Povaha cirkvi
Natura Ecclesiae
Nature of the Church
What the church IS: visible/invisible distinction, body of Christ, congregation of saints, marks of the church
Konfesionálne pozície / Confessional Positions
3 documented positions across 3 traditions
Luteránska / Lutheran
congregatio_sanctorum The church is the congregation of saints (assembly of all believers) among whom the Gospel is purely preached and the sacraments rightly administered. Invisible church (true believers) distinguished from visible institution.
CA VII's definition is deliberately minimal — 'satis est' (it suffices) to agree on Gospel and sacraments.
Utrakvistická / Utraquist
ecclesia_reformanda The church is the one catholic church, in need of reform but not replacement. Utraquists never claimed to be a separate church — they were the *true* Catholics of Bohemia, correcting abuses while maintaining continuity.
David's 'middle way' thesis rests on this self-understanding. Hus's De Ecclesia is formally about the universal church, not a new institution.
Jednota bratská / Unity of Brethren
ecclesia_voluntaria The church is a voluntary community of committed believers, distinguished from both the Catholic institutional church and the Utraquist territorial church. Membership requires moral commitment, not merely geographical location.
This 'gathered church' model is the Unity's most distinctive ecclesiological contribution — and the point of greatest tension with both Luther and the Utraquists.
Terminologický aparát / Theological Vocabulary
3 terms across 4 languages (Latin, Czech 16c, German 16c, Slovak)
NATURE OF CHURCH
| Term | Latin | Čeština 16. st. | Deutsch 16. Jh. | Slovenčina (CS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| church_visible | ecclesia visibilis; ecclesia externa; coetus vocatorum | církev viditelná; církev zevnitřní; shromáždění povolaných | sichtbare Kirche; äußerliche Kirche; Versammlung der Berufenen | cirkev viditeľná; cirkev vonkajšia; zhromaždenie povolaných |
| church_invisible | ecclesia invisibilis; ecclesia abscondita; communio sanctorum vera | církev neviditelná; církev skrytá; pravé obecenství svatých | unsichtbare Kirche; verborgene Kirche; wahre Gemeinschaft der Heiligen | cirkev neviditeľná; cirkev skrytá; pravé spoločenstvo svätých |
| congregation_of_saints | congregatio sanctorum; coetus sanctorum; societas fidei | shromáždění svatých; sbor svatých; společnost víry | Versammlung der Heiligen; Gemeinde der Gläubigen | zhromaždenie svätých; zbor svätých; spoločnosť viery |
Hymnicko-liturgické dôkazy / Lex Orandi Evidence
Korpusové dôkazy budú doplnené v Fáze 3 výskumu.
Corpus evidence will be populated during Phase 3 research.