The Reformation and the Right Reading of Scripture

The Reformers and the Bible

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  The Bible-scene at the university library at Erfurt 1503 © Drove privée

Luther was an Augustine monk ; in obedience to his club he studied for many years and was then appointed Professor of the Holy Scriptures at Wittenberg University. Information technology may come every bit a surprise to us today, but the Bible was widely read and studied within the Cosmic Church. Luther discovered texts which formed the basis of the Reformation principle "sola gratia" (past grace alone), while studying and making notes on Paul's epistles : man'southward salvation comes by God's grace lone and does non in any fashion depend on his works (which was non the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church).This was the basis of Luther's disagreement with traditional doctrine, and it was taken upwardly past all the other Reformers. According to Luther, Scripture could simply exist read in the light of "sola gratia" which opened the reader's mind and led to "sola scriptura".

Equally for Ulrich Zwingli, the Reformer in Zurich, he gave prime importance to the manner in which Scripture was read : what was the right estimation, how could ane understand it correctly ? He and all the other Reformers considered "sola scriptura" to be the very basis of the Reform Movement.

What do these 2 Latin words hateful, which can be translated past "past scripture alone" ? "Scripture" refers to the Bible, the essential reference for Christian religion. Information technology was not the Bible that was new to the Reformers, but the novelty lay in the fact that information technology was the Bible "alone" which was of import.

The Church building no longer interpreted the Scripture

In the fourth century Saint Augustine wrote that the Bible was the supreme guide. However, he added that the Church building taught the exact meaning of the Scripture and it's correct interpretation. In the 16th century, Cajetan, the Pope'due south representative who opposed Luther, declared that any interpretation had to take into business relationship quondam commentaries and reflect Church doctrine.

What did Luther answer ? He said that Scripture should only be interpreted according to "the conscience, bound by the Word of God". Luther bankrupt abroad from the Church saying that the Bible was not necessarily linked to traditional interpretation. Anybody recognised the sovereign authority of the Bible, simply Luther contested its traditional inextricable association with its estimation by the Church : this is one of the meanings of "Sola scriptura", that the Bible should not exist interpreted by the clergy. In the 16th century the interpretation of the bible had become controversial, disquisitional of the church building institution. The way in which Protestants read the Bible led to the reforming of the Church building.

There was a render to the literal sense of the Bible without any allegorical interpretation

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  Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) © Musée de la Réformation Genève

The Reformers rejected allegorical exegesis which was popular at the terminate of the Heart Ages. For example, the word Jerusalem, allegorically, meant the Church and non the town in Judaea, its literal pregnant. It could also stand for the private or the Kingdom of God. According to the sense given to a particular discussion, the pregnant of the Biblical text could vary considerably. Some allegorical symbolism was very far-removed from the text. The Reformer Zwingli was the starting time to question the real pregnant of the Biblical text. He was influenced by the Humanists in his back up of scientific exegesis and the quest for the true, literal meaning of the Scriptures. The principle of "sola scriptura" taught that the historical or literal sense of the text was important, without the emblematic interpretation which many Reformers considered to exist dishonest intellectually.

The contribution of printing : the Bible became more accessible

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  36 lines Gutemberg Bible © Société Biblique

The invention of printing was of considerable importance. It made reading the Bible a existent possibility for all. Gutenberg's beginning printed book was a Bible in Latin. Compared to a hand-written manuscript, a printed book was produced more quickly and at a much lower cost. This enabled a much greater distribution of the Bible, fifty-fifty if information technology was largely restricted to the educated and the well-to-do. The just access to the Bible for people in the Heart Ages was through the liturgy of the Latin mass, sermons, sculptures and paintings in churches or the mystery plays, which took identify in front of cathedrals at Christmas and Easter. That is to say, the Bible was always interpreted past the clergy or depicted past artists. Once the Bible was printed, people who could read had straight access to the text itself, without the confusion of different interpretations. This was truly a revolution.

The contribution of traditional exegesis

"Sola scriptura" was often understood to mean that only the Bible could be considered of import, without the traditional Church building exegesis. But in fact, the Reformers did not intend to do away with this tradition nor the centuries of reflection and meditation on the Scripture. Indeed, they knew the works of the Church Fathers well and did not hesitate to quote them, especially Saint Augustine, to back up their arguments. For the Reformers, traditional estimation of the Scriptures was a useful improver merely did non accept the aforementioned potency as the Bible itself.

"Sola scriptura" did non hateful that the Bible was the one and only book worth knowing, but it did have definitive authority. Nonetheless, it was also necessary to be guided past a sermon in club to interpret it correctly.

The Humanists considered the ancient Greek and Roman texts from a scientific and critical angle. They sought to establish the best "source text", that is to say the about reliable text in the original linguistic communication, after having compared several manuscripts. In club to do so, ane had to take a skillful noesis of the classics. This adept cognition was likewise used for studying the Bible.

Near Reformers had been instructed by Humanists and used their methods. They insisted on a scholarly arroyo and intellectual integrity for interpreting the Bible in a sermon. Calvin called for the apply of dictionaries, grammar books, the commentaries which already existed and he likewise advocated that texts should be studied in their original language. He urged people to read the Scriptures using their religion and their intellect.

Calvin idea that the Bible could but be understood when placed in context ; the Holy Spirit inspired the authors, merely was constrained by human knowledge at the time. So it was important that the Bible reader should be aware of the background and the age in which these texts were written.

According to 16th century Humanists, critical study of the texts in no mode prevented clarity in estimation. It did not necessitate the utilise of secrecy or mystery as was the case for emblematic or mystical texts. The Humanist scholar built upwards his arguments in a way that was understandable to all. Preachers had to be able to explain, show and convince. Equally they shared their expert knowledge with the people, the study of theology became bachelor to everyone and was no longer restricted to the clergy.

What'southward more than, as the Reformers and the Humanists encouraged the reading of the Bible in i'south own linguistic communication, the Scriptures became much more widely attainable.

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Source: https://museeprotestant.org/en/notice/the-reformation-and-the-bible-sola-scriptura/

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