Part of a series on the |
Reformation |
---|
![]() |
Protestantism |
The Magisterial Reformation refers in particular to the history of the Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican traditions within Protestant Christianity, [1][2] in how these denominations "related to secular authorities, such as princes, magistrates, or city councils", i.e. "the magistracy".[3][4] While the Radical Reformation (that led to the Anabaptist Churches) rejected any secular authority over the church,[5] the Magisterial Reformation argued for the interdependence of the church and secular authorities. As Alister McGrath put it "The magistrate had a right to authority within the church, just as the church could rely on the authority of the magistrate to enforce discipline, suppress heresy, or maintain order."[4]
The major theological figures representing the Magisterial Reformation were Luther, Zwingli, Calvin[6] and Knox,[7] as well as Thomas Cranmer. The Magisterial Reformers believed that secular authority should be followed where it did not clash with biblical commands. An early example of this was seen in the Peasant’s Rebellion of 1525, towards which Luther was originally sympathetic, but which he later strongly condemned.[8][9]
The term magisterial relates also to the emphasis these denominations place on the authority of the teachers of the early church (such as St Augustine of Hippo). The churches that comprise the Magisterial Reformation deny to the "Church of Rome" an exclusive claim to the title of "Catholic", of being the one true church, insisting that they too are part of the continuation of the "Catholic Church" as it is referred to in the Nicene Creed.
... where nationally dominant magisterial Protestant churches (Lutheran, Anglican, and Presbyterian) became virtual "departments of state" in their governance, as one Reformation historian characterized them.
The "magisterial" Protestant denominations (i.e., Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican) all claimed to honor the ecumenical Councils of the undivided Church and give a modicum of authority to the Church Fathers
The Magisterial Reformation denotes the Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican churches; this is sometimes labeled the mainstream of the Reformation. Magisterial means that secular authorities ("magistrates") had a role in the life of the church; church and state were closely tied.