Semper Reformanda: The Origins of the Slogan and Its Meaning
By Tim LeCroy, October 31, 2022.
Today is Reformation Day. Today we mark the occasion of Luther attaching his ninety-five theses in a letter he sent to Albert Archbishop of Mainz protesting the sale of indulgences that he had authorized throughout Germany. Earlier that year Luther had been disturbed by reports of local townspeople who had visited a nearby area to hear the indulgence preacher Tetzel and purchase indulgences from him. They reported to Luther that they were able to obtain forgiveness of sins without true contrition or amendment of life. This resulted in Luther poring over the issue for several months, composing his list of theses for academic disputation and conversing with various parties via letter. In the early fall of 1517, Luther composed his treatise on indulgences and then on October 31 attached the theses to the letter he sent to Albert. A printer in Basel got a hold of the theses, started printing them, and they went viral. Truly without Luther’s direct involvement, the theses spread all over Europe and became the spark for a much needed and long awaited reformation of the church.
One of the slogans closely associated with the 16th century Reformation is Semper reformanda. It also happens to be the title of this website. It is commonly accepted that this is a reformational slogan that distills and embodies the ideals of the Reformation. Some may even be under the impression that the Reformers themselves employed the term. However both Luther and Calvin opposed the notion of continual reformation, albeit for slightly different reasons. Luther firmly believed that the medieval world and life view was necessary for the proper ordering of government, church, and society and for the godly lives of individuals. Thus for him a total reformation was not in order, only on certain specific terms that he laid out in his writings and pursued in his ministry. Similarly, Calvin did not believe that continual reformation was a good thing. He believed that the church needed reform, but once the reform was completed, no further tweaking would be necessary.
Yet, we can’t say whether or not Calvin or Luther would have approved of the slogan because it did not exist in their day. There simply is no documentary evidence of the slogan existing until the nineteenth century.
This brings up several questions that bear answering: What are the origins of the slogan? Which version of the slogan (there are several)? What does the slogan mean? Lastly, given these things, is it a useful slogan for us to employ?
The Historical Origins of Semper Reformanda
The historical origins of the slogan are a bit murky. The earliest recorded use of the phrase with both the adverb “semper” and the future passive participle “reformanda” was by The Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper, who in 1892 used the phrase “ecclesia semper reformanda.” [1] Ten years earlier Herman Bavinck used the phrase, “Ecclesia Reformata et Reformanda,” which is close, but lacks the adverb “semper.” If we combine these two phrases, we can see how the fuller phrase “Ecclesia reformata et semper reformanda” came to be.
To be sure, there are older usages of the words “reformata” and “reformanda” to refer to the church, but none that put the adverb and the future past participle together into one aphorism as Kuyper did. Some have placed the origins of the phrase with one Jocodus van Lodensteyn in 1678. However, while van Lodensteyn did use both verbs “reformata” and “reformanda” to refer to the church, it was not done so in a single aphorism and the adverb “semper” is absent. [2]
From Bavinck and Kuyper the phrase took on several different forms until it was popularized by Karl Barth in 1947 as “Ecclesia semper reformanda.” [3]
How then did we come to think of it as an ancient Reformed slogan? Well, certainly the notion of the church being reformed and reforming has been expressed since the 17th c., with Johannes Hoornbeecks in 1660 and Jocodus van Lodensteyn in 1678 being the prime examples. Indeed as far back as 1610, Friedrich Balduin of Wittenburg wrote “semper in Ecclesia opus esse Reformatione, quia semper occurrunt corruptelae morum et doctrinae.” [4] Indeed when Kuyper used the phrase in 1892 he seemed to think of it as an already established expression, perhaps due to the similar usages I’ve pointed out above. Yet the biggest reason why it is considered ancient seems to be the declaration by Peter Vogelsanger, editor of the journal Reformatia, that it was an “ancient formula.” [5] That mistake was repeated by no less of a scholar than Olaf Pedersen in 2007. So we see that the notion of an ancient origin for the slogan is rather persistent and difficult to weed out.
Which Version of the Slogan?
The ideas contained in this punchy Latin aphorism are so relevant and powerful that folks have continued to add to it and tweak it over the years. Anecdotally, I’ve seen the phrases, semper reformanda, ecclesia semper reformanda, ecclesia semper reformanda est, ecclesia reformata et semper reformanda, and ecclesia reformata semper reformanda, in addition to other variations on these four words that I’m sure have been tried. Further, I’ve seen the phrase secundum verbum Dei tacked on, no doubt in order to place limits on the extent and basis of the said reforming. I’m sure there are other variations. However, it is clear that the phrase we are working with (the canonical one, if you will) is ecclesia semper reformanda.
The Meaning of Ecclesia Semper Reformanda
Now that we have settled on a version of the slogan, what does it mean? The typical translation we hear is “always reforming,” but this is simplistic. “Reformanda” is a gerundive participle in the future tense and with passive voice. The participial aspect implies a continuous or progressive nature to the reform: the Church is reforming. The passive aspect adds a sense that someone or something is doing the reforming of the Church: the Church is being reformed. The future tense combined with the participle communicates the essential nature of the continuing reform: the Church must be being reformed. Lastly, the adverb “semper” adds a temporal modification to the reforming action: the Church always must be being reformed. That’s a bit clunky, but that’s how the phrase breaks down.
What of the other additions? “Reformata” seems to be an acknowledgment that we inhabit the Reformed church and that even though that word is in our name, the church still needs to be reformed. The sometimes addition of “secundum verbum Dei,” simply clarifies that any reforming must be according to God’s word and not according to some other standard. This is likely employed because some have used the slogan as impetus for moving past the teachings of the Scriptures. Neither of these additions is essential for the aphorism.
One last matter bears attention: who is doing the reforming? I’m sure many think of human agents doing the reform, but this seems not to fit with what Jesus himself has said about the Church in the Scriptures. In Matthew 16:8 he declares, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” teaching us that King Jesus is building the church. And in John he speaks of the help of the Holy Spirit, first in 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you,” and likewise in 15:26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” Lastly, according to Revelation 2:1, King Jesus walks among the golden lampstands, actively governing the Church. Indeed, the head of the Church is Christ (1 Cor. 11:3, Eph. 4:15, 5:23). So it seems best to think of Jesus Christ himself, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, as the one who is reforming the Church.
The Usefulness of Semper Reformanda as a Slogan
Given all of this, is a neo-Latin aphorism something we should employ in reference to the Church? Interestingly, as Perisho points out, many of the first and second generation reformers rejected the idea of the need for continual reform. For them the church was Reformata: no future reforms necessary.
Yet the idea of Semper reformanda still has great appeal to many. What rationale can be given for the need for continual reformation in the church when our forefathers taught there was no need? In the process of researching this topic I found the writings of one of the earliest theologians to speak of the idea of Semper reformanda: an early 17th century German Lutheran named Friedrich Balduin of Wittenburg. [6] He was a doctor and professor of theology at Wittenberg (Luther’s university), and a church overseer. In 1610 he wrote a commentary on the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, and in his comments on Malichi chapter one, he wrote this, “Admonemur nos hac inscriptione, semper in Ecclesia opus esse Reformatione, quia semper occurrunt corruptelae morum et doctrinae,” which I’ve translated: “We are admonished by this inscription, the work of Reformation in the Church is always needed, because the corruption of morals and doctrine there always occurs.” [7] Notice the reason for reform is not out of a need for continual tweaking of the faith, but because of the continual digression of morals and doctrine. He goes on to point out the various reformations in the scriptures as proof that the church will always be in need of reform– before the Babylonian captivity: Joash, Asa, Hosea, Hezekiah, Josiah; post captivity: Joshua and Zerubabel; the reformation Malachi was instituting in his prophecy; and the Great Reformer Jesus Christ who sought to reform the church in Jerusalem.
Balduin offers a fascinating observation that shows us that the church will always be in need of reform due to continued corruption of morals and doctrine. And if the Church in the time of the Bible always needed reformation, shouldn’t we expect that the Church in our time will need it as well? Reformed Christians believe that sin and corruption will remain in us until the return of Christ. Indeed, Luther’s first of the ninety-five theses was, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent,” he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Applying this doctrine more broadly, I think Balduin gives us the answer: the Church always needs reforming because the Church is always deforming. In other words, due to the sin and corruption of its members, the entire life of the Church is to be one of repentance.
Semper Reformanda!
[1] This is pointed out in a library guide by Steve Perisho of Seattle Pacific University, who cited a book review in an obscure Dutch journal named Documentatieblad nadere reformatie. The review was by J. N. Mouthaan, and the book reviewed was Hermeneutica sacra: Studien zur Auslegung der Heiligen Schrift im 16. und 17. Jahrhundert, a book of essays. The specific essay reviewed was "Ecclesia semper reformanda," Eine historische Aufklärung. Neue Bearbeitung,” by Theodor Mahlmann. Mahlman’s main thesis was that Karl Barth coined the term in 1947, but Mouthaan disproved that. See https://spu.libguides.com/DCL2017/Reformation#s-lg-box-wrapper-18675181.
[2] See Kevin De Young, “Semper Reformanda,” https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/semper-reformanda/, and W. Robert Godfrey, “Semper Reformanda in its Historical Context,” https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/semper-reformanda-its-historical-context.
[3] Karl Barth, “Die Botschaft von der freien Gnade Gottes,” Theologische Studien 23 (1947).
[4] “The work of Reformation in the Church is always needed, because the corruption of morals and doctrine there always occurs,” https://digitale.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/vd17/content/pageview/7332325.
[5] For the above examples and more, please see the excellent library guide compiled by Steve Perisho, Theology and Philosophy Librarian at Seattle Pacific University. He has done us all a great service with his compilation: https://spu.libguides.com/DCL2017/Reformation#s-lg-box-wrapper-18675181.
[6] See: Theodor Mahlmann, “Balduin, Friedrich”, in: Religion Past and Present. Consulted online on 31 October 2022 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1877-5888_rpp_SIM_01435> First published online: 2011. See also: https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/B/balduin-friedrich.html; and https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Balduin.
[7] See: https://digitale.bibliothek.uni-halle.de/vd17/content/pageview/7332324.
