Johann Arndt: German Lutheran Theologian

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To further emphasize the importance of one’s love for God, Arndt differentiates between being “learned” and being “holy”. The former is a result of scholastically reading the Scripture and dispute about the meaning of the writing, whereas the latter comes from prayer and love. Arndt goes on to say that “those who are learned and have no love are proud and filled with themselves; the others are lowly and humble” (McGinn 2006, 278). Here we see the juxtaposition between pride and humility. Arndt deliberately associates being proud with being bad because if person is concerned about himself, he cannot have the capacity to accept the kingdom of God hidden inside him. In contrast being lowly and humble allows one to willingly and unconditionally be in union with God, despite not fully understanding God.

Union with God through love is the final stage of one’s journey to find Him. As discussed above, Arndt advocates that a person should be “holy” rather than “learned” to get to this stage. According to Arndt’s standards, would Anthony be considered “learned” or “holy”? It seems that Anthony has both of those qualities. His holiness can be seen in his decision to give up material wealth, his willingness to live ascetically, his resolve against demons and his transformation after his struggles: “Anthony came forth as out of a shrine, as one initiated into scared mysteries and filled with the spirit of God” (McGinn 2006, 54). All the signs point to the fact that Anthony has achieved union with God. It is important not to overlook the fact that Anthony is also “learned”. Despite not having access to formal education, Anthony does as he is told by the Scripture: giving to the poor, doing manual labor and praying constantly. Anthony also seeks out and learns from other pious men because he is “zealous for that which is good” (McGinn 2006, 51). Arndt would definitely say that Anthony is both “learned” and “holy”, thus, he is rewarded with perfection – being in the presence of God.

Ultimately, we learn that Johann Arndt is a strong advocate of the will to love God unconditionally. Arndt does not discredit scholasticism altogether but he believes that loving God and actively living through love are superior to just reading the Scripture. Arndt gives us an itinerary for Christians to find union with God. This itinerary has three stages: repentance, contemplation, and perfection. Being learned would help during the contemplative stage but only by being holy can one achieve perfection. Arndt would say that Anthony is such an individual who has successfully gone through this process and Anthony can be considered a true Christian. This is due to the fact that Anthony spends his life completely devoted to seeking perfection in God.

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Bibliography

McGinn, Bernard. The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism. 2006.