Georg Witzel

A Review by Erika Rummel of Aus Liebe zur Kirche Reform: Die Bemuhungen Georg Witzels (1501-1573) um die Kircheneinheit by Barbara Henze

The religious debate and efforts at reunification are also the subject of Barbara Henze's monograph on Witzel, the Lutheran pastor who returned to the Catholic faith in 1531 and became one of the most important advocates of religious peace. Henze traces his image in biographies from the sixteenth century to the present day. Pointing out problem areas and revealing the bias of Witzel's early biographers, Henze follows up with a detailed factual biography of her own. She proceeds to discuss Witzel's circle of acquaintances, his contacts with humanists, reformers, and noble patrons. Her study focuses on Witzel as Vermittlungstheologe, irenicist, and humanist. The main section of the work discusses Witzel's principal theological tenets. His teaching was characterized by a Christocentric approach, an emphasis on good works, a positive anthropology, and sharp criticism of scholastic "quibbling." Witzel's concept of the "old church" as model and normative standard is of central importance to an understanding of his efforts to find a formula for religious peace. It is based on the view that the traditions of the church suffered a progressive deterioration, descending from the Golden Age of the apostles to the Iron Age of medieval theologians. In consequence, Witzel gives preference to patristic over scholastic interpretations of the Bible. His criteria are not strictly chronological, however, but also contain the notion that consensus as well as antiquity were necessary for the validation of an interpretation. The discovery, in the course of his studies, that consensus was lacking even among the earliest exegetes led to an impasse, as Henze points out, "eine tragisch zu nennende Situation [in der] keine Institution, auch die Kirchenvater und Konzilien nicht, die gewunschte Schlichtungs-instanz darstellen kann" (207). Witzel now increasingly focused on a political solution to the religious conflict. In 1564 he was commissioned by Ferdinand to draw up a report on the doctrinal issues dividing the religious parties. The report formed the basis of Witzel's best known work, Via Regia, and his conclusion that continuing reformation was necessary and integral to the process of maintaining the spirit of the early church. Henze observes that Witzel looked to the Catholic Church for leadership in bringing about this reformation. He expected the pope to take the initiative in shaping the spiritual reform and the emperor to promote its execution and enforcement.

Henze supplies a number of graphs and statistics helpful in the analysis of Witzel's works and illustrating their printing history and distribution. She has, moreover, uncovered copies of editions previously known only from Witzel's descriptive catalogue. An appendix providing a definitive list of Witzel's works will aid readers in search of the original texts. It includes a key to Witzel's correspondence and supplies the names of addressees who are identified in the letters by initials only.

09-06-2006

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