Reading Scripture with the Reformers by Timothy George

Author:Timothy George
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2016-11-14T16:00:00+00:00

Three years after his posting of the Ninety-five Theses, Martin Luther became the first author whose works were assembled into a collected edition at the outset of his career—something that the great Erasmus “dreamt of for his own works as only a posthumous possibility.”46 Luther resisted the idea of the publication of his opera omnia for several reasons, including the fear that his writings might be read instead of the Bible when he meant them to be only a guide to understanding the Bible. He would be happy for all his works to perish with him, Luther said, so long as the Scriptures remained in the hands of the people. When printers in Augsburg and Wittenberg urged Luther to allow them to publish his collected works, he replied, “I’ll never consent to this proposal of yours. I’d rather that all my books would disappear and the Holy Scriptures alone would be read. Otherwise, we’ll rely on such writings and let the Bible go.”47

Despite his protestations, however, Luther reluctantly agreed to write a preface for a German edition of his writings that appeared in 1539. In this preface, Luther offered counsel for studying the Bible, a pattern of scriptural engagement he found in Psalm 119. Luther’s “three rules,” prayer, meditation and temptation, harked back to his own monastic formation and underscored the personal, antispeculative thrust of his entire theology.

Oratio. George Spalatin was one of Luther’s closest friends and his chief liaison with Frederick the Wise. He wrote to Luther in 1518 asking his advice about the best way of studying Scripture. Luther responded by saying that the first task is to begin with prayer, as it is certain that one cannot penetrate the meaning of the Bible by study and talent alone. “You must ask that the Lord in his great mercy grant you a true understanding of his words . . . for there is no one who can teach the divine words except he who is their author, as it says, ‘They shall all be taught by God’ (John 6:45).”48 For Luther, true prayer always brings the believer into the presence of the triune God, though he admits that sincere prayers will be heard no matter which person of the Holy Trinity is called on. “For you cannot call upon one person without calling upon the others, because the one, undivided divine essence exists in all and in each person.”49 True prayer is hard work, Luther says, harder even than preaching, yet all genuine insight into the meaning of Scripture begins with supplication. “But kneel down in your little room (Matthew 6:6) and pray to God with real humility and earnestness, that he through his dear Son may give you his Holy Spirit, who will enlighten you, lead you, and give you understanding.”50

Luther’s recommendation of prayer as essential to the proper study of the Bible is not an excuse for lazy thinking. The true interpretation of Scripture requires arduous labor, as Luther demonstrated in his struggles of how best to translate the Bible into German.

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