Luther On Being a Theologian VI
August 14, 2010
The last two elements which go to make up a theologian are, for Luther, careful and constant reading, and a practical knowledge of the academic disciplines. This last can be dealt with quickly: essentially, Luther saw a good, rounded academic education as important for being a good pastor and theologian. It was that which provided a solid intellectual base for theological study; but it also helped one to appreciate the cultural riches of the world and, to put it bluntly, to make one less boring.
The former, careful and constant reading, is more significant. It refers primarily to the kind of careful reading of, and meditation upon, the biblical text which is to mark the life of the theologian. Remember, of course, that for Luther a theologian is also a pastor; and these marks or elements are aimed primarily at pastors; but there is also a sense in which every Christian is a theologian and a pastor, so the marks apply, in a less vigorous way, to all Christians without discrimination.
For Luther, human beings are constituted by words. A human being is one who is addressed by God through his words; and humans are marked off from every other species on the face of the earth by facility with language. As mentioned in an earlier post, Luther also drinks deeply at the wells of late medieval nominalism, where great emphasis was placed upon words as being fundamentally constitutive of reality.
Thus, constant, careful reading of scripture is a must for pastors and highly desirable for all Christians because the very action of being addressed by God's word in this way is fundamental to Christian identity. It makes us what we are; and it is a transformative exercise, more than simply looking all the words up in a dictionary. Here is how Luther describes it in the preface to the Wittenberg edition of his German writings (I use the translation in Lull, 72):
`You should meditate, that is not only in your heart, but also externally, by actually repeating and comparing oral speech and literal words of the book, reading and re-reading them with diligent attention and reflection, so that you may see what the Holy Spirit means by them. And take care that you do not grow weary or think that you have done enough when you have read, heard, and spoken them once or twice, and that you then have complete understanding. You will never be a particularly good theologian if you do that, for you will be like untimely fruit which falls to the ground before it is haft ripe.'
Of course, today this is often where the church feels the pinch. Our society is one where images are often more highly prized than words, and where technology is creating a generation who are intolerant of pieces of prose of more than a few characters in length. For Luther, concentrated textual study is not simply the way of achieving a certain end at a particular point in cultural history when the book was in the ascendant; it is rather fundamental to the fabric of the world. Language is how we communicate with each other, how we exert dominion over the earth, and how God defines and determines who we are in his divine address to us. If Luther was correct, then one of the most urgent things that church leaders need to do is recover the ability to reflect long and hard on the words of God.; and, in so doing, not only become that which God would have them to be, but also set an example to their people of how God would work within their lives.
The former, careful and constant reading, is more significant. It refers primarily to the kind of careful reading of, and meditation upon, the biblical text which is to mark the life of the theologian. Remember, of course, that for Luther a theologian is also a pastor; and these marks or elements are aimed primarily at pastors; but there is also a sense in which every Christian is a theologian and a pastor, so the marks apply, in a less vigorous way, to all Christians without discrimination.
For Luther, human beings are constituted by words. A human being is one who is addressed by God through his words; and humans are marked off from every other species on the face of the earth by facility with language. As mentioned in an earlier post, Luther also drinks deeply at the wells of late medieval nominalism, where great emphasis was placed upon words as being fundamentally constitutive of reality.
Thus, constant, careful reading of scripture is a must for pastors and highly desirable for all Christians because the very action of being addressed by God's word in this way is fundamental to Christian identity. It makes us what we are; and it is a transformative exercise, more than simply looking all the words up in a dictionary. Here is how Luther describes it in the preface to the Wittenberg edition of his German writings (I use the translation in Lull, 72):
`You should meditate, that is not only in your heart, but also externally, by actually repeating and comparing oral speech and literal words of the book, reading and re-reading them with diligent attention and reflection, so that you may see what the Holy Spirit means by them. And take care that you do not grow weary or think that you have done enough when you have read, heard, and spoken them once or twice, and that you then have complete understanding. You will never be a particularly good theologian if you do that, for you will be like untimely fruit which falls to the ground before it is haft ripe.'
Of course, today this is often where the church feels the pinch. Our society is one where images are often more highly prized than words, and where technology is creating a generation who are intolerant of pieces of prose of more than a few characters in length. For Luther, concentrated textual study is not simply the way of achieving a certain end at a particular point in cultural history when the book was in the ascendant; it is rather fundamental to the fabric of the world. Language is how we communicate with each other, how we exert dominion over the earth, and how God defines and determines who we are in his divine address to us. If Luther was correct, then one of the most urgent things that church leaders need to do is recover the ability to reflect long and hard on the words of God.; and, in so doing, not only become that which God would have them to be, but also set an example to their people of how God would work within their lives.
