LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Brock University

80 LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW IX
talks was the inerrancy of the Sacred Scriptures. Agreement on inspiration
and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures was a key element, so that once
agreement was reached the final breakthrough to Lutheran union was
inevitable. Professor Marquart discusses in detail the “Adelaide theology”
and the “Queensland theology” that summarised much of the disagreement
on the issue of Scripture. As a part of the Queensland Pastors’ Conference at
that time, Marquart speaks with authority. While Sasse sought a middle way
between those adhering to the inerrancy of Scripture and those who did not,
Sasse wrote that, “inerrancy must be regarded as a valid conclusion from
inspiration”. Reading the detail of the theological negotiations that brought
union of the two Lutheran synods in Australia, you are led to the conclusion
that it would not have happened without the presence and theological
leadership of Hermann Sasse. The chapter by Professor Marquart is a “must
read” for those who want to understand what made union possible in
Australia and who want to understand the practical churchmanship of
Hermann Sasse.
As a theologian who took the catholicity of the church seriously, Sasse
could not ignore the relationship of the Lutheran and the Roman Catholic
Churches. Dr Gottfried Martens picks up that subject in a chapter entitled
“Where Rhine and Tiber Met” (194-223). As a teacher of church history and
the history of Christian dogma, Sasse was well aware of the common history
of the Roman Catholic and the Lutheran Churches. It was a special concern
of Hermann Sasse that the history of the Lutheran Church does not begin in
1517 or 1530. Already in 1936 Sasse stated, “A Church that is not
concerned with patristics becomes a sect.” However, as Dr Martens
observes, it was during his Australian period that Sasse’s struggle with and
for the Roman Catholic Church took place. As a close observer of Rome,
Sasse had foreseen ten years before the event that the Roman Mass would be
celebrated in the vernacular. While he had almost despaired of the Roman
Catholic Church in 1950 when Pius XII declared the dogma of the
Assumption, he rejoiced with the election of John XXIII and his calling of
the Second Vatican Council. Although not in attendance as an official
observer, he followed closely the events of the Council. As a result of a
lively correspondence between Sasse and Cardinal Bea, Sasse was invited to
Rome and was the guest of the Cardinal. It is suggested by Dr Martens that
the importance of this contact between Sasse and Bea during the time of the
Council should not be underestimated from both sides. Sasse had also come
to know the Church of Rome through family contacts. Previous to his
marriage, Charlotte, who has to become his wife, announced that she was
converting to the Roman Church. While Sasse talked her out of it, she
continued to remain very fond of Rome in her personal piety. Sasse’s son
Hans was also inclined to the Roman Catholic Church and converted to that
obedience after his marriage. It was under the categories of liturgy and the