Ancient Discipline and Pristine Doctrine: Appeals to Antiquity in the Developing Reformation (TOC) (original) (raw)

This thesis explores the Protestant Reformation's appeal to antiquity, particularly through its connection to early church history. By analyzing selected reformers and Protestant confessions, it reveals a tension between claims of continuity with the ancient church and a critical stance towards historical interpretation, especially in contexts like Anabaptism and Puritanism. The thesis argues that differing attitudes toward church history within Protestantism emerged in response to polemical situations and highlights the potential for reformative insights from earlier attitudes towards history amid contemporary provincialism.