DEDICATION

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...as everyone knows. For in his most heretical study of heresy original: "haeresiologia." This is a scathing pun on the title of Arnold’s work; the author suggests that Arnold’s history of heretics is itself a work of heresy., he offers his venal pen original: "venalem calamum." A "venal pen" implies that Arnold has "sold out" his writing to serve the interests of the church's enemies. not to secret, but to the open enemies and traitors of the churches. He turns his entire devotion and all the powers of his intellect toward nearly a single argument: the accusation of the Orthodox Orthodox: In this 17th-century context, this refers to those who strictly adhered to the established Lutheran state doctrine. and the clearing of the Heterodox Heterodox: Those holding beliefs that differ from the established church; a polite way of saying "heretics.". Truly, he does not merely strike at one or another member of the church, but attacks its entire mystical body original: "mysticum corpus." A theological concept viewing the Church as a spiritual organism united with Christ., accusing it most severely of being a Babel original: "Babelis." A reference to the Tower of Babel, used here to imply that the established church is a place of spiritual confusion and worldly wickedness. and a harlot original: "meretri-," the beginning of meretricis. This refers to the "Whore of Babylon" from the Book of Revelation, a common polemical slur used to describe a church one believes has fallen into idolatry or corruption....