CHAPTER IV. “I AM OF OCCAM’S PARTY” _pages_ 130-165

1. A CLOSER EXAMINATION OF LUTHER’S THEOLOGICAL TRAINING.

Not trained in the best school of Scholasticism. His Occamist education. Positive and negative influence of Occamism on Luther _pages_ 130-133

2. NEGATIVE INFLUENCE OF THE OCCAMIST SCHOOL ON LUTHER.

Luther’s criticism of Occam; he abandons certain views of the Occamists and flies to the opposite extreme; offended by their neglect of Scripture and by the subtlety of their philosophy; hence he comes to oppose Aristotelianism and the Scholastics generally. Occamistic exaggeration of man’s powers leads him _ex opposito_ to underrate the same. Negative influence of Occamism on Luther’s teaching regarding original sin. Gabriel Biel on original sin; the keeping of the commandments; the love of God; whether man can merit grace; Gregory of Rimini; the principle: “_Facienti quod est in se Deus non denegat gratiam_”; the deficiencies of the Occamists laid at the door of Scholasticism. Three answers to the question how Luther failed to perceive that he was forsaking the Church’s doctrine. His denial of natural righteousness, and his ignorance of the true scholastic teaching on the point; misunderstands his own masters. His interpretation of the words, “Without me ye can do nothing.” His rejection of actual grace _pages_ 133-154

3. POSITIVE INFLUENCE OF OCCAMISM.

Occamist “acceptation” and Lutheran “imputation.” Luther assails the habit of supernatural grace and replaces the doctrine of an essential order of things by the arbitrary _pactum Dei_. Divorce of faith and reason. Feeling and religious experience. Predestination; transubstantiation. Luther’s anti-Thomism, his combativeness and loquacity. Other alleged influences, viz. Gallicanism, ultra-realism, Wiclifism, and Neo-Platonism _pages_ 155-165