Lutheran and Patristic Doctrine: The Keys as ecclesiae datae and potestas episcoporum

January 1, 0001

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Original pdf: Lutheran and Patristic Doctrine: The Keys as ecclesiae datae and potestas episcoporum

Published in Concordia Journal (2000):

Nispel, M. “Lutheran and Patristic Doctrine: The Keys as ecclesiae datae and potestas episcoporum.” CONCORDIA JOURNAL 26, no. 2 (2000): 115-137.

Available as a back print via Atlas Serials: here.

Word after word, page following page, and book heaped upon book, all bear witness of the contemporary effort to understand and explicate the mystery of the church. The problem of ecclesiology is manifested in multifarious forms in various places. For some, the argument is over a perceived ecclesiastical trade deficit caused by excessive import of ideas from the worlds of business and psychology. In others, the battle is over the use of popular entertainment forms in public worship. Another wide spread manifestation is the ongoing controversy over women and the public preaching office. These questions seem dissimilar but are related through the even more general struggle to rediscover the role of the laity within the life of the church. This is reflected, for example, in the October, 1993 issue of *The Ecumenical Review *dedicated to the theme of “Reopening the Ecumenical Discussion of the Laity.” And this general malaise continues to motivate the ongoing efforts of the Laos Consultation within the World Council of Churches, where baptism is now referred to as “ordination to the people of God.” All of these are part of the modern struggle for answers to the long-standing questions of “What and where is the church?” and “What is the ministry?”

Office and Offices: Some Basic Lutheran Philology

January 1, 0001

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Original pdf: Office and Offices: Some Basic Lutheran Philology

Published in Logia VI (1997), 3: 5 - 12: Available as a back print here.

Office and Offices: Some Basic Philology

The theme of “The Office and Offices” brings to mind at once the rather uncomfortable realization that in discussing this topic contemporary North American Lutheranism is more often lost than found. Theological perfection is not yet close at hand. This implies no malice towards theologians of whom I consider myself one, albeit an amateur. Even less is it an affront to Confessional Lutherans of whom again I am unreservedly one. But rather it comes as the conclusion of a rather extended period of observation of the various divisions, parties, and sects even within synodical boundaries all intending to defend the truth.

Pfarramt, Geography, and the Order of the Church: A Formal Opinion from Wittenberg

January 1, 0001

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Original pdf: Pfarramt

Translator’s Introduction

Although there remains general interest in the topic of the ministry among confessional Lutherans of North America, there is a lack of understanding concerning the details of the historical context on which much of the Reformation material on the ministry depends. This is related to the generally low familiarity with the Reformation languages, German and Latin. Together, these shortcomings have contributed to a lack of clarity among English-speaking American Lutherans regarding questions of the ministry and the use of Reformation material in doctrinal controversies on this topic. Without clarity of thought, there can be no progress. The translation of the following letter and of the Weimar edition introduction to it, as well as the inclusion of geographical concepts of church order, will help readers to understand this topic. Additionally, this letter may serve as a pattern and tool for understanding other Reformation materials frequently cited in the discussion of church and ministry among us.

Translations in Luther's Works

January 1, 0001

These are individual works of Luther that were translated by me for Concordia Publishing House and included in edited volumes of Luther’s Works. These were translated in the 2008 to 2010 time frame and published a few years later.

Luther, Martin. 1545. *Sermon for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity, Eph. 6:10-17. *Translated by Mark D. Nispel. Edited by Christopher Boyd Brown. Pages 303-312 in Sermons V. Vol. 58 of Luther’s Works. Edited by Christopher Boyd Brown. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Von den Conciliis und Kirchen — Bilingual Text

January 1, 0001

On Councils and the Church — Dr. Martin Luther (1539)

Dr. Martin Luther's Preface

Ich habe oft selbst mitgelachet, wo ich gesehen, daß man den Hunden an dem Messer einen Bissen Brod geboten, und wenn sie darnach geschnappt, mit dem Heft auf die Schnauzen geschlagen hat, daß die armen Hunde nicht allein den Schaden, sondern auch den Schmerzen dazu haben mußten; und ist ein fein Gelachter. Ich dachte aber zu der Zeit nicht, daß der Teufel mit uns Menschen auch also fein Gelachter hatte, und uns für solche arme Hunde hielte, bis ich's erfahren an dem heiligsten Vater, dem Pabst, beide in seinen Bullen, Buchern und täglichen Practiten, da er mit der Christenheit auch ein solch Hündscherzlein treibet; aber HErr GOft! wie mit großem Schaden der Seelen, und Spott der göttlichen Majestät. Gleichwie er jetzt mit dem Concilio thut. Da hat alle Welt nach geschrieen und gewartet, der gute Kaiser sammt dem ganzen Reich nun bei zwanzig Jahren darnach gearbeitet, der Pabst auch immer vertröstet und verzogen, und dem Kaiser, als einem Hunde, den Bissen Brods immer geboten, bis er seine Zeit ersehen, da schlägt er ihn über die Schnäuzen, und spottet sein dazu, als seines Narren und Gautelmannleins.

Von den Conciliis und Kirchen — On Councils and the Church

January 1, 0001

In 1539, Martin Luther completed Von den Conciliis und Kirchen, one of his most significant later works. The treatise represents Luther’s mature thinking on ecclesiology, a response to renewed Catholic assertions of church authority and an argument about what the councils of the church actually have power to decide. Unlike the polemical speed of his earlier writings, this work develops a careful, systematic analysis of the four ecumenical councils (Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon), tracing what each decided and how their decisions relate to Scripture. Luther argues that these councils created no new articles of faith; instead, they defended and articulated what Scripture already contained. The second half of the treatise turns from councils to the church itself, outlining seven marks by which the true church of Christ can be recognized in the world, a question of permanent importance for Lutheran theology.

What is AI?

January 1, 0001

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is all the current rage. It is a large subject from its technical aspects to the many applications it is finding. It is already disrupting many big tech companies and their expensive software engineering staffs. But it is likely to disrupt many other industries and companies over the coming years.

Having myself applied this tool in my workplace, it is amazing in the way it can change a technical workflow, and for some tasks a 10x improvement in productivity is no lie. Watching the better AI models build, deploy, test, debug, and do it again in a cycle by themselves until they reach a solution — and accomplish in ten minutes what would have taken hours — is remarkable. It is probably software engineers who see and feel this most intensely right now, as it is their jobs which are directly in the line of sight.