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6. Basic Theological Ideas in Luther's Marginal Notes on Augustine and Peter Lombard (1509/1510)
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Chapter 6 BASIC THEOLOGICAL IDEAS IN LUTHER'S MARGINAL NOTES ON AUGUSTINE AND PETER LOMBARD ( I 5 0 9 / I 5 I 0 ) THE TRADITIONAL AND THE NEW: THE VIEW OF SIN Apart from a few letters from Luther's early years after 1501, his first coherent written efforts date from 1509/1510. They involve marginal notes on die numerous writings of Augustine as well as on Peter Lombard's (ca. 1100-1160) great dogmatic work; The Four Books of the Sentences. Soon after its composition this work had already caught on as a foundational text, and in Luther's time served as "textbook." Many of die great scholastics of die High and late Middle Ages wrote commentaries on Lom bard's Sentences. For centuries die fact diat Lombard largely followed Augustinian tradition but also cautiously attempted to systematize die dogmatic material secured to his dogmatics a preeminence in all die dieological schools. Only die disputes of die sixteendi century gradually pushed diis work aside and replaced it widi text books oriented to dieological controversy. After his stay in die Erfurt cloister following his entry into die monastery, Ludier was transferred to die cloister atWittenberg in 1508. He was to finish his dieological studies diere, but was also to lecture on Aristode's Nicomachean Ethics. On March 9, 1509, he received die degree of Baccalaureus Biblicus at Wittenberg. As early as in die fall of 1509 he became a Baccalaureus Sententiarius. When he was returned to die Erfurt cloister diat fall, he had to lecture on Lombard's Sentences, in preparation for which he made marginal notes. His notes on die voluminous writings of Augustine, 45 46 LUTHER'S THEOLOGY IN ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT however, resulted more from intense occupation with diat church father, and most probably on his own initiative. These various notes require careful evaluation. In each instance die occasion is a specific statement in the text to be commented on, thus widiout coherent exposi tion. Completeness is also clearly lacking in die smaller contexts. Nevertheless, diese marginal notes allow us to trace those first new impulses in Ludier, obviously intimately linked to traditional views. In the research of the last decades, earlier attempts at finding allusions in diese notes to essential Reformation views have been quite rightly abandoned. On the odier hand, there is no doubt diat in some passages new views are set forth diat can no longer be integrated into one of die various late medieval school trends. In diis period Ludier evidently began to turn away from scholasticism. Taken togedier, diese marginal notes indicate diat Ludier was still a dieologian shaped by Occamism. For example, he held fast to die freedom of die will.1 Or in a longer statement on die topic of original sin, he wrote: "Original sin is die tinder of actual sin (fomes peccati scilicet actualis), it is die law of die flesh, die law of die mem bers, it is desire (concupiscemia), die tyrant, the weakness of nature, diat is, die absence of original righteousness (carentia iustitiae originalis)"2 Ludier dius adopted current definitions.3 Precisely in die midst of traditional definitions new impulses appear. First, Ludier saw die difference between die definition of concupiscemia diat he initially adopted and die view of Augustine. He conceded that by "desire" Augustine clearly understood guilt, but when Ludier construed "tinder" as die remainder of original sin, he was able to ignore die aspect of guilt. Next, Ludier expressed his first mis givings over die propriety of Lombard's definition diat original sin is the "tinder, die weakness of nature, die tyrant." Finally, he compared diese scholastic definitions widi Paul's habit of referring to die "flesh" diat lusts against die Spirit, and regarded this language as truly appropriate, while scholastic definitions merely paraphrase die condition tersely summarized by Paul.4 At diis point, Ludier's reflections had still not reached dieir conclusion. On die one hand, he sought to retain die traditional scholastic definitions of sin and to har monize diem widi Augustine, On die odier, he began to see diat Augustine obviously differed from scholasticism in his teaching concerning die will and sin. Above all, Paul's view of sin was gaining in significance. It appears diat his study of Augustine 1 W H 9,31, 9-10: "voluntas potest aliquid velle absolute i.e. quia est libera" ("The will is able to will something absolutely, that is, because it is free"). 2 WA 9,73, 21-27. 3 See...