Reviewed Book: Oberman, Heiko Augustinus. The Dawn of the Reformation. Philadelphia: Fortress Press; Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1986

Cooke, Timothy R.

English

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 15
Issue 2 Theology of the Cross: Theory and Practice Article 18
11-1-1989
The Dawn of the Reformation
Timothy R. Cooke
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
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Recommended Citation
Cooke, Timothy R. (1989) "The Dawn of the Reformation," Consensus: Vol. 15 : Iss. 2 , Article 18.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol15/iss2/18
134 Consensus
The Dawn of the Reformation: Essays in Late Me-
dieval and Early Modern Thought
Heiko Oberman
Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1986
296 pp.
This costly volume contains twelve essays written between 1962 and
1978 which reflect the wide research interests of Heiko Oberman. The es-
say topics reveal an agile mind at work, ranging from the psycho-intellectual
contribution of Copernicus to modern culture to the twentieth century Ro-
man Catholic reappraisal of the theological concept of tradition. The bulk
of the essays, however, are firmly rooted in the late medieval and early
modern eras.
One of Oberman ’s longstanding quarrels is with Gilson and his school
who regard the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries as a period of disintegra-
tion. Against these Thomists who posit intellectual and spiritual decline
during the waning of the middle ages, Oberman vigorously asserts a general
renewal of spirituality in the form of lay fraternities and learned sodalities.
Oberman enumerates (16) a catalog of fourteenth century initiatives which,
he argues, provided posterity with the moral targets for reform and the con-
ceptual tools needed for the new sciences.
Oberman is similarly concerned to extricate Luther from the morass
of misinterpretation. Dismissing the dating of Luther’s Turmerlebnis as
a fruitless question, Oberman is also unimpressed with Roman Catholic
reappraisal of Luther as the victim of an ignorantia invincibilis. In other
words, so long as Roman Catholic historians remain committed to view-
ing Thomas as the apex of normative Catholic thought, then Luther will
inevitably be tarred with the confessional late medieval brush. Instead
of reducing Luther to the level of the intellectual contours on which he
was raised, Oberman stresses the originality and independence of Luther’s
thought which developed in a complicated fashion on a variety of different
levels.
The so-called Peasants War of 1524-25 also comes under historiograph-
ical scrutiny. Oberman prefers to interpret it as a religious movement,
ignited by a “Gospel of Social Unrest” whereby Luther and the Reforma-
tion merely accelerated an age old demand for divine justice and improved
social conditions. Oberman, in contrast to more recent social history, takes
prima facie the religious content of the propaganda of the uprising. The un-
derlying drama of the revolt, as Oberman points out to good effect, was the
squandering of the religious potential of the enormous lower socio-economic
layers of Central European society.
The discomforting feature of Oberman ’s argumentation is his tendency
to cast a late medieval shadow over the happenings of the early modern
era. This is a curious variation on his oft pronounced complaint of the
Book Reviews 135
Thomist rainmakers on the late medieval parade. Oberman’s protective
enthusiasm for his chosen era aside, the quality of scholarship in these essays
is formidable, his erudition is obvious, although the prose is somewhat
stilted by the intrusion of Latinisms at every conceivable juncture. Less
transparent than the learning displayed in these essays is the reason for
purchasing them. As a testament to the development of Oberman’s research
interests they serve admirably; readers desirous of locating the state of
current debates will have to look elsewhere.
Timothy R. Cooke
St. Peter’s Anglican Church
The Churches and the Third Reich: Volume One:
1918-1934
Klaus Scholder
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988
This is the first of a massive two-volume history of the German
churches under Hitler written by the late church historian Klaus Scholder of
Tubingen, who unfortunately died prematurely in 1985 and was unable to
complete the work. Both have now been ably translated from the German
by John Bowden.
The first volume, almost ten years in the making, was completed and
published in Germany in 1977. Volume Two: The Year of Disillusionment
1984: Barmen and Rome was virtually finished before his death, except
for the final editing done by Scholder’s students Gerhard Besier, Dieter
Kleinmann, and Jorg Thierfelder. In October, 1984, Scholder handed the
work over to his students and asked them to continue the project. They
envision three further volumes in the same spirit and method covering the
period from November, 1934, to May, 1949.
As Vice-Chair of the German Evangelical Church’s commission for con-
temporary history, Scholder was especially well-qualified to write the defini-
tive history of period from 1918-1949, with access to many previously un-
known or inaccessible archival sources. He hcis published numerous short
essays interpreting this epoch in German history. There are a number of
factors which make Scholder’s history such an important scholarly contri-
bution, especially for an English-speaking public.
This is the first major study which examines the Catholic and Protes-
tant churches’ response to National Socialism side by side. This approach
throws new light not only on the separate attitudes of the two confessions
to the “revolution” occurring in German society, but also on Hitler’s own
flawed church policy. As a Catholic, Hitler understood the Roman Catholic
Church and planned his church strategy accordingly. After almost uniform


The Dawn of the Reformation

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 15Issue 2 Theology of the Cross: Theory and Practice Article 1811-1-1989The Dawn of the ReformationTimothy R. CookeFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationCooke, Timothy R. (1989) "The Dawn of the Reformation," Consensus: Vol. 15 : Iss. 2 , Article 18.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol15/iss2/18134 ConsensusThe Dawn of the Reformation: Essays in Late Me-dieval and Early Modern ThoughtHeiko ObermanEdinburgh: T&T Clark, 1986296 pp.This costly volume contains twelve essays written between 1962 and1978 which reflect the wide research interests of Heiko Oberman. The es-say topics reveal an agile mind at work, ranging from the psycho-intellectualcontribution of Copernicus to modern culture to the twentieth century Ro-man Catholic reappraisal of the theological concept of tradition. The bulkof the essays, however, are firmly rooted in the late medieval and earlymodern eras.One of Oberman ’s longstanding quarrels is with Gilson and his schoolwho regard the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries as a period of disintegra-tion. Against these Thomists who posit intellectual and spiritual declineduring the waning of the middle ages, Oberman vigorously asserts a generalrenewal of spirituality in the form of lay fraternities and learned sodalities.Oberman enumerates (16) a catalog of fourteenth century initiatives which,he argues, provided posterity with the moral targets for reform and the con-ceptual tools needed for the new sciences.Oberman is similarly concerned to extricate Luther from the morassof misinterpretation. Dismissing the dating of Luther’s Turmerlebnis asa fruitless question, Oberman is also unimpressed with Roman Catholicreappraisal of Luther as the victim of an ignorantia invincibilis. In otherwords, so long as Roman Catholic historians remain committed to view-ing Thomas as the apex of normative Catholic thought, then Luther willinevitably be tarred with the confessional late medieval brush. Insteadof reducing Luther to the level of the intellectual contours on which hewas raised, Oberman stresses the originality and independence of Luther’sthought which developed in a complicated fashion on a variety of differentlevels.The so-called Peasants War of 1524-25 also comes under historiograph-ical scrutiny. Oberman prefers to interpret it as a religious movement,ignited by a “Gospel of Social Unrest” whereby Luther and the Reforma-tion merely accelerated an age old demand for divine justice and improvedsocial conditions. Oberman, in contrast to more recent social history, takesprima facie the religious content of the propaganda of the uprising. The un-derlying drama of the revolt, as Oberman points out to good effect, was thesquandering of the religious potential of the enormous lower socio-economiclayers of Central European society.The discomforting feature of Oberman ’s argumentation is his tendencyto cast a late medieval shadow over the happenings of the early modernera. This is a curious variation on his oft pronounced complaint of theBook Reviews 135Thomist rainmakers on the late medieval parade. Oberman’s protectiveenthusiasm for his chosen era aside, the quality of scholarship in these essaysis formidable, his erudition is obvious, although the prose is somewhatstilted by the intrusion of Latinisms at every conceivable juncture. Lesstransparent than the learning displayed in these essays is the reason forpurchasing them. As a testament to the development of Oberman’s researchinterests they serve admirably; readers desirous of locating the state ofcurrent debates will have to look elsewhere.Timothy R. CookeSt. Peter’s Anglican ChurchThe Churches and the Third Reich: Volume One:1918-1934Klaus ScholderPhiladelphia: Fortress Press, 1988This is the first of a massive two-volume history of the Germanchurches under Hitler written by the late church historian Klaus Scholder ofTubingen, who unfortunately died prematurely in 1985 and was unable tocomplete the work. Both have now been ably translated from the Germanby John Bowden.The first volume, almost ten years in the making, was completed andpublished in Germany in 1977. Volume Two: The Year of Disillusionment1984: Barmen and Rome was virtually finished before his death, exceptfor the final editing done by Scholder’s students Gerhard Besier, DieterKleinmann, and Jorg Thierfelder. In October, 1984, Scholder handed thework over to his students and asked them to continue the project. Theyenvision three further volumes in the same spirit and method covering theperiod from November, 1934, to May, 1949.As Vice-Chair of the German Evangelical Church’s commission for con-temporary history, Scholder was especially well-qualified to write the defini-tive history of period from 1918-1949, with access to many previously un-known or inaccessible archival sources. He hcis published numerous shortessays interpreting this epoch in German history. There are a number offactors which make Scholder’s history such an important scholarly contri-bution, especially for an English-speaking public.This is the first major study which examines the Catholic and Protes-tant churches’ response to National Socialism side by side. This approachthrows new light not only on the separate attitudes of the two confessionsto the “revolution” occurring in German society, but also on Hitler’s ownflawed church policy. As a Catholic, Hitler understood the Roman CatholicChurch and planned his church strategy accordingly. After almost uniform

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