| Studies the attempt by Emperor Charles V in 1541 to unify churches in his German territories through imperial religious discussions held at Regensburg. Investigates the history and documents of the Regensburg Colloquy to provide a lens through which late twentieth and early twenty-first century ecumenical discussions may be viewed. Includes an original transcription and translation of the twenty-three articles of the Regensburg Book as compiled by Philip Melanchthon, Impressum Viteberge, Iosephum Klug, Wittenberg, 1541.; The introductory chapter asserts that the 1541 Regensburg discussions, which ended in deep church divisions, "continue to be at the heart of the modern pursuit of church unity." Chapter summarizes similarities between the doctrine of justification in the 1541 Regensburg Book and the 1999 Official Common Statement, which affirmed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification between the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church.; To establish context for the Regensburg discussions, chapter two studies the history of predecessor discussions and events in the period 1530-39. The third chapter focuses on the 1540-41 religious discussions at Hagenau and Worms, which set the stage for Regensburg. The fourth chapter focuses on the history and contents of the Regensburg Book and the discussions which led to agreement on some articles, but ended with bitter disagreement on others. Chapter five examines the aftermath of the failed discussions and unsuccessful attempts to salvage agreement between the collocutors and the church bodies involved. The sixth and final chapter examines modern ecumenical discussions in light of Regensburg and concludes that, given that the agreement on justification reached in 1541 at Regensburg failed to overcome disagreements and unite the German churches, the current Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification may prove a poor foundation for ecumenical efforts aimed at full Eucharistic fellowship. |
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