Burnett, Amy Nelson

English

Zwingliana

175BuchbesprechungenWie sich der Zweite Kappeler Krieg und sein Ende im Denkenund Handeln Bucers niedergeschlagen hat, wird in erster Linie ausseiner Korrespondenz mit Ambrosius Blarer sichtbar, zu dem er einenges und offenes Verhältnis hatte. Die intensive Auseinanderset-zung mit den Vorgängen in der Schweiz schlägt sich vor allem inder Korrespondenz zwischen Ende Oktober und anfangs Dezember1531 nieder. Dabei wird sichtbar, wie in Bucer das Bestreben, dieprotestantischen Schweizer als südliches Standbein der ober-deutsch-elsässischen Reformation zu erhalten, die innerprotestan-tischen Auseinandersetzungen zu schlichten und für die Abend-mahlsfrage eine Kompromissformel zu finden, dominiert. Solangezwar Zwinglis Tod zu beklagen ist, die Chancen für einen Sieg derreformierten Orte aber noch gut zu stehen scheinen, beurteilt erden Zürcher Reformator im Ganzen positiv und nimmt ihn gegen-über dem absehbaren Triumphgeheul Luthers in Schutz. Je mehrsich die Niederlage der Reformierten und der Abbruch der Bun-desverhältnisse zu den Süddeutschen abzeichnen, desto mehrwächst die Kritik an Zwinglis »aggressiver Kriegspolitik«, die allesverdorben habe, wobei festzuhalten ist, dass Bucer darunter primärnicht den Krieg selbst – Zürich wurde ja angegriffen –, sondern diezürcherische Politik der vorangegangenen Monate versteht. Poli-tisch und theologisch wendet sich Bucer in den folgenden Monatenvermehrt Luther zu, um den Einbezug der oberdeutschen Städte inden Schmalkaldischen Bund zu ermöglichen. Dass er die Bemü-hungen um die Schweizer deswegen nicht völlig aufgibt, ist inner-halb der Berichtsperiode noch kaum ersichtlich. Dem nächstenBand wird man darüber wohl mehr entnehmen können.Helmut Meyer, ZürichHeinrich Bullinger: De scripturae sanctae authoritate deque epi-scoporum institutione et functione (1538), bearb. von EmidioCampi unter Mitwirkung von Philipp Wälchli, Zürich: Theologi-scher Verlag Zürich, 2009 (Heinrich Bullinger Werke III/4), XVII,305 S. – ISBN 978–3–290–17526–9.The publication of a critical edition is always a welcome event, andthis volume is no exception. The title of the fourth volume in the176 Buchbesprechungenseries of Bullinger’s theological works might lead one to assumethat it is yet another evangelical attack on Menschensatzungen andthe corruption of the Roman church. Bullinger does indeed addressthese topics, but his treatise is much more than simply anotheranti-Catholic polemic. Written in 1538 and dedicated to King Hen-ry VIII of England, De scripturae sanctae authoritate covers abroader range of topics than its title implies and reveals the refor-mer not just as a theologian but also as a historian and scholar ofthe classics.As the full title indicates, the treatise consists of two books. Theyare of unequal length: the second book is half again as long as thefirst. Both books follow a pattern Bullinger used elsewhere, firstdescribing the origin and historical development of a concept orpractice, then presenting its correct understanding or ideal form,and finally criticizing the errors or abuses that have distorted it inthe present day. His chief concern in Book I is to assert the supe-riority of Scripture against the Roman church’s claim to judgeScripture and to be the custodian of extra-scriptural tradition. Bul-linger does this by attesting both to Scripture’s antiquity – Godspoke to Adam and the patriarchs long before Moses put the firstbooks of the Bible into writing, let alone before the church esta-blished the canon – and to its completeness, since it contains allthat is necessary for piety.Book II deals with more practical matters of church structure.Bullinger describes how the leadership of God’s people was en-trusted first to the prophets, then to the levitical priesthood, andfinally to the ministers of God’s word, who are bishops or over-seers. Bullinger’s understanding of the church’s leadership is non-hierarchical: his only distinction is between the ministers and thosehe calls »clerics,« the deacons or assistants and disciples or stu-dents who are preparing for the ministry. As a consequence, hisdiscussion of »the institution and function of bishops« is a broaddescription of the preparation for and the tasks of ministry. Heincludes in it a plea for adequate financial support for ministersand emphasizes the need to maintain the schools and libraries es-sential for educating the boys who will enter the ministry. Bullin-ger focuses on the chief responsibilities of ministers – to preach, topray, and to administer the sacraments – but he also refers to the177Buchbesprechungenmore specialized functions of prophets, who expound God’s word,and doctors, including professors and schoolteachers. Last but cer-tainly not least, he rejects the claims of the bishop of Rome toheadship over the church, providing his own exegesis of the Scrip-ture texts used to support papal primacy, describing how thechurch fathers regarded the bishop of Rome, and condemning thecorruption of the Roman hierarchy from the pope on down.Scattered through both books are discussions of a number ofother issues, some of them as tangents, others as more detailedtreatment of the topic being discussed, such as the nature of thesacraments, the proper approach to preaching, a defense of eccle-siastical law, and so on. A recurrent theme is the responsibility ofthe ruler or magistrate for overseeing religion, which is not sur-prising in a book addressed to the king who had broken withRome and now claimed headship over the English church.The annotations of the critical edition are relatively brief, de-voted primarily to identifying individuals and works mentioned byBullinger. This does not mean, however, that there are few anno-tations, for Bullinger constantly cites the writings of others. Hisknowledge of the church fathers and the early church historians isimpressive, and he does not hesitate to quote classical authors andhistorians where they suit his purposes. He devotes one chapter tothe portions of canon law used to support papal authority – whichhe then dismisses by stating that he finds »no antiquity, erudition,piety or judgment in them, and so they are not worthy of re-sponse« (p. 190). Bullinger also refers several times to Erasmus’shandbook for preachers, Ecclesiastes, which had been publishedthree years earlier, even incorporating lengthy quotations from itinto his text.The editor’s introduction is brief but sufficient to orient thereader to Bullinger’s connections with England and the circum-stances surrounding the writing of the treatise. The volume hasindices of persons and places as well as of Scripture and othersources cited. Included with the book is a CD-ROM with the com-plete text, which allows one to do word searches within the text. Inthese days of budget-cutting and belt-tightening, especially in thehumanities, it is encouraging to see that support continues for thescholarship required to produce a critical edition such as this one.Amy Nelson Burnett, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln

Heinrich Bullinger: De scripturae sanctae authoritate, 2009

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Heinrich Bullinger: De scripturae sanctae authoritate, 2009

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