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During the first half of the sixteenth century the Spanish Inquisition fought "Lutheranism" in a benign way, but as time passed the power struggle between those that favoured reform and the detractors intensified, until persecution became relentless under the mandate of Inquisitor General Fernando de Valdés. The power struggle did not catch Constantino by surprise, but the tables turned faster than he had expected. On 1 August 1558 Constantino preached his last sermon in the cathedral of Seville; fifteen days later he was imprisoned. Constantino's evangelising zeal is evident in all his works, but the core of his theology can be found in Beatus Vir, where he deals with the doctrines of sin and pardon, free grace, providence, predestination, and the relationship between faith and works. In his exposition of Psalm 1, Constantino does not resort to human philosophies but associates the spiritual fall of humanity with ugliness. In his exhortation to the reader, he states: "we shall plainly see the repulsiveness of that which seems so good in the eyes of insane men, and the beauty and greatness of that which the Divine Word has promised and assured those who turn to its counsel."
About the author
Frances Luttikhuizen (+ 2022) was an interdisciplinary scholar, an applied linguist turned historian, a retired educator, a teacher-trainer, text-book writer, researcher, and lecturer. She held a Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona.
Summary
During the first half of the sixteenth century the Spanish Inquisition fought “Lutheranism” in a benign way, but as time passed the power struggle between those that favoured reform and the detractors intensified, until persecution became relentless under the mandate of Inquisitor General Fernando de Valdés. The power struggle did not catch Constantino by surprise, but the tables turned faster than he had expected. On 1 August 1558 Constantino preached his last sermon in the cathedral of Seville; fifteen days later he was imprisoned. Constantino’s evangelising zeal is evident in all his works, but the core of his theology can be found in Beatus Vir, where he deals with the doctrines of sin and pardon, free grace, providence, predestination, and the relationship between faith and works. In his exposition of Psalm 1, Constantino does not resort to human philosophies but associates the spiritual fall of humanity with ugliness. In his exhortation to the reader, he states: “we shall plainly see the repulsiveness of that which seems so good in the eyes of insane men, and the beauty and greatness of that which the Divine Word has promised and assured those who turn to its counsel.”
Foreword
Frances Luttikhuizen traces Constantino de la Fuente’s religious experience from the Erasmian influence at Alcalá de Henares during his university days in the 1520s to being the main spokesperson for the evangelistic tendencies emerging in Spain in the 1550s. His theology shows strong parallels with the renovating current within the Catholic Church of the first half of the 15th century, which emphasised a genuine, personal religious experience, an “inner Christianity” that highlighted the doctrine of justification by faith and downplayed external rites and the invocation of saints. Constantino’s sermons on Psalm 1—of which the first translation into English is appended—provides an example of both his preaching style and his theology.
