אבנימ

Biblical Hermeneutics Part Third Chapter 6

With the advent of the Reformation in sixteenth century Europe, there came a radical transformation in mindset and attitude toward the interpretation of Scripture. The ignorance, superstition and prevalent mysticism of the Middle Ages were being replaced by a fresh and reasonable appeal to the Scriptures as the comprehensible source of God’s revelation to mankind. As a result many came to understand that the Scriptures contain all things necessary to salvation and that it proclaims justification by faith; things which flew in the face of the then longstanding Roman sacerdotal doctrines. Thus the greatest lasting import of the Reformation was the refocus of the Church upon the Scripture, as God’s authoritative Word. This change in perspective is evidenced by the many translations which followed Luther, e.g. Tyndale, into the languages of the people.

Therefore, though Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 theses in 1517 was indeed a clarion call, more important was his translation of the Scriptures into the German tongue, which put God’s Word in the hands of the people. His meticulous attention to accuracy in this labor did much to establish sound exegetical methods. This period produced many other capable men whom God used to bring light to the Church. Luther built upon Erasmus’ Greek text, and was aided in his work by Philip Melanchthon, a brilliant scholar who later wrote Loci Communes and the Augsburg Confession. Zwingli likewise was aided by Oecolampadius who was renowned for his erudition and proficiency in Hebrew and Greek.

Many other faithful and able laborers could be named: Beza, Bucer, Bullinger, et al. But of all the exegetes of the Reformation, John Calvin stands first. While not the greatest textual or philological scholar of the period, he was particularly gifted in penetrating to the heart of a text and clearly communicating the mind and spirit of the author. In pursuit of this he consistently pays notable regard to the author’s context, scope and plan. By the end of his ministry he exposited nearly all of the Scripture.