 Before Martin Luther called upon the Church to return “ad fontes” to Holy Scripture, Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494) endeavored to call the Church to a far different ‘font’—the writings of the “prisci theologi“ (ancient theologians) of pagan antiquity. Although Ficino and Pico are well-known for their pivotal role in the Italian Renaissance, they also sought to ‘reform’ the Church—but they wanted to have the Catholic Church treat pagan religions and various mystery cults as divinely-inspired. Neo-Platonism, Zoroastrianism, Hermetical mysticism and magic, astrology, and the Cabala were all set forth as divine revelations from the same God. Zoroaster and Hermes Trismegistus were interpreted as inspired teachers whom men such as Ficino and Pico believed could provide guidance for the Church in their time. Their students included future popes (most notably Pope Leo X) and leaders of the Renaissance, such as Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522) and Konrad Mutian (1470-1526). Their influence lingers to this day in the “Traditionalist” movement and in the “postmodern” belief that all religions ultimately lead to the truth. In Prisci Theologi and the Hermetic Reformation in the Fifteenth Century, Heiser traces the development of this forgotten “Reformation” undertaken by Ficino and Pico, evaluates its theology and the traces its influence on contemporary theologians and leaders of the Renaissance. James D. Heiser is Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (ELDoNA) and Pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Malone, Texas. He also serves as Dean of Missions of the Augustana Ministerium. He earned his M.Div. and S.T.M. at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. To order via Amazon, please use this link: http://amzn.com/1461093821 To order directly from Repristination Press, please use this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8TZT79EF3GZLJ |
