21. The attainment of theological aptitude.
Luther writes in the preface to the first part of his German books in 1539:665) "I will indicate to you a proper way to study theology, which I have practiced; where you hold the same, you shall be taught so that you yourself could (where it would be necessary) even make as good books as the Fathers and Concilia. As I may (in God) also presume and boast without arrogance and lies, that I would not have much preceded some of the fathers, if it should apply to bookmaking; of life I can boast far not equally.666) And this is the way that the holy King David (no doubt also held by all patriarchs and prophets) teaches in the 119th Psalm; there you will find three rules inside, abundantly presented through the whole Psalm, and called thus: Oratio, meditatio, tentatio." Matthias Hafenreffer, professor of theology and chancellor of the University of Tübingen († 1619), places this axiom of Luther at the beginning of his Dogmatics, 667) while at the same time further expounding it on the basis of Scripture and applying it to the circumstances of the time. Among the
664) Shedd, because he suffers from the same disease as Calvin, denies the setting aside of the Scriptural principle in Calvin: "The systematic theology of Calvin's Institutes is exclusively Biblical in its constituent elements and substance. Calvin borrows hardly anything from human philosophy, science, or literature. His appeal is made continually to the Scriptures alone. No theologian was ever less influenced by a school of philosophy or by human science and literature than the Genevan reformer. Dogmatic theology, as he constructed it, is as Scriptural a theology as can be found in the ancient or modern Church." (Dogmatic Theology, I, 12.) We have provided documentary evidence to the contrary, loc. cit.
665) St. L. XIV, 434 ff.
666) Walther used to add to these words, "O humble Luther!"
667) Loci Theologici. Tubingae 1601, 1603, 1606 and more.
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theologians of the last century Rudelbach († 1862) expressed himself about Luther's instruction for the study of theology in an address: "You know the great word of Luther: Oratio, meditatio, tentatio faciunt theologum. In this word our whole theological methodology is contained. There is nothing to be added here and nothing to be taken away, as with every thought sealed by the Spirit of God." 668) Without a doubt, if Luther's methodology were followed everywhere, the plight of the church, insofar as it lacks proper doctrines, would soon come to an end.
Luther himself declares about the necessity of the oratio: "First of all, you should know that the Holy Scriptures are such a book, which makes wisdom of all other books foolish, because none teaches about eternal life without this alone. Therefore, you should despair of your mind and intellect, for you will not attain it with them, but with such presumption you will fall yourself and others with you from heaven (as Lucifer did) into the abyss of hell, but kneel down in your closet and pray to God with true humility and earnestness that He may give you His Holy Spirit through His dear Son to enlighten you, guide you and give you understanding. As you see that David always asks in the above Psalm: Teach me, Lord, instruct me, guide me, show me! and many more words, even though he was able to read and listen to the text of Moses and other books every day; nor does he want to have the right Lord of the Scriptures himself, so that he does not fall into error with reason and become his own master. For there are the spirits of the riffraff [Rottengeister], who make themselves believe that the Scriptures are subject to them and can easily be obtained by their reason, as if they were Marcolfus' or Aesop's fables, since they have no right to the Holy Spirit or to prayer." What Luther says here about the necessity of oratio is based on the conviction, worked by the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Scriptures are a book like no other in the world. It is God's own majestic Word. That is why it is the only book that teaches about eternal life, because all the world is caught in opinio legis. If other books also teach about eternal life, namely teach that salvation is obtained without the works of the law, through faith in Christ's satisfactio vicaria, this comes from the Scriptures. And because the Scriptures are God's own Word,
668) Quoted in Walther, Pastoral Theology, p. 9.
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it is fitting for the theologian, as often as he opens the Holy Scriptures, to completely lose his sense and understanding and to ask God for the Holy Spirit, who alone teaches the understanding of the Word of God and works the sense that submits to the Word of Scripture. Without this effect of the Holy Spirit, there is the presumption according to which man places himself above the Scriptures, does not let them be an object of faith, but makes them the object of his criticism, a presumption that leads himself and others to eternal ruin and before that still causes division and separation in the church here on earth. Because modern theology does not consider Scripture to be the Word of God, it naturally places itself not under Scripture but above it. The ego of the theologian becomes the dominant factor, and because the ego of the many individuals is present, the result is not unity in Christian doctrine, but hopeless disunity and factionalism.
Luther says about meditatio: "On the other hand, you should meditate, that is, not only in your heart, but also outwardly,
the oral address and literal words in the book always working and exercising, reading and rereading, with diligent attention and reflection on what the Holy Spirit means by it. And beware lest thou be weary of it, or think that thou hast read it once or twice enough, and heard it, and said it, and understand it all to the bottom; for there no special theology shall ever come to an end, and are like the untimely fruit that falls off before it is half ripe. Therefore you see in the same psalm how David always boasts that he will speak, write, say, sing, listen, read, day and night and forever, but nothing but God's Word and commandments. For God will not give thee his Spirit without the outward word, therefore judge thyself: for he hath not commanded it in vain to be outwardly written, preached, read, heard, sung, spoken, etc." In this more detailed exposition on meditatio, Luther says wherein the study of theology consists, namely, not in reflecting on what the theologizing Ego means by God and divine things, but in reflecting on what the Holy Spirit means and teaches in the "literal" Word of Scripture, which is not the word of men, but of the Holy Spirit. What modern theologians declare unworthy of theology ("legal authority of Scripture") and harmful to piety ("intellectualism"), Luther declares to be the only right way of studying theology. And one must not get tired of this way of doing the "literal words in the book" —
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"for no special theologian will ever come out of it" — but you have to stop with this way. Luther does not want the pastor to be "walled off," as Walther used to remark, but rather to study diligently.
Luther's more detailed explanation of the tentatio reads as follows: "Third, there is temptation. This is the touchstone that teaches you not only to know and understand, but also to experience how right, how true, how sweet, how lovely, how powerful, how comforting God's doctrine is, wisdom above all wisdom. Therefore you see how David complains in the Psalm mentioned above about all kinds of enemies, unruly princes or tyrants, about false spirits and rabbles that he has to suffer, because he meditates, that is, deals with God's Word (as said) in all kinds of ways. For as soon as the Word of God arises through thee, the devil shall visit thee, and make thee a right doctor, and by his temptation shall teach thee to seek the Word of God, and to love it. For I myself (that I, too, am mixed with the mice droppings) have much to thank my papists for having so crushed, distressed, and terrified me through the devil's ravings, that is, for having made me a pretty good theologian, where I otherwise would not have come. And what they have gained in me, on the other hand, I heartily approve of their honors, victory and triumph, for that is how they wanted it." As far as tentatio is concerned, it should be pointed out that Luther's whole theology grew out of tentatio, out of tentatio from within and without. First came the tentatio from within. After years of uncertainty and anguish of conscience under the Roman doctrine of works, God led him to the knowledge of the gospel of the free grace of God in Christ. Thus he experienced in his own heart and conscience "how right, how true, how sweet, how lovely, how powerful, how comforting is the Word of God, wisdom above all wisdom." Then came the tentatio from without. When Luther taught the Word of God, the papacy, indeed the whole world, got in his way and declared him to have lost both eternal and temporal life. In this challenge, he again learned to "seek and love the Word of God," with such success that he could say, "Here I stand, I can do no other!" Thus Luther became "a pretty good theologian" by way of temptation. And let us not deceive ourselves! In our time, too, theological aptitude is attained only by the way that we, in the temptation that comes from within
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and without, are driven to the Word of Scripture and hold on to it as the only immutable divine greatness in the world. The whole of the newer scientific theology is designed in the opposite way. Its way is not to bring consciences struck by the law of God to rest with God's Word and to oppose God's Word, the "wisdom above all wisdom," to the wisdom of the world, but it is designed to satisfy "intellectual needs" and to harmonize the Christian doctrine with the "modern world view.
Finally, Luther describes how adherence to the doctrine produces in the theologian the things that are so necessary to him, namely, grateful joy in the doctrine, joyful confidence that he can teach young and old and all kinds of people, persistent and growing humility, whereby the pernicious, ever-threatening pride is resisted, which causes so much destruction within oneself and outwardly. Luther thus concludes, "Behold, there you have David's rule. If you now study this example, you will also sing and praise with him in the same psalm! Ps. 119:72: he Law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver'; again, vv. 98-100: Thou through Thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies; for they are ever with me. I am more learned than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I am wiser than the ancients, for I keep thy commands, etc. And you will learn how stale and rotten the books of the fathers will taste to you, you will not only despise the books of the adversaries, but you yourself will like both in writing and doctrines the longer the less. When you have come here, hope confidently that you have begun to become a true theologian, who may teach not only the young, imperfect Christians, but also the growing and perfect ones; for Christ's church has all kinds of Christians in it, young, old, weak, sick, healthy, strong, fresh, lazy, silly, wise, etc. But if thou feelest and letest thyself think that thou hast certainly, and tickleest thyself with thine own little books, doctrines, or writings, as if thou hadst made it very precious, and preachedst excellently; if thou likest also very much to be praised before others, if thou wouldest perhaps be praised, or else thou wouldest become depressed and lose interest: if you have that sort of a pelt, 669) dear, grab thine own ears, and if thou grab them right,
669) Hafenreffer, Loci 1606, p. 18, transl: Huius farinae es? Are you of this nature?
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you will find a beautiful pair of large, long, rough ass's ears; then risk the full cost and decorate yourself with golden bells, so that, wherever you walk, people can hear you, point you out, and say: "Look, look! There goes that wonderful creature that can write such fine books and deliver such eloquent sermons! Then thou art saved and blessed in the kingdom of heaven; yea, since the infernal fire is prepared for the devil with his angels! Summa, let us seek honor and be haughty wherever we may. In this book, God's is the glory alone, and [it] says: Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam. Cui est gloria in secula seculorum. Amen." [Ed. - "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. To whom is glory for ever and ever"] We would like to give counsel to all theologians, and those who want to become theologians, to read Luther's theological methodology repeatedly, in order to follow it by God's grace all the way.