The Magisterial Reformation "denotes the Lutheran, Calvinist
eformed and Anglican churches" and how these denominations "related to
secular authorities, such as princes,
magistrates
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...
, or city councils", i.e. "the magistracy".
While the
Radical Reformation
The Radical Reformation represented a response to corruption both in the Catholic Church and in the expanding Magisterial Protestant movement led by Martin Luther and many others. Beginning in Germany and Switzerland in the 16th century, the Ra ...
that gave rise to the
Anabaptist Churches rejected any secular
authority
In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''T ...
over the Church, the Magisterial Reformation argued for the interdependence of the church and secular authorities, i.e. "The
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...
had a right to authority within the church, just as the church could rely on the authority of the magistrate to enforce discipline, suppress heresy, or maintain order."
In addition, the term
magister relates to the emphasis on
authoritative teachers. Often this is seen in the names of the theological schools descending from magisterial reformers (e.g. Lutheran, Reformed, and
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...
), who are collectively known as Magisterial Protestants.
References
Protestant Reformation
Christian terminology
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