Title of the article:

INTERRELATION BETWEEN LAW AND GOSPEL IN THE SYSTEM OF SOCIAL-ETHIC DOCTRINE OF THE POLISH BRETHREN

Author(s):

Konstantin S. Konoplyanko

Information about the author/authors

Konstantin S. Konoplyanko — Junior Researcher, The Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Ave, 32 а, 119332 Moscow, Russia. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4700-9219. Email: brest1596@gmail.com

Section

Theory and history of culture

Year

2021

Volume

Vol. 62

Pages

pp. 72–86

Received

January 15, 2019

Date of publication

December 28, 2021

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37816/2073-9567-2021-62-72-86

Index UDK

008

Index BBK

87.6(4Пол)+87.7(4Пол)

Acknowledgements

The study was carried out with financial support of the Polish National Academic Exchange Service NAWA within the framework of the Project “PROM-international exchange of doctoral students and academic staff” no PPI/PRO/2019/1/00046/u/00001.

Abstract

This paper explores the issue of correlation between the Law and the Gospel in the controversy of Polish brethren on social-ethical topics. The debating sides built their argumentation on varying understanding of the Holy Scripture texts in the forming of moral codex of “the proper Christians”. The radical side was determined that the proper Christian cannot be a part of peccable social order, based on the violent standards of Old Testament’s Law (Dekalog). The other, conservative one, believed that the Old Testament’s Law was not canceled by the Gospel, but was conversely fulfilled and explained by the Christ. Therefore, the proper Christian does have place in the actual social life, and also can be a magistrate, judge or soldier. The polemic between Polish brethren is based on intellectual heritage of West-European Reformation. It was inspired by the reception of anabaptism and its theological doctrine of non-resistance and “isolation from evil”. The religious arguments of the sides may be considered as a repercussion of antinomian controversy (at one time initiated by German reformers Ph. Melanchthon and J. Agricola).

Keywords

Polish brethren, antitrinitarians, Law, Gospel, antinomian controversy, Reformation, anabaptism.

References

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