In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

3 Reformation Theologies of the Word Martin Luther and John Calvin Roman Catholic theologians seeking a more adequate theology of the word can profitably turn to the work of Reformation theologians Martin Luther and John Calvin. Each influenced by the work of Augustine, Luther and Calvin are interested in the ways in which language, particularly scriptural and sacramental language, mediates the relationship between God and humanity. Each narrows his focus within the sacraments to the sacramental word, the efficacious word of God that, when accepted in faith, is transformative for human beings. This same word is the word found in the texts of the scriptures and proclaimed in the preaching of the Church. Cognizant of the sinfulness of humanity, Luther and Calvin recognize the significance of embodiment, but also emphasize the impact of sin and the subsequent distance that exists between God and humanity. They wrestle with the ways in which God graciously overcomes this distance in order to make the offer of salvation heard in the world. Martin Luther and John Calvin approached the reformation of the Christian church in different ways. In the earliest years of the Reformation, Martin Luther sought to free the word of God from inadequate preaching and an excessive emphasis on doctrine to the detriment of the proclaimed word of the scriptures. Unable to turn his back completely on the Roman Catholic tradition in which he was trained, Luther maintained a strong attachment to the sacraments and their elements. Using scripture as his guide he rejected those sacraments which he did not find there. He emphasized the power of God’s verbal promise, drawing on the work of Augustine. John Calvin, a somewhat later Reformer, shared Luther’s interest in the work of Augustine and built on the theology of the word which emerged from Luther’s attention to biblical proclamation. Calvin’s work seeks to avoid the debates over literal biblical interpretation by developing a theology of the word 51 which both accounts for human sinfulness and error, and emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit mediating the grace of God through word and sacrament in history. Building on the work of Luther, Calvin crafts a theology of the word that appreciates the sacramental mediation of scripture and ritual as gratuitous gifts of God, offered to humanity through the Spirit, in order to effect what would otherwise be an impossible union between humanity and God. In this chapter we will examine the sacramental minimalism that characterizes the work of Luther and Calvin, and highlights the significance of the word of God in the scriptures, the sacramental rituals, the liturgy, and in everyday life. In the work of Luther and Calvin we find an understanding of the embodied word of God which does what it signifies and is not disconnected from images and sacramental actions. This is a sacramental word, found in the scriptures, and read and proclaimed in the sacraments and in human experience. In seeking to shed new light on its significance, Luther and Calvin highlight the importance of the relationship between sacrament and scripture, the graciousness of God who offers salvation to humanity through the word in a variety of contexts, and a sense of the importance of the embodiment of the word in history. This work, grounded in the scriptural word, continues to offer insights about the efficacy of the word of God, found as it is, not only in the sacraments, but in the various circumstances of human life. Martin Luther’s Theology of the Word In contrast to Aquinas, who expressed his theology primarily in the orderly genre of the scholastic treatise, Luther’s writings occur in the more haphazard context of parish life interspersed with periods of political exile. Often writing for publication in popular pamphlets rather than explicitly for scholars, Luther addresses the issues of his day in order of immediate importance. Primary among the issues he considers is a question regarding the significance of the word of God in the life of a Christian. Is God’s word mediated primarily through the structures, sacraments, and traditions, of the Roman Church, or is it mediated by the words of the scriptures? Luther is best known for his focus on the scriptural word of God, yet he also emphasized God’s word of promise offered in the sacraments. His shift in perspective from the more philosophically oriented scholastic view that preceded his work has the effect of shining a bright light on the ways in which biblical...

Share