The Magisterial Reformation "denotes the Lutheran, Calvinist
eformed and Anglican churches" and how these denominations "related to
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
authorities, such as princes,
magistrates
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
, or city councils", i.e. "the magistracy".
While the
Radical Reformation that gave rise to the
Anabaptist Church
Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...
es rejected any secular
authority over the Church, the Magisterial Reformation argued for the interdependence of the church and secular authorities, i.e. "The
magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...
had a right to authority within the church, just as the church could rely on the authority of the magistrate to enforce discipline, suppress heresy, or maintain order."
In addition, the term
magister relates to the emphasis on
authoritative
In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The Ne ...
teachers. Often this is seen in the names of the theological schools descending from magisterial reformers (e.g. Lutheran, Reformed, and
Anglican), who are collectively known as Magisterial Protestants.
References
Protestant Reformation
Christian terminology
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