The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999): A Comparison of the implied positions of Simon Maimela and Klaus Nürnberger
Abstract
The Protestant reformation in the 16th century led to some of the major and long-lasting
schisms in global Christianity. The doctrine of justification was at the core of Lutheran schism
which was triggered by the papal bull of 1521. The Confession of Augsburg (1530) and the
subsequent Apology (1531) failed to heal that schism and instead resulted in the hardening
of the schism after the Council of Trent (1545-1563). After Vatican II, on-going dialogue
between the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
continued to address this schism. This culminated in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification (JDDJ) (1999) signed by the Catholic Church’s Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity (PCPCU) and the LWF. However, this declaration did not by itself heal the
schism and resulted in mutual discontent, e.g., signalled by RCC’s Cardinal Avery Dulles and
the statement of 250 German professors (1998), advising Lutheran churches not to sign the
JDDJ (1999).
This study explores the reception of the JDDJ (1999) in the context of Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) as one of the member churches of the LWF. However, such
reception arguably remains extremely limited in terms of synodical debates and resolutions,
letters to the press or publications by members of ELCSA. Instead, this study focuses on the
positions on justification adopted by two senior Lutheran scholars who are members of
ELCSA, namely Klaus Nürnberger and Simon Maimela. The question that will be investigated
is whether the views on the doctrine of justification of Klaus Nürnberger and Simon Maimela
diverge from the “differentiated” consensus on justification as expressed in the JDDJ (1999).