This study examines the impact of early Jae Jung Won’s works to the Korean society in early Korean mission era. Because Jae Jung Won founded by Korean government and American missionary. Allen was a first Western mordern hospital in Korea. Medical works had significant meanings on the Korean mission. Mordern medical works of American missionaries in Korea included the spirit of Christianity which was a mental ground of Western civilization and medicine. Because Korean government did not permit the freedom of Christian mission except medicine and education in early Korean mission era, Jae Jung Won had important role of Christian mission at that time. In fact, through the Western medical cure of Allen for Young-ik Min, a high official in the government in 1884, Korean government felt kindly toward American missionaries and Western medicine. There are several meanings of the early Jae Jung Won’s works from the missionary point of view. First, due to the role of Jae Jung Won, images of Protestant in Korea get better. And the influence of Protestant became larger as time goes by. Secondly, Jae Jung Won had a role of ecumeical works through the cooperation of denominations and missionaries for Korean mission. Thirdly, foreign missionaries through activities of Jae Jung Won performed their functions most effectively at that time. Taking care of patients itself was to be a mission, and to introduce Christian love to the Koreans. Fourthly, another meaning of early Jae Jung Won’s works to the Korean society was to educate Christian talents to the Korean youth through the education of medicine. Fifthly, Jae Jung Won’s works in early era to the Korean society was to the gate of civilization for the Koreans like campaigns for enlightenment and hygiene. Therefore Western mordern medical works with the center of Jae Jung Won from 1880’s to 1890’s were effective mission in Korea.

Horace N. Allen, a missionary, established the first Western hospital in Korea, Je Jung Won, when he arrived at Jo Sun in September 1884. He also opened the first medical school to teach Western medicine. The hospital and medical education was developed rapidly by Oliver R. Avison. In the history of Severance Medical Center, Avison’s greatness can be found in three aspects. Firstly, he served the Korean people by his medical work throughout his life. Secondly, he developed an autonomous system for handing down Western medicine to Korean people, ensuring the continuation of his medical work to Korean people. Thirdly, he prepared and educated the Korean people in Western medicine without any pause or reservation for himself. Of these three, the third is the most distinctive achievement of Avison. He regarded the Koreans as the initiater of the medicine in Korea, not as child-like objects for education as other missionaries generally viewed them. It was because he was free from the confining racial prejudice of considering the Korean people as the inferiors to be pitied. Then what was the power in Avison’s faith that distinguished him from others? It was his understanding that the essence of faith was the power of the Christian passion that deeply sympathizes with the sick, the weak, and the alienated, as their own suffering, and lovingly serving neighbors to improve their lives as humans. He also had the political and religious convictions of democracy, that everyone was equal as the children of God. Cultivating the Severance Medical Center into a large tree was not the blind desire of efficacy and profit, which is the general perception. Paradoxically, it has grown through the power of non-profitable, loving commitment and serving. This is the very reason to pursue the spirit of the Severance Medical Center and to faithfully adhere to its historical tradition. Even today, Jesus Christ is calling us to the Word of the truth that human beings can not live by bread alone.

Bernard’s ‘Sermones super Cantica Canticorum’ is his masterpiece and the superlative achievement of his mystical theology. The aim of this paper is to explore Bernard’s sermons introductorily, i. e. their background, literary form, contents, to put them across in their entirety. The Canticle is interpreted allegorical as follows: christological (ecclesiastical), mystical, mariological. In accordance with the traditional interpretation, Bernard interprets the bride as the soul thirsting for God. In addition, he links the traditional allegorical interpretation with the individual experience which the religious subject has. Although Bernard preached to his community, it seems, on the basis of evidence from the letters and the sermons, that Bernard’s 86 sermons on the Song of Songs are so much edited and altered, and they do not exhibit us the sermons as preached. So they are to regard as ‘more the product of the scriptorium rather than the pulpit’, more the literary work rather than the oral sermon. The mystical theology, which is contained in the sermons, is first the nuptial (bridal) mysticism. The bride is the individual soul loving God, and her ultimate aim is the mystical union with God (spiritual marriage). Bernard depicts this religious development with three kind of kisses. Second, his mystical theology is the Christ-mysticism. Bernard concentrates his meditative, contemplative attention on the suffered, crucified Christ. Therefore, his mysticism is to call as suffering-mysticism (cross-mysticism). The character of his mysticism is the emphasis on the experience. The spiritual experience is for Bernard the source of the religious, theological knowledge. The central experience is both self-knowledge and God-knowledge, and both are inevitable for our salvation. Finally, Bernard’s mysticism has the traditional structure of the mysticism, yet it also is to designate as the latin mysticism which is christ-centric and emphasizes the love and the experience. Bernard’s mystical sermons on the song of songs do not aim at knowing the divine mysteries but consummating spiritual union with God.

This paper explores the function and the role of poverty in the theology of John Calvin. In recent years, Calvin scholarship has been concerned to the ministry of the Genevan Church to social welfare policy, especially the poor. The writer tries to reveal peculiarity of Calvin’s system with respect to social welfare, examining numerous studies on his social and economic ethics. This study demonstrates that Calvin’s theology of poverty undercuts merit piety of medieval Roman Catholic Church, and that he relates the issue of poverty to his Christology, the nature of the Christian life, and the Church. This study proceeds as follows. The introduction discusses the concept of the Church Fathers and understanding of medieval church on poverty. The second chapter describes Genevan context of the sixteenth century in regard to civil relief system. This chapter shows that before Calvin comes to Geneva, there has been social care system developed by Genevan citizens. The chapter sketches an historical context for Calvin’s theological view on poverty. This fact plays an important role in reconstruction of social welfare institutions by Calvin. He endeavors to reform relief system of the poor in coordination of the ecclesiastical system and civil magistrates. Chapter three will be divided into three parts. First part examines Calvin’s theology of the poverty in his writings and sermons. Calvin interprets multifariously the poverty of Christ and its significance for the Christian life and the church, investigating theological meanings of physical and spiritual poverty. Second part examines the right use of wealth, showing that Calvin is essentially primer among the Reformation theologians to wrestle with the interrelation of secular economic development and the material and moral welfare of the individual. Third part argues the relationship between the ecclesiastical system and civil system in Calvin’s social welfare. This part demonstrates that for Calvin, coterminous interaction between the church and civil government on charitable work was unique. Conclusion part says several remarks of Calvin’s theology of poverty.

The exploit of Ham Suk-Hun in Korea Christianity history was new and authoritative speech (Matthew 8:29). He criticized old and powerless Korea Christianity by using new authoritative language and presented the new religious vision and spiritual energy that have given risen to prospective task in Korea Christianity today. He thought fundamental problem of Korea Christianity as the separation of church and state as consciousness of the times in disregard of history. He regarded Korea Christianity which has become lukewarm ashes and withered trees as formal idealism of religious belief which has taken history as just luck by chance. He sorted phenomenon of Korea Christianity in two aspects.?Firstly, systematized and privileged Christianity denied national solution, democratic demand in 1950s and pursued their interests by taking side with high and mighty people. Secondly, democratic Christianity that is not for construction of church but for construction of race conscience, not for a privileged minority but democratic religion for a majority and to service not to rule, to do an ascetic life not to be a state of euphoria. His writing criticized the realty of Korean society. In that situation the privileged class who make a monopoly of riches in clover life and neglect the people who suffer from absolute poverty after the Korean War. What he said is God’s words that spring up in the people. The person who tell and hear are the masses. So, someone who can not see the people’s mind can not hear this story even if he heard that. Hence they can not only hear the people’s speech but also can not speak true freedom. Ham thought that it is foolish to argue with them. Salvation is possible only by God’s grace. There is a confession of faith and life that are against human system and authority. He distinguished a new form of religion with old one and regulate Roman Catholic as an old form of religion that boast the power of a number and quantity. A new form of religion is for resist unfaithfulness and that is for freedom of the people’s spirit. Ham criticized Korea Christianity’s role and task in the desperate realty of Korean society. He conveyed God’s intention by the people’s voice in the land. God use Ham for Korea Christianity’s repentance and reformation prior to reformation of society. Because Korea Christianity did not role of prophets even though they have God’s words. His speech which was sent 50 years ago will become coordinates to Korea Christianity in identification and future direction.

This study investigates John Wesley’s ecclesiology (or his understanding of church, ministry, and sacraments) in the Christian tradition. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was a man of tradition. He inherited his rich legacy from various traditions, and the traditions were instrumental in shaping his ecclesiology. The major traditions on which he drew include primitivism, Anglicanism, Puritanism, and Pietism. He also, though not heavily, drew on the mystics of the Roman Catholicism and indirectly on the reformers. Primitive Christianity offered Wesley an ideal of the church and a model for his personal religious life and Methodist movement. The medieval mysticism, with its stress on inward religion and selfdiscipline, was influential upon Wesley, and its influence lasted throughout his life. Although there is no evidence of medieval Catholicism’s direct influence upon Wesley’s ecclesiology, the character of Wesley’s United Societies is akin to that of Tertiaries of medieval Catholicism in that they were both designed to be auxiliary to the parent body. Wesley drew certain themes such as sanctification and discipline from the reformers indirectly through the Anglican and Puritan traditions. The Anglican tradition was the initial influence upon and a lasting contribution to Wesley’s ecclesiology. Particularly the early Wesley was attached to the High-Church Anglican churchmanship and was enthusiastic to share in its sacramental life and to induce others to do the same. His High-Church Anglicanism, however, clashed with the evangelical conversion of 1738, and later was overshadowed by the combined influence of Puritanism and Pietism. From the Puritans Wesley drew an image of the Christian disciplined life and the instructions in its practice. Puritanism was also a main contributor to Wesley’s unorthodox churchmanship after he became a field preacher in 1739. From the Pietists Wesley learned the importance of the role and training of laity and was impressed by their discipline and enthusiasm for mission. The particular influence of the Pietists was most prominent in the creation and development of Methodist Church organization. Pietism also permanently influenced Wesley’s soteriology, in relation to which he established the character and validity of his ecclesiology. In a sense, Wesley’s ecclesiology was an amalgam of the multiple traditions that he inherited and sought to appropriate in a creative eclecticism. Investigating the historical sources which assisted Wesley in shaping his ecclesiology, this study examines Wesley’s doctrine of church as a whole in relation to the concept of salvation, since soteriology took the central place in his understanding of church. Wesley, with his highly developed sense of mission, shaped and developed his evangelical, functional understanding of church, responding to the spiritual needs of the people he sought to serve.

This article aims to explore John Wesley’s position upon the slave trade and slavery in England of the 18th century and his influences on the campaign for ending the slave trade and slavery. John Wesley, as a leader of awakening movement, was concerned with the personal conversion and the revival of faith and church. Regarding his social and political position, he as a Tory was royal to the english monarch and was against American Independence. Accordingly, he has been seen as conservative in terms of social perspective. It has sometimes caused the speculation that John Wesley was not interested in ending the salve trade and slavery, which is one of the greatest atrocities of civilization at his times. That is the case with the founder of North American Liberation theology and a leading Methodist theologian, James Cone. It is really ironic that he wrote, “The Wesley that has come to us seems very white and quite British, and that ain’t no good for black people who know that the Englishmen are the scoundrels who perfected the slave trade,” and indicated, “one does not get the impression that slavery was one of the burning issues on Wesley’ mind.” Actually, the early mission to Georgia in America brought John Wesley into direct contact with black slaves there. Since then, his concern about the slave trade and slavery had not disappeared in his mind, even though he more concentrated himself on the revival movement ignited by his own conversion. We can find out his criticism upon the slave trade and slavery in his Journals and Diaries, letters, and his Writings. Especially, his tract “Thought upon Slavery,” which partly drew on some writings by Anthony Benezet and Granville Sharp, had a great influence upon the methodists and mass. In his small book, he harshly criticized the slave trade and slavery itself as sum of all inhumane evils. His criticism was based not only on the Bible, but also on the general natural law and justice. Besides, he encouraged some leader of antislavery campaign to continue to do his action. Among these was included William Wilberforce, who spent a lifetime passing the bill for abolishing the slave trade and slavery through Parliament. After death of John Wesley, his follower and methodists still supported William Wilberforce to achieve his goal.

Six kinds of Korean Modern History’ Authorized Textbook have the fixed places in which the contents of Christianity were described. The Comparison between the tables of them shows the similarity of the large units, th meddle units, and the little units of six textbooks. According, first of all it must be examined that the places of Christianity in textbooks is fitting. The places of Christianity in textbooks were decided according to the editing principles of textbooks and the historical view. All textbooks have the nationalistic historical viewpoint and the immanent development historical viewpoint. Some textbooks have the left-oriented historical viewpoint plus these common features. When the textbooks were written with the nationalistic historical viewpoint and the immanent development historical viewpoint, the modernization and the armed independence movement as the most urgent of modern history tasks have the most important places. So the written contents of korean modern history were comprised with those. Now the debating problem is the cognition about the causes of the modernization. The nationalistic historical viewpoint and the internal development historical viewpoint have the viewpoint that the modernization was progressed by the internal development, but interrupted by the Japan. After that, the national independence was achieved by the armed independence movement and the modernization was progressed. But the Christianity contributes very much the modernizing process of Korea in the modern history. Therefore in the future, the some important roles of Christianity in the korean modernization process must be known and the Christianity should be recognized as the core of modernization. The upright historical viewpoint for the description of modern history has to be established for the recognition of the roles of christianity in the modernizing process. The new historical viewpoint should be comprised with the internal factors and the external factors.

This paper is designed for examining the Christian religion and the Christian social thought of the early Rhee Syngman (1875-1920). Rhee Syngman is a leading figure on modern history in Korea. He is an activist for national independence; a fighter, a statesman, an educator, a diplomat, etc. In particular, as the first President (1948-1960) in the Republic of Korea (ROK), he made great contributions to the founding as well as to the developing of ROK. To our surprise, such activities were on the basis of the Christian religion of Rhee Syngman. Having converted to Christianity in a jail, he lived in a Christian for about seventy years. After his conversion, Rhee Syngman was sure that Christianity is the only way for a national salvation. This standpoint appears to his Christian social thought; a national salvation idea by Christianity, a western civilization theory, the conception of the people’s rights and the equality, a practical theology thought of participating realistic affairs. These thought were mostly formed about the same time of his prison life and had an influence on his life and multifarious activities after that time. Being considered his position as the pivotal leader and Governor of a nation, therefore, it is certain that his Christian ideas filtered into the various fields of social in Korea. For that reason, this paper is focused to above theme.

The tithe system which the Urgemeinde did not know, has returned to the church with the Judaising trends. The early church was convinced that it would correspond with the spirit of the gospel, to use the tithe for the purpose of charity. The church depended on the voluntary donations; but in the sixth century, in Meroving dynasty the tithe was referred to for the first time in a synodal letter, and thence force it has begun to have the obligatory character. In the Caroling Dynasty the bishops asked the secular power to chastise those who refused to pay the tithes. At last Charlemagne proclaimed a capitulary, which made the payment of the tithes an obligation. He chastised the refusers as violators of the imperial order. In this way the tithe which men introduced originally as voluntary donation, changed into a sort of religious tax. Also the rule concerning the 1/4 portion for the poor which the Roman popes had stipulated, has lost its meaning. The purpose of tithes collection for the charity has been forgotten; the tithes has been collected only for the salary of the clergy. In the Frankish empire which was neither a industrial state nor a welfare state, the worst victims of the wars, the plagues and the natural catastrophes were the common people. They who were freemen nominally, have lost their scanty possessions for several reasons and erred on the streets. Although the church and the monastery tried to provide the costs for the charity from the tithes and other incomes and the synods tried to reform the charity system, the charity activities were encountered with their limits for several reasons. The rulers like Charlemage and Louis the Pious were interested for the problem of the poor; it could be relieved with the public funds, but could not be solved basically. The charity was the only help for the poor of the early Middle Age, and they were waiting for the charity.