The article expounds Grundtvig´s understanding of the catholicity of the Church and demonstrates its ecumenical character. Fundamental to the unity of the Church is agreement on baptism as an act of God and the confession of faith in the form of the Apostles´ Creed, seen by Grundtvig as God´s covenantal word, spoken by Christ. Grundtvig gives up the reformatory principle of "sola scriptura", since a book can never be the foundation of the Church. This is only the living Christ. Grundtvig fully accepts the legitimacy of a historico-critical interpretation of the Bible. However, herejects the principle of "sola scriptura" because otherwise Christians would be subjected to the papacy of the exegetes. Grundtvig understands thedifferences between confessions and denominations as differences of doctrine or teachings which should not split the Church so long as there isagreement on baptism as an act of God and on the Apostles´ Creed. All theological doctrines are of a provisional character from an eschatologicalperspective. And it is this that makes a great freedom possible in the formation of theological teachings, while at the same time retaining commitment to the essence of the matter.

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Personen: Lange, Dietz J°rgensen, Theodor

Schlagwörter: Ökumene Kirchenverständnis