- Irenism
Irenism (from Greek "eirene" - peace) was an ideology conceived by Dutch theologian
Erasmus (1469-1538) after the consequences of theReformation became apparent. It postulated removing conflicts between different Christian creeds by way of mediation and gradual amalgamation of theological differences. Irenical has become a commonly-used adjective to design an idealist and pacific conception, such as thedemocratic peace theory .Although irenism did not play a major role in the theological climate of the
16th century , it is seen by some as forerunner to the more modernecumenical movements.An excellent description of an early irenic movemment can be found in
Adam Nicolson 's book "God's Secretaries", which is about the making of theKing James Bible . Nicolson believes that King James I wanted to avoid religious conflict between the Established English Church and the Puritan movements. James thought the Bible, whose creation was the job of several committees drawing on a variety of earlier translations, might effect some reconciliation between the not-quite-warring religious factions.Unfortunately for everyone involved, that tension finally exploded in the
English Civil War .Philosopher
Gottfried Leibniz was a supporter of irenism in the 18th century.
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