Luther on 'The Impii'
thanks to Derek for this quote. Know anybody like this? I like to think I degrade the "inside" world personally.
"The Godless, the impii or enemies of God, are a gated community locking themselves up in their own prison of holy space, holy work, and holy time, systematically degrading the outside world as a cesspool of evil. Accordingly, they fall over everything and on everyone, furiously driven to backbiting critiques, always ready to condemn. Thus they achieve the same intensity in malevolence that true Christians achieve in virtue: 'If they would invest all that evil energy in truly good works, there would not be a shorter highroad to true piety.'" (Oberman, Luther contra Medieval Monasticism, 191; citing AWA 2.49, 20 - 2.50, 4)
| By Josiah Roe | 11:39 AM
Comments
"'If they would invest all that evil energy in truly good works, there would not be a shorter highroad to true piety.'"
...if you subscribe to the belief that you can work your way to Heaven.
Posted by: bill at July 28, 2005 11:42 AM
umm, piety != heaven
Posted by: bobw at July 28, 2005 11:46 AM
ya, I'm pretty certain Luther wasn't talking about salvation, but about healthy Christian living.
Posted by: JosiahQ at July 28, 2005 11:59 AM
Josiah's right--Luther wasn't speaking of salvation so much as good works on behalf of one's neighbors (which, from his perspective, was the reason to engage in good works ... for the good of one's neighbor).
I just like Oberman's summary of Luther's position for its 'nothing new under the sun' character. Wherever Christianity goes, there too go the impii who build little monasteries or sects, within which, all is good, and outside of which, all is a cesspool.
Posted by: Derek at July 28, 2005 12:10 PM
Is this another metaphor about the Waterfront and the neighborhoods?
Posted by: mesh at July 28, 2005 02:58 PM
my green-cheeked conure, flip, is the coolest. should have seen esther's face this morning when he flew on her shoulder at breakfast. she was frozen stiff. jess and i tried convincing her she did great, but esther wasn't quite buying it.
Posted by: daniel at July 28, 2005 04:19 PM
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