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).