Martin Luther’s Theory of “Two kingdoms” and Its Practical Dimension

IF 0.1 0 RELIGION

International Journal of Sino-Western Studies Pub Date : 2023-05-26 DOI:10.37819/ijsws.24.310

Danchun He, P. Huang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Luther’s “theory of two kingdoms” outlines “the kingdom of God” governed by “spiritual government” and “the kingdom of the world” governed by the “secular government”. It also emphasizes the obedience to the secular rulers regardless of their tyranny. Luther’s solution to the problem of their tyranny made him controversial, especially after the oppression of civilians and Jews by the extreme power politics in Auschwitz tragedy in World War II. Some scholars argue that it has kept religion indifferent to society and politics. To address this issue, Niebuhr and Moltmann proposed a political theology that focuses on the reality of human conditions in this earthly life. Latin American liberation theology further applied secular theology to practice, but it eventually shifted to spiritual construction in the face of the spiritual crisis of the loss of theological identity. The relationship between the two kingdoms can be explored from the perspective of spirit (πνευματικῶς pneumatikoos), soul(ψυχήν psychēn) and flesh (σαρκίνοις sarkinois). This paper aims to demonstrate the inherent affinity between the two kingdoms and respond to the criticism of the “two kingdoms” theory.

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马丁·路德的“两个王国”理论及其实践维度

路德的“两个王国论”概括了由“精神政府”统治的“上帝的王国”和由“世俗政府”治理的“世界的王国”。它还强调对世俗统治者的服从，无论他们的暴政如何。路德对他们暴政问题的解决使他备受争议，尤其是在第二次世界大战奥斯威辛惨案中极端权力政治压迫平民和犹太人之后。一些学者认为，它使宗教对社会和政治漠不关心。为了解决这个问题，Niebuhr和Moltmann提出了一种政治神学，专注于人类在现世生活中的现实状况。拉丁美洲解放神学进一步将世俗神学应用于实践，但最终在神学身份丧失的精神危机面前转向了精神建构。这两个王国之间的关系可以从精神的角度来探讨（πΓευματικῶςpneumatikos）、灵魂（ψυ。本文旨在论证两个王国之间的内在亲和力，并回应对“两个王国”理论的批评。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Sino-Western Studies RELIGION-

CiteScore

0.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

10 weeks

期刊介绍： International Journal of Sino-Western Studies （IJS） is a Chinese-English bilingual academic journal, which is published twice a year in June and December in Finland by Nordic Forum of Sino-Western Studies. It is published simultaneously in printed and electronic online versions. The Nordic Forum of Sino-Western Studies is a university-related research platform based in Helsinki. We aim at encouraging Sino-Western dialogue, research, and enhancement of scholarly activities, e.g, conferences, student & scholar exchange, academic essay prize, and publication. As part of its publication programs, the Forum publishes a new Chinese-English bilingual journal to promote Sino-Western Studies internationally. The articles published in this journal do not necessarily represent the view or position of the journal or of the editorial board. This journal is fully open access, but once any part of this journal is reprinted, reproduced, or utilized in any form or by any means, presently known or hereafter invented, our journal''s name should be mentioned, including quotations in academic works or book reviews. We neither charge APCs nor authors to publish articles in our journal, and the only license term for quoting or dowloading our articles is to mention our journal''s name as the source of origin. Users can use, reuse and build upon the material published in our journal but only for non-commercial purposes.