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Wisdom And Law In Old Testament Wisdom Literature, Alfred Von Rohr Sauer

Concordia Theological Monthly

In this article the author shows how the Jewish understanding of wisdom and law changed, especially in the intertestamental period. Wisdom, under the influence of Hellenistic thought, became almost a personal mediator between God and man, although it had originally been used to describe a certain style of living. The word "law" also underwent a change from its first meaning of guidance, to a later meaning in Deuteronomy of "the revelation of Yahweh's will to Israel," to the final identification of law with wisdom as the mediator between God and His creation, including especially man.

Critical Methodology And The Lutheran Symbols' Treatment Of The Genesis Creation Accounts, Horace D. Hummel

Concordia Theological Monthly

We must begin by specifying what lexicon we are using. What “critical methodology” in the first place? "Critical" is, no doubt, the usual shorthand for what is commonly labelled "the historical-critical method."

Walther's Theology Of The Word, Carl S. Meyer

Concordia Theological Monthly

C. F. W. Walther (1811-1887), the premier theologian of the Missouri Synod, was a dogmatician who relied heavily on the writers of Lutheran Orthodoxy of the 16th and 17th century. He made little use of the historical-exegetical method. John Philipp Koehler, the historian of the Wisconsin Synod, points out, for instance, regarding the proposal to have one joint theological seminary within the Synodical Conference in 1878: “Walther's hobby, the Latin disputation, with Latin the medium of instruction, as embodied in the Missouri proposals for the joint seminary was as antiquated scholasticism and besides would have kept the whole study of …

A Consideration Of The Meaning Of Prayer In The Life Of Martin Luther, Deanna Marie Carr

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author considers the meaning of prayer for Luther’s religious life and shows how during the 16th-century Reformation Luther "renewed" the wholesome traditions that had surrounded prayer in the prior history of the Christian church.

The Secret Of God's Plan: Studies In Ephesians Part Four, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

This fourth and final study in the Letter to the Ephesians depicts the scope of God's secret plan for the universe. It follows the previous expositions of the content and implementation of the divine mystery as well as the opposition to God's purpose of restoring the universe by gathering up all things under the lordship of Christ.

Rudolf Bultmann Revisited, Otto W. Heick

Concordia Theological Monthly

Early in the fifties the writer asked the late Paul Althaus of Erlangen whether in his opinion World War II ushered in a new epoch in the history of theology, as had been the case with the first World War. His answer was no. The emphasis in theology, he felt, had remained unchanged. Seen from the vantage point of the mid-sixties, we know that Althaus was wrong. Gradually through the fifties interest in neoorthodoxy declined. Karl Barth no longer dominated the theological scene. The name of Rudolf Bultmann began to claim primary attention. The historical problems of the New Testament …

The Secret Of God's Plan: Studies In Ephesians, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

Verse 9 of chapter 1 of Ephesians provides a good general tide to highlight one basic theological emphasis of the letter. There the Greek, literally translated, makes reference to "the mystery of His will." The Revised Standard Version in this case retains just that wording from the Authorized Version.

The Christian Faith And Revelation, Fred Kramer

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Christian faith rests solidly on God's own revelation of Himself and of His will with respect to man. Divine revelation is an act of God, not subject as such to the correction of the philosopher. Divine revelation has, however, a human correlative, namely theology. Theology, as the word is here used, is the church's speaking and teaching about God and His will. It is not itself revelation, which is always God's activity, but the church's speaking and teaching based upon divine revelation and therefore subject to correction, where it may need correction, on the basis of divine revelation.

The Hermeneutical Problem And Preaching, V. C. Pfitzer

Concordia Theological Monthly

One is sometimes tempted to the thought that the theologian's work is often carried out not in obedience to the Great Commission of Matt. 28:19 f.: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations … teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," but rather in compliance with an unknown saying which might run: "Go ye therefore and discuss with all nations, … and make into problems whatsoever I have commanded you.” It is thus with some diffidence that I have left the word "problem" in the heading of this paper. But I do it for the following …

Tertullian And The Early Christian View Of Tradition, Robert L. Wilken

Concordia Theological Monthly

The term tradition enters the Christian vocabulary in apostolic times. From earliest days it has ranked in importance with such words as grace, hope, love, justification, redemption, salvation, Scripture. Already in the writings of Paul it occurs at key points and reveals a great deal about how Paul conceived of the Christian faith, its origin and transmission.

The Use Of The Exodus In Interpreting History, Elaine Marie Prevallet

Concordia Theological Monthly

Our study takes the complex of traditions grouped around the exodus as its point of departure. We shall consider the use made of this event at four stages in Israel's history and attempt to determine two factors: (1) whether the prophetic interpretation of the exodus event at a given period in Israel's history has been shaped by the historical situation and (2) whether the exodus event is used to interpret the historical situation. Finally, we may be able to draw some conclusions relative both to the Israelite view and use of history.

The Relationship Between Dogmatics And Ethics In The Thought Of Elert, Barth, And Troeltsch, Edward H. Schroeder

Concordia Theological Monthly

A concern for dogmatics and a concern for ethics do not always go together. The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, for example, has always had a strong dogmatic tradition, but has in general been uninterested in what is commonly called ethics. But this is the opposite of the situation in many other American denominations. To put the problem into a broader perspective, what is the relationship between dogmatics and ethics? A helpful approach is to study the distinctive answers given by Werner Elert, Karl Barth, and Ernst Troeltsch, which prove to be distinctive not only because their personal theological convictions …

What Does "Inerrancy" Mean?, Arthur Carl Piepkorn

Concordia Theological Monthly

This paper is primarily a terminological study rather than a theological one. It inquires into the meaning of, rather than into the justification for, a term that has become a staple of dogmatic discussion in our own and other denominations.

The Creation Account Of Genesis: Guidelines For An Interpretation, Walter R. Roehrs

Concordia Theological Monthly

This paper addresses itself to the problem of how to read correctly what two books have to say on the same subject matter.

In both of them God speaks to us of what He has done. Since He does not contradict Himself, what He says in one book must be found to be in accord with what He proclaims in the other.

The two books of God are Holy Scripture and the book of nature. Both have something to say to us about the topic of creation.

Old Testament Theology As Heilsgcschichte, Arlis John Ehlene

Concordia Theological Monthly

An important group of Old Testament scholars in Germany and America is currently making copious use of the term Heilsgeschichte and the ideas associated with it. Avoided until recently by scientific theologians as suggestive of Biblicism and obscurantism, it has staged a comeback as a key word in some of the most respected scholarly circles.

Dangerous Trends In Modern Theological Thought, K. Runia

Concordia Theological Monthly

When we approach the problem of demythologizing from this starting point, it is beyond question that the Bible rejects every attempt in this direction.

Ministry And Life In The Seven Churches, Arthur C. Repp

Concordia Theological Monthly

The book of Revelation, the great Apocalypse of our Lord, is a record of what Jesus Christ showed His servant John, a record of "what must soon take place." In a series of ever-expanding visions Saint John the Divine is given to see the final and complete victory of Jesus Christ and His church. Though in the ages to come the powers of hell will appear to prevail through persecutions, famines, imprisonment, death, and destruction, Jesus Christ will nonetheless emerge in complete triumph on the Day of days as King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Natural Knowledge Of God, Ralph A. Bohlmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

This study grows out of a request for guidance from the Commission on Fraternal Organizations of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Over the years this commission has been meeting with leaders of a number of fraternal organizations in an effort both to explain our synod's position on lodgery as well as to encourage the removal of objectionable features from lodge rituals. These groups have shown readiness to make many of the ritualistic changes suggested by our commission. In one area, however, these groups refuse to yield. They insist that requiring belief in the existence of a Supreme Being of their members …

The Word Of God In The Theology Of Lutheran Orthodoxy, Robert D. Preus

Concordia Theological Monthly

The intention of this paper is not to offer a complete delineation of the doctrine of the Word of God in the theology of Lutheran orthodoxy, a project entirely too vast to be undertaken within our limited space. Our interest is to learn what the orthodox Lutheran teachers say to us on the specific issues now under debate. I have therefore restricted this study to a simple twofold purpose: (l) to present and analyze what Lutheran orthodoxy has said on the chief problems concerning the doctrine of the Word and (2) to offer significant observations regarding the real concerns and …

Cosmology, Ontology, And The Travail Of Biblical Language, Langdon B. Gilkey

Concordia Theological Monthly

This is a paper on the intelligibility of some of the concepts of what we commonly call "biblical theology," or sometimes "the biblical point of view," or "the biblical faith." Although my remarks relate only to the Old Testament and at some points concern only two distinguished American representatives of the "biblical viewpoint," G. E. Wright and B. Anderson, the number of scholars of both testaments whose thoughts are based on the so-called "biblical view," and so who share the difficulties outlined below, is very great indeed.

The Theology Of The Word Of God In The Old Testament, Walter R. Roehrs

Concordia Theological Monthly

In attempting to describe the Word of God we soon become aware of resorting to a process which from a purely logical point of view may be regarded as reasoning in a circle.

God's Acts As Revelation, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

There Is!" replied Jeremiah to the secret query of King Zedekiah whether there was a word from the Lord for the problem at hand. In this instance it was a message of judgment, "You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon" (Jer. 37:17). Just how did the prophet know this? In what way did God make His will known in this Case? By a dream? In a vision? By some special intuition or divine insight? We are not told more than that "the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah" (e.g., 37:6). We are, however, assured …

Prolegomena According To Karl Barth, Robert D. Preus

Concordia Theological Monthly

In a former article I pointed out by way of introduction that Karl Barth by his raking cognizance of both exegesis and church history ranks rightfully above most of his contemporaries as a dogmatician of stature. In the present article I shall try to examine Barth's opinion on the subjects of theology and dogmatics more specifically. We shall find that Barth takes a position on the matter of prolegomena very close to that of the 16th- and 17th-cenrury Lutheran and Reformed teachers, that his position is in the main both Scriptural and sane. Here, although we shall perhaps discern nothing …

Biblical Presuppositions For Church Discipline, Herbert J. Bouman

Concordia Theological Monthly

Speak unto all the congregation of the Children of Israel and say unto them, Ye shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy." (Lev. 19:2)

In this brief statement may be found a comprehensive outline of the revelation of God in the Scriptures and of the engrossing story of God's ways and dealings with men.

Pauline Charis: A Philological, Exegetical, And Dogmatical Study (Concluded), Raymond F. Surburg

Concordia Theological Monthly

Francisco Zorell gives two definitions of grace that are not warranted by the context in which χάϱις, appears in the epistles of Paul.

The Doctrine Of Creation In Lutheran Theology, Jaroslav Pelikan

Concordia Theological Monthly

The fundamental category in the Biblical doctrine of man is the category "creature." Whatever else Christian theology may have to say about the nature and destiny of man, it says in the limits described by that category. Its picture of man as sinner, therefore, must portray him as a fallen creature. It must not make him a creature of Satan because of his sin. Nor dare theology forget that it is precisely man's creaturely derivation from God that makes his sin so calamitous. Because the category "creature" is so fundamental, orthodox Christian theology has always felt compelled to draw a …

The Message Of Law And Gospel In The Old Testament, Alfred Von Rohr Sauer

Concordia Theological Monthly

In treating this topic the writer purposes to approach his task neither from the systematic, nor from the historical, nor from the practical point of view. He intends to let the Scriptures of the Old Testament speak for themselves. In fact, he will restrict the scope of his work by directing the reader's attention not to the entire Old Testament, but rather chiefly to the Prophets and Psalms; not to all the Prophets and poets, but chiefly to the Prophets of the eighth and seventh centuries B. C. and to those poets who sing especially about God's judgment and grace.

Grace Of God In The Old Testament (Concluded), Walter R. Roehrs

Concordia Theological Monthly

After making a rapid survey of the terms that the Old Testament employs to denote the grace of God, we need to say that these words are not the fleeting sound of empty vocables. Nor do they describe an abstraction in the nature of a Platonic idea. They tell what God does to save men from the curse of their separation from Him and to bring them a life in blessed communion with Him. Our next task is, therefore, to trace how the grace of God entered the lives of the Old Testament believers to bring them salvation.

Natural Law And The New Testament, Robert Hoeferkamp

Concordia Theological Monthly

This paper will attempt to investigate elements of Natural Law which are generally alleged to appear in the New Testament. Thus a historical discussion of Natural Law and the indication of the importance of the topic for current theological discussion are in order.

Brunner On Revelation, Robert Bertram

Concordia Theological Monthly

Professor Emil Brunner, the Reformed theologian at the University of Zurich, probably requires little introduction. He, more than any others of the so-called neo-orthodox theologians from Europe, has fast found his way into American Protestant theological thinking. his books seem to be showing up more and more frequently even in Lutheran parsonages, and his name has appeared a number of times in past issues of this very journal. This wide respect which Brunner enjoys is not undeserved. He has been considerably instrumental in encouraging Protestant theologians to return to the rock whence they were hewn, to the classical Christian doctrines …