Worship and Sacraments 3.2.2 Church Life 3.2.3 Church Order 4. APPLICATION: CONSISTENT PROCLAMATION AND LIFE 2 ABSTRACT In 1541 Calvin returned to Geneva after being exiled. On his return to the city it was recognised that the Church needed to be put in order. So, the Ecclesiastical Ordinances were drafted by Calvin and the cities councillors. This document is the subject of this essays analysis. This analysis is done by examining the background to this document and the theology which informed its articles. This is followed by examining the document itself. In doing this it was found that the Ordinances were designed to establish order and discipline for those with authority in the Church. They also were to help foster order and discipline for the congregation, the city being transformed by the transformed lives of its citizens. The Church was ordered, the lives of the people were ordered and their duties to each other established. This was done in such a way that the vertical relationship with God would be nurtured, as well as the horizontal relationships within the Church body. 3 John Calvin, Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances (1541) 1. INTRODUCTION The Ordinances were prepared in 1541 on the return of John Calvin to the city of Geneva. In meeting with the city council on 13 September 1541, Calvin requested “a committee… with the mandate to draft a church order and regulations for a consistory”1. This draft document was then submitted to the Genevan council for consideration and implementation2. So, while Calvin was a major contributor in the construction of the Ordinances, it was ultimately the city council that endorsed the contents for establishing Church order and discipline within Geneva, stating: [W]e, the Syndics … have commanded and established to be followed… the Ecclesiastical Constitution which follows, seeing that it is taken from the gospel of Jesus Christ.3 The purpose of the Ordinances was to establish Church order through instituting Church offices4, authorising and maintaining Church discipline, and detailing the use of the sacraments and duties of the Church body5; facilitating not only the vertical relationship with God but also the horizontal relationships of the congregation. 2. 1 BACKGROUND Willem Van't Spijker, Calvin: A Brief Guide to His Life and Thought, trans. Lyle D. Bierma (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 68. 2 W. Robert Godfrey, John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor (Wheaton: Crossway, 2009), 58. 3 John Calvin, "Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances," in Calvin: Theological Treatises, ed. J. K. S. Reid (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1954 (1541)). 4 Pastors, doctors, elders and deacons 5 Spijker, A Brief Guide, 68. 4 Before the religious reformation began in Geneva there were attempts aimed at throwing off the chains of the duke of Savoy and his imposed prince-bishop; essentially a political reformation during the 1520-30’s6. With the help of the Swiss protestant cities Geneva asserted itself. Through this assertion came an influx of Protestants to the city in the early 1530’s. A notable new arrival was Guillaume Farel, who confronted in public debate the Roman Church7. The religious reformation officially followed in 1535, yet there was still a lot of work to do in reforming the practice and lives of the people8. In 1536, Calvin was fleeing France and heading for Strassburg. However, he had to detour through Geneva because of war. This brought him into contact with Farel, who wanted to recruit him for the task at hand9. Calvin had only intended on staying for one night, but Farel persuaded Calvin to help10. Calvin later ruminated on this experience saying: … Farel detained me at Geneva, not so much by counsel… as by a dreadful imprecation, which I felt to be as if God had from heaven laid his mighty hand upon me… I was so stricken with terror that I desisted from the journey which I had undertaken…11 The two men worked together to draft confessions and catechisms12. So, a struggle began over the next twenty-one months between them and the city over 6 Bernard Cottret, Calvin: A Biography (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000), 114-15. Cottret, Biography, 115. 8 Cottret, Biography, 115-16. 9 D. G. Hart, Calvinism: A History (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2013), 16-17. 10 Godfrey, Pilgrim and Pastor, 35-37. 11 John Calvin, "Preface to the Commentary on the Psalms," in A Reformation Reader: Primary Texts with Introductions, ed. Denis R. Janz (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008 (1557)), 250. 12 Spijker, A Brief Guide, 44. 7 5 who controlled Church worship practices and discipline13. This struggle ended in both minister’s expulsion from the city14. For the next three years, Calvin worked alongside Martin Bucer in Strassburg. There he was mentored in pastoral and academic work, along with navigating politics15. However, Geneva was in chaos with Calvin and Farels’ exile, allowing the Catholics to try and assert authority over the city again. So, Calvin defended the city from these threats from afar and won newfound admiration leading to the city trying to recall him in 154016. Initially, Calvin said he “would rather die a hundred deaths than on that cross”17. However, he was eventually persuaded by Farel and Bucer to return, and so he did in September of 154118. Calvin’s return led to the Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances being written by Calvin and others, with it finally being ratified by the city councils. 3. DOCUMENT ANALYSIS The operation of the Genevan Church needed to be corrected. Consistent discipline and teaching were required19. These corrections to Church polity and worship were to be founded on what is in the Scriptures20. They did not just copy the Church model from the first century and drop it into contemporary Geneva. The organisation and principles utilised originated from Scripture, but were 13 Godfrey, Pilgrim and Pastor, 37-42. Carter Lindberg, The European Reformations, Second ed. (Chichester: Wiley Blackwell, 2010), 242. 15 Bruce Gordon, Calvin (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2011), 85-86. 16 Lindberg, Reformations, 246-47. 17 Spijker, A Brief Guide, 65. 18 Lindberg, Reformations, 247. 19 Godfrey, Pilgrim and Pastor, 58-59. 20 Spijker, A Brief Guide, 69. 14 6 contextualised for the sixteenth century21. The Ordinances were a distillation of all Calvin had learnt about the organisation and practice of the Church. From his writing of the Institutes of the Christian Religion, commentaries and pastoral experiences abroad22. The Ordinances were to establish the offices within the Church for its government23. They were also intended to set out the administration of the sacraments, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The document also details the duties of the office holders and Church in general24. The final portion of the document specifies and explains the authority of the elders, pastors and consistory25. These Ordinances became the start of the reforming of Geneva itself, where institutional practice and profession were to be consistent with one’s personal conduct26. Not so that Calvin, or any other, could rule in a theocracy, but that moral transformation could happen while the civil and religious spheres stayed distinguished from the other27. The Church was not only to be concerned with fostering the relationship with God, but also bringing communal harmony and holiness amongst the body. 3.1 Offices of the Church 3.1.1 Pastors 21 This is seen in the insistence that the orders are taken from the ‘gospel of Jesus Christ’, yet they were willing to abstain from the practice of laying on of hands in the ordination of a minister due to ‘much superstition in the past’. Calvin, "Ordinances," 58-59; Gordon, Calvin, 125-26. 22 Gordon, Calvin, 126. 23 Calvin, "Ordinances," 58. 24 Calvin, "Ordinances," 66-69. 25 Calvin, "Ordinances," 69-70. 26 Hart, Calvinism, 18-19. 27 Cottret, Biography, 163-65. 7 The first article of the Ordinances was to establish the office of pastor. Their chief role was “... to proclaim the Word of God, to instruct, admonish, exhort and censure, both in public and private, to administer the sacraments and to enjoin brotherly corrections…”28. These men were responsible for the spiritual health and discipline of the people within their parish. They had a duty which was firm, clear and yet distinct from the civil authorities’ role29. The office was held in such regard that it was to be regulated as to who might be made a minister. Those who were considered and called to the office were examined on points of doctrine and ability to communicate. A purely eloquent speaker who was adamant against reformation principles would just continue to bring strife into a struggling community. On the other hand, a man of sound doctrine that cannot clearly communicate this to the congregations would also not be edifying for the body. If the man had sound doctrine and excellent communication skills, and yet his life ran contrary to his profession, his appointment could be declined. Candidates would be examined first by other pastors, then presented to the city council and finally to the congregations for their assessment of him30. Finally, the pastor would swear an oath to the city if he was accepted into ministry31 32. 28 Calvin, "Ordinances," 58. Calvin, "Ordinances," 70-71. 30 Calvin, "Ordinances," 59. 31 Calvin, "Ordinances," 60. 32 John Calvin, "Form of Oath Prescribed for Ministers," in Calvin: Theological Treatises, ed. J. K. S. Reid (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1954 (1542)), 71-72. 29 8 In order that the care that went into choosing the ministers would not be wasted after their appointment they were to monitor each other. They were to meet once a week to continue examination of doctrine and the Scriptures, and quarterly in order “[t]o obviate all scandals of living.”33 3.1.2 Doctors The office of doctor was anticipated to provide formal education in “… true doctrine, in order that the purity of the Gospel be not corrupted”34. The pastors were to preach the word at the set times but the doctors were to teach the pastors and faithful, so that the Church and Gospel would be protected from corrupt theology. The importance of this role meant that he would also be subject to the same disciplinary measures as the pastors35. It had been hoped to have lecturers in both Old and New Testament. However, this required people educated enough to be taught. Thus, this teaching office was not meant to be just for the training of ministers, but also was responsible for the teaching of children36. 3.1.3 Elders Elders were to be an important part of the life of the Genevan Church. Though they were lay persons, they were still “… to have oversight of the life of 33 Calvin, "Ordinances," 60-61. Calvin, "Ordinances," 62. 35 Calvin, "Ordinances," 63. 36 Calvin, "Ordinances," 63. 34 9 everyone”37. These were meant to be men in good standing from the city councils such that they were above reproach and located within every section of the city. This gave coverage for discipline and accountability for the whole populace. Candidates would be selected by the pastors and Little Council, to be approved by the Council of Two Hundred and required to take the same oath as the pastors38. In order to carry out their duty in oversight of the citizens of Geneva, they were required to regularly meet with the pastors and discuss any issues that had arisen39. Their conduct, like the pastors, was also required to be excellent upon appointment. The elders had a significant role to play in the sanctification of the city. There was a call to holiness in living for all the citizens, but especially themselves. The requirements for being an elder should have hopefully cleared out those who might use the position to their unholy advantage. The oath they were required to take recognised that they were meant to be acting as servants of God and under the authority of the city councils40. Every year the elders would present themselves to the congregations and if found to be faithless in their duties they would be discharged41. 3.1.4 Deacons The final office instituted in the Ordinances was another for lay persons called deacons. They had to undergo the same rigorous process of election as the elders, yet did not have the same demands as the elders laid on them. Taking the 37 Calvin, "Ordinances," 63. Calvin, "Ordinances," 63-64. 39 Calvin, "Ordinances," 70. 40 Calvin, "Oath," 72. 41 Calvin, "Ordinances," 64. 38 10 example of the early Church, the deacons were to serve the less fortunate in the city; centred on an institution already in place, the hospital42. Deacons were to care for the “… sick and the old… widowed women, orphaned children and other poor creatures.”43 Certain members of the deacons also had to ensure that the injunction on begging was upheld44. In a godly and Christian city there should be no need for begging. Their needs should be provided for them by the funds given to the hospital and so help should be sought there. 3.2 Responsibilities of the Church After the articles for the institution of the offices and their responsibilities, the Ordinances have several short articles discussing the organisation of the Church and other duties. 3.2.1 Worship and Sacraments Tucked between the articles on the pastors and doctors is an article outlining the worship of the Church. There were three parishes, St Peter, St Gervais and Magdalene, where worship, the receiving of the sacraments, and catechism would take place. The time, frequency and places of these services were spelt out in detail to leave no ambiguity45. The ministers and Church were thus able to act and perform their duties in an orderly fashion. 42 Calvin, "Ordinances," 64-65. Calvin, "Ordinances," 65. 44 Calvin, "Ordinances," 66. 45 Calvin, "Ordinances," 62. 43 11 The administration of the sacraments followed straight on from the article on deacons. Baptism could take place any time a service was held. Only infant baptisms were prescribed, as only a font was to be made available near the pulpit and parents had to be registered46. The Lord’s Supper was to be observed four times a year in each parish, such that it occurred once a month somewhere in the city. Communion of both kinds were to be offered to the faithful, provided they had completed the catechism process or were not under Church discipline47. 3.2.2 Church Life A number of aspects of Church life also find small articles within the Ordinances, the first regarding marriage. The Church was to be available to perform them at the start of any service, provided the Lord’s Supper was not going to be observed. Also, while the civil body held authority in resolving matrimonial cases, the ministers could act as counsellors to remedy these cases before needing the civil magistrate48. The dead were to be buried decently and promptly upon notification within twentyfour hours49. The sick and imprisoned were to be visited by ministers, in order that their spiritual needs might be cared for before it was too late50. A real sense of concern for these people can be seen in these articles. 46 Calvin, "Ordinances," 66. Calvin, "Ordinances," 66-67. 48 Calvin, "Ordinances," 67. 49 Calvin, "Ordinances," 68. 50 Calvin, "Ordinances," 68-69. 47 12 3.2.3 Church Order Lastly, the Ordinances deal with Church order. Calvin understood that the children were the future of the Church51. Thus, in order not to leave the Church or the children desolate, Calvin instituted orders for the children to observe. They would be required to attend school and learn the Church’s catechism. This proper understanding of the faith was required before they could join the congregation proper, and partake in the Lord’s Supper. Thus, the children were taught what Christians believed by word and recitation, and how the community worked together in teaching the faith52. The final article of the Ordinances institute Church order and authority. The consistory were to be guardians and carers of the congregations, seeking the transformation of people’s lives and thus the city as well. However, they had no temporal authority; this was left to the civil magistrates, who were to be represented when the consistory met53. The admonishment was to proceed in the same way Jesus laid out for the Church in Matthew chapter eighteen54. If the private and public admonishments were ignored then they would be separated from the Lord’s Supper, but no physical harm was to be meted out by them55. If it was a sin that was also a civil crime then they would be reported and taken to the civil magistrates to decide the case56. However, there was not meant to be any malice or haughtiness in the consistory when disciplining. The point of admonition 51 Calvin, "Ordinances," 63. Calvin, "Ordinances," 69. 53 Calvin, "Ordinances," 70-71. 54 Calvin, "Ordinances," 70. 55 Calvin, "Ordinances," 71. 56 Calvin, "Ordinances," 70-71. 52 13 and discipline was always intended as “medicines for bringing back sinners to our Lord.”57 4. APPLICATION: CONSISTENT PROCLAMATION AND LIFE The purpose of the church is not just to build that vertical relationship with God, though this is primary. It is also to foster those horizontal relationships between fellow believers. Calvin sees that the Church, as the body of Christ, is to continue in sanctification, individually and corporately to build lives that are consistent with Scripture. The concerns contained in the Ordinances display this well. Pastors, doctors, elders, and deacons are called to live lives above reproach. These office bearers are subject to those that have elected them for the nature and witness of their lives. Those with teaching authority are subject to the Scriptures in all they teach. The congregations are thus also subject to those they have chosen to be over them, in order that they might be exhorted and admonished to live lives consistent with their proclamation of the Christian faith. While the institutes, orders and duties of the church and the congregation are also subject to the Scriptures. These concerns for a Church and city in religious turmoil can be an example for Australian churches today. However, just as Calvin did not see the need to copy the first century Churches structures into his context, we need not do the same with his. Instead, we learn from the principles. Our modern-day context is not battling so much with the papists, but instead with extreme secularism and nominalism within the Church. Our rank individualism infects how we approach the 57 Calvin, "Ordinances," 71. 14 Church. We may still have high expectations of those in vocational ministry, but the rest of the body may hide their secret sins. Today we are spread far and wide, no longer living in a small village or city. We can find ourselves in a large Church’s and that sense of close community and accountability is easily lost. Our churches today need Calvin’s calls for consistent living, as found in the Ordinances as much as Geneva needed it 500 years ago. Churches right up until the return of Christ need to be fostering the horizontal relationships as well as the vertical. 15 LIST OF REFERENCES Calvin, John. 1954 (1541). "Draft Ecclesiastical Ordinances." In Calvin: Theological Treatises, edited by J. K. S. Reid, 58-72. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. Calvin, John. 1954 (1542). "Form of Oath Prescribed for Ministers." In Calvin: Theological Treatises, edited by J. K. S. Reid. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. Calvin, John. 2008 (1557). "Preface to the Commentary on the Psalms." In A Reformation Reader: Primary Texts with Introductions, edited by Denis R. Janz, 247-54. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. Cottret, Bernard. 2000. Calvin: A Biography. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Godfrey, W. Robert. 2009. John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor. Wheaton: Crossway. Gordon, Bruce. 2011. Calvin. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Hart, D. G. 2013. Calvinism: A History. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Lindberg, Carter. 2010. The European Reformations. Second ed. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell. Spijker, Willem Van't. 2009. Calvin: A Brief Guide to His Life and Thought. Translated by Lyle D. Bierma. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.