Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

“The Weapons Of Their Warfare": A Study In Early Christian Polemic, Richard P. Jungkuntz

Concordia Theological Monthly

Illuminating for an understanding of the patristic mind in general is an examination of the techniques and forms of rebuttal that the fathers employed in opposing Epicureanism. Basically these methods fall into four categories: religious answers, debaters' tricks, stock arguments, and appeals to "science."

Notes On The Inerrancy Of Scripture, Robert Preus

Concordia Theological Monthly

This study is o1fered as an approach to the problem of the inerrancy of Scripture as it concerns the Lutheran Church today. The attempt is to present a position that agrees with Scripture's testimony concerning itself and with the historic position of the Christian church. At the same time the attempt is made to be timely and to take into account contemporary issues raised by modern Biblical theology.

Documentation, Richard A. Bardolph

Concordia Theological Monthly

Some Reflections on Civil Disobedience

Civil Obedience and Disobedience

The Conquest Of Palestine In The Light Of Archaeology, Paul W. Lapp

Concordia Theological Monthly

The first part of this article considers those Palestinian tells that date roughly between the latter part of the 13th and the 11th century B. C. The archaeological history of the pertinent sites is summarized by major geographical area. After a second part, briefly discussing the ceramic typology of the period, the final section deals with the historical meaning of the evidence cited, both per se and in relation to the other types of evidence.

Luther's Exegetical Principle Of The Analogy Of Faith, Otto Hof

Concordia Theological Monthly

It was clear to Martin Luther that what was at issue in his discussion with his opponents, with Rome on the one hand and with the enthusiasts on the other, was not so much the question of principle regarding the importance and relevance of the Bible-in whatever way and however qualifiedly its authority was on all sides theoretically acknowledged and practically brought to bear in controversy through argumentation by means of Bible passages - as rather the question concerning the correct interpretation of the Holy Scripture.

Rectilinear Or Typological Interpretation Of Messianic Prophecy?, William J. Hassold

Concordia Theological Monthly

The purpose of this article is not to argue directly for the correctness of the one or the other interpretation, though the writer's preference will, no doubt, become clear; rather it is to give a historical survey of the exegetical literature of the two synods dealing with Messianic prophecy and to show how these two contrasting approaches were held by men who were in church fellowship with each other in The Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America, all the while disagreeing with one another on this issue. By presenting the argumentation of both sides of the problem, this study …

Worship: The Divine Alchemy, Thomas Coates

Concordia Theological Monthly

In medieval lore, scientists sought to use the process of alchemy to transmute base metals into gold. Alchemy proved to be a pseudoscience, for men have devised no method to create the precious metal out of elements that are common and coarse. But in a higher sense, and in the spiritual realm, God achieves that which to man is impossible: He takes these base, ignoble elements, these earthen vessels - our stumbling words, our faltering prayers, our paltry gifts, our flawed works, our frail and sin-scarred lives - and transmutes them into gold, into offerings fit for the King.

Documentation: A Lutheran Stance Toward Contemporary Biblical Studies, Ctcr

Concordia Theological Monthly

When the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod instructed the Commission on Theology and Church Relations to "conduct a comprehensive study of Biblical hermeneutics" (1965 Proceedings, Res. 2-07, page 95), it did not thereby declare a moratorium on Biblical study and scholarship throughout the Synod. On the contrary, the church's scholars, wherever their calling finds them, as well as all other members of the church, are expected to continue their daily searching of the Scriptures as vigorously as ever. The special study assigned to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations is simply a part of and, hopefully, a useful contribution to the …

Documentation: The Witness Of Jesus And Old Testament Authorship, Ctcr

Concordia Theological Monthly

Differences of opinion exist within The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod on the import of the words of Christ and other statements of Holy Scripture concerning the human authorship of certain Old Testament books. Much of the concern in this issue is not intrinsically isagogical, but is rather related to the sola scriptura and solus Christus principles of Lutheranism. Some maintain that Christ and the Biblical authors clearly teach that Moses wrote the Pentateuch, Isaiah and Daniel wrote the entire books that bear their names, and David wrote Psalm 110, while others question these conclusions. This difference of opinion raises a Christological …

The Study And Interpretation Of The Old Testament, Albert E. Glock

Concordia Theological Monthly

The subtitle of this study might well be: "Prisoners of Hope: New Perspectives for the Study of Old Testament History and Theology." The single Biblical occurrence of the phrase, "prisoners of hope” is located in a "messenger speech" (Botenspruch) in Zechariah 9:11-13.

Editorial, Walter Wegner

Concordia Theological Monthly

In this issue Pastor Herbert Lindemann discusses the characteristics of the scholarly pastor. The pastor-scholar, he maintains, "should have some acquaintance with and sympathy for the attitudes, objectives, and methods generally accepted among scholars." What is the one quality of scholarship which, above all others, should characterize the pastor? Pastor Lindemann answers: "Honesty: a passionate love for the truth, a rigorous elimination of all prejudice, illusion, and old wives' tales, a willingness to investigate and then to accept the factual results of the investigation, however unpalatable these may be." That perceptive observation happily provides a point of unification for the …

Editorial, Walter Wegner

Concordia Theological Monthly

It is interesting to reflect on the fact that the Old Testament word for "year'' is traceable to a root word (shanah) involving the idea of "change." Entering a new year may validly be viewed as entering a period of change, a time of renewal. Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis!

On Change In Theology, Martin H. Franzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

This holds with special force for a confessional-conservative church which is, with good reason, appreciative of and jealous for its heritage; and such The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is, thank God. The question "have we changed?" is charged with emotion, and at least one component of that emotion is one that must be honored and taken seriously: the clement of holy fear lest that one talent which is death to hide be lodged with us useless.

The Church In Tension - In Teaching The Truth, Richard Jungkuntz

Concordia Theological Monthly

When we talk about the church in tension, it is likely that each of us has in mind a particular concept based on his own experience of the church's life. We may conceive of tension as basically a matter of conflict causing strain and weakness, or we may see it more as the interplay of isometric forces developing strength and balance. We may regard tension as good or as bad. We may think of it as being inherent in the nature of things, even as a gift of God; or we may think of it as a product entirely of …

The Christian And Social Responsibility, Robert J. Werberig

Concordia Theological Monthly

What is the Christian's role in the many-faceted, restless, and paradoxical society of the 60s? Should his function as a Christian citizen include more than merely "holding a private opinion" on the issues of our times? Does his commitment to Christ imply something more than "contributing to welfare" in face of the fact that over two-thirds of his generation lives out life under starvation conditions? Is there a valid place for the voice and action of Christianity within the vortex of change, which today upsets whole cultures, often with crushing and dehumanizing effects to people?

Editorial, Walter Wegner

Concordia Theological Monthly

In the lead article in this issue, Richard Jungkuntz asserts that a primary concern underlying all Christian activity is "the teaching of the truth." This is true, he insists, nor only when Christians are specifically engaged in the formal teaching of the content of Holy Scripture; it is equally true when Christians concern themselves with matters in "the field of social concern, civil rights, interchurch relations, and others besides.'" His essay goes on not only to provide examples of tensions which arise in the church as it exercises its primary concern but also to offer Gospel-oriented suggestions for the resolution …

Editorial, Herbert T. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

0ne of the least-known chapters in the history of the Lutheran Reformation is the story of the eventual fate of Lutheranism in central Europe. In the last half of the 16th century large portions of what today is known as Czechoslovakia were almost solidly Lutheran. Today few vestiges of Lutheranism remain except in Slovakia, where about 20 percent of the population calls itself Lutheran. The explanation of this loss is provided in this issue by Dr. Marianka Fousek of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Her account makes available a considerable amount of material that is otherwise inaccessible. The story of …

The Martyrs Of Christ -A Sketch Of The Thought Of Martin Luther On Martyrdom, Douglas C. Stange

Concordia Theological Monthly

If one wishes to discuss any contribution, rediscovery, or reformation that Luther made in the Christian church, he must recognize the great Reformer's primary concern that faith in Christ be purely preached. For Luther, the church was built on the rock that is Christ, and Christians were to preach the Savior's Evangel to all men.

The Idea Of Justice In Luther's First Publication, Heinz Bluhm

Concordia Theological Monthly

The idea of justice or righteousness is at the very heart of the religion of Martin Luther. Everyone, friend and foe alike, agrees on this point. The special problem that has intrigued scholars for several decades now, ever since Luther's earliest Latin university lectures became available, is to determine as closely as possible the exact moment in Luther's development when a "new" conception of justice first dawned on him.

The Continuing Significance Of Luther's Prefaces To The New Testament, Werner Georg Kuemmel

Concordia Theological Monthly

When Martin Luther published his first translation of the New Testament into the German language in 1522, he did not publish the Biblical texts alone. He provided his readers with some help by prefaces to the whole New Testament and to the individual books. These prefaces were reprinted in all the following editions of the New Testament and of the whole Bible until the 17th century, but Luther took one of them out and changed the text of a few of them in later editions.

Editorial, Herbert T. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

Denominational churches appear to be marked by an interesting confessional rhythm. The one pattern is that of "withdrawal," in which the confessional basis becomes increasingly narrow until the Biblical message may actually be officially excluded from its preaching and teaching. If this rhythm runs its full course, death must be the result. The other rhythm is that of "return," in which the confessional basis of the denomination becomes increasingly broad. It may even go so far beyond Scriptural teaching that the denomination will find room for a "death of God" theologian in its pulpit. (See the Theological Observer in this …

The Historical Jesus, The Kerygmatic Christ, And The Eschatological Community, John H. Elliott

Concordia Theological Monthly

We are about to discuss a subject that is quite difficult - if not impossible - to treat in completely detached or neutral fashion. For this is a subject which forces a man, every man, to take a position and to make a decision. The earnestness of this decision is to be found in the fact that this is not merely a subject for academic disputation. It is a question of theology and faith. The subject historically has been treated in terms of a question, or a "riddle," as one English scholar has called it. The question or riddle is …

The "Jesus Of History" And The "Christ Of Faith": In Relation To Matthew's View Of Time-Reactions To A New Approach, Jack Kingsbury

Concordia Theological Monthly

The expression "Jesus of History - Christ of Faith" is a relatively recent idiom, the roots of which can be traced back to a lecture delivered in 1892 by the German systematician Martin Kahler, who entitled his address “The So-Called Historical Jesus and the Historic, Biblical Christ." In the last decade this idiom has come to specify a particular problem that has engaged the interest of New Testament scholars with great intensity. The problem is given with the fact that Jesus died about A. D. 30 but that all of the written materials we possess about Jesus were set down …

Editorial, Herbert T. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

This is the third annual Biblical studies issue, and it emphasizes trends in synoptic exegesis. The first three articles deal with the key question in gospel studies today: How does one explain the marked similarities and differences among the synoptic gospels? The question itself is not new to the church. Tatian the Syrian wrestled with it in the second Christian century. He prepared a single gospel, which effectively concealed all the differences. But preachers soon discovered that they were preaching the gospel according to Tatian rather than one or the other of the inspired, canonical gospels.

Editorial, Herbert T. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

This issue is our second book-emphasis number (see July-August, 1965). At the request of many pastors and church boards we are presenting a larger number of reviews of current books in important areas in this issue. It is hoped that the summer months may provide the parish pastor with some time to catch up on his reading.

Theological Discussion And The Responsibility Of The Church, Richard L. Jeske

Concordia Theological Monthly

One is easily reminded of the often heard lament during seminary days, ''Why should I have to study about 'Q'? All I want to be is a simple parish pastor!" Sometimes this "simple parish pastor'" who has avoided hard theological work at the seminary emerges as the most vigorous critic of contemporary theology shortly after his graduation.

Ministry And Future: Contradictions And Hope, Martin E. Marty

Concordia Theological Monthly

Now men celebrate an event in time: traversing the years from Log Cabins to Luther Tower. Apparent contradictions abound: the cabin, a modest and diffident Statement of an exile group. The tower, an ambitious and almost proud statement of a people with a sense of arrival. Men remember both and looking at them together see what they might otherwise have overlooked: the investment of hope in a ministry.

The Place Of The Family In The Church's Educational Ministry, Oscar E. Feucht

Concordia Theological Monthly

Parents are the child's most potent teachers. They provide the all-important environment. Good manners, good English, love of good books and music, life's ideals, in fact, the whole outlook on the world are developed largely in the home. And so are dislikes and prejudices, religious views as well as political views, habits of going to church, of receiving Holy Communion, of prayer and reading the Bible. The paths which adult feet travel find their origin in childhood, and one way is as likely to be traveled as another, if started upon in the preschool days.

Editorial, Gilbert A. Thiele

Concordia Theological Monthly

To some it may seem a bit late in the day to urge that the family and family life are important in the training of Christian children. Others may feel that Oscar E. Feucht's article on the place of the family in the educational work of the church is unnecessary, as though Lutheran families have known this all along and have acted accordingly. There may be still a third group which will see in the publication of this material another part of a conspiracy to downgrade parochial school education, especially as its objectives have to do with the imparting of …

Salvation By Grace: The Heart Of Job's Theology, Alfred Von Rohr Sauer

Concordia Theological Monthly

God desires that anyone who fears Him and serves Him should do that gratis, for nothing. Serving God for nothing, fearing God for nothing-that is the theme that runs through the Book of Job. In the prologue (Chs. 1-2) the author states that Job was a man who feared God and eschewed evil. The lord also told Satan in the prologue that His servant Job was a man who feared God and shunned wickedness. So Job was considered a pious, God-fearing man; there was no question about that, even Satan conceded that point. The question, however, was this: What was …