Problems of Authority in the Reformation Debates (Paperback, Revised)

Preface; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Principal collections of articles and theses mentioned in the text; Introduction; Part I. Authority For the Truth of the Faith: 1. The authority of the text; 2. Authoritative testimony; 3. Authoritative proof; Part II. Saving Authority: 4. Powerlessness before sin; 5. Justification; 6. The empowering of the will for good; Part III. Authority in the Church to Reconcile: 7. The saving power of the sacraments; 8. The penitential system and 'power to bind and loose'; 9. The Eucharist and authority to forgive; Part IV. Authority in the Visible Community: 10. Visible and invisible; 11. The two swords and the political analogy; 12. Making ministers; 13. Higher authority; Part V. The Authority of Common Sense: 14. A decision-making body; 15. Decision-making in a divided Church; Conclusion: the unity we seek; Select bibliography; Index.