Theology and Reading
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 52, No. 2 – Spring 2010
Managing Editor: Malcolm B. Yarnell III
By Oswald Bayer. Translated by Thomas H. Trapp. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008. 374 + xxiii pages. Softcover, $32.00.
Martin Luther’s Theology: A Contemporary Interpretation first appeared in German in 2003 published by Mohr Siebeck but now it has been made available in English thanks to translator Thomas H. Trapp. In the “Preface,” Oswald Bayer reveals that his book is the product of “forty years of investigative work about and with Luther” (xx). The culmination of Bayer’s engagement with Luther’s theology has produced an indispensable resource for the study of this Reformer.
Few scholars are more capable of the task of submitting “a contemporary interpretation” of Luther’s theology than Bayer, who is a recognized Luther expert and German theologian at the University of Tübingen. Bayer sees Luther as a theologian whose work was intended to correspond to one’s “specific setting in life” (xvi). He further establishes this point by proffering one of Luther’s earliest writings, Pro veritate inquirenda et timoratis conscientiis consolandis [For the Inquiry into Truth and for the Comfort of Troubled Consciences] (1518), as a paradigm for assessing the basic purpose behind the corpus of his writings (xvi). This early work in particular demonstrates that Luther began his career as a reformer presupposing the immediate connection between true Christian theology and true Christian spirituality.
In his “Introduction,” Bayer provides a proper framework for interpreting Luther and his theology. If, however, one desires to fully grasp the systematic treatment of Bayer’s Luther (chaps. 5–16), he or she must become well-acquainted with Luther’s theological method explicated in the “Prolegomena” (chaps. 1–4). Bayer posits two main essential features for coming to terms with Luther’s methodology. First, Luther understands the subject of theology as “the sinning human and the justifying God” (37). This principle unifies every other major doctrine of Christian theology from creation to Christology to the consummation of the world. Thus, one must interpret all aspects of Luther’s theology in light of the doctrine of justification (37–38).
Second, although Bayer warns of reducing Luther’s theology to a single motif (xvi), he sets forth the concept of promissio (promise) as the defining element that makes Luther’s work distinctly evangelical (50). The circumstance of “the sinning human and the justifying God” finds resolution in God’s direct address to the sinner in the gospel as the performative Word that reconciles this broken and warring relationship and brings with it the assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ (50–52). The promissio is the effectual Word of God that both frees and forgives enemies of the cross. For this reason Bayer allows the promissio to take the predominant role as the leading concept of Luther’s theology.
After establishing Luther’s theological method and hermeneutic, Bayer endeavors to systematize the German Reformer’s theology with these specific doctrines: creation, the order of the world, anthropology, sin and the bound will, the wrath of God and theodicy, the love and mercy of God, the Holy Spirit, the church, faith and good works, the two realms (also referred to as “the two kingdoms”), the last things, the Trinity, and prayer. His attempt is indeed systematic, but one would be mistaken to suspect that Bayer is trying to make Luther a systematic theologian. Bayer is clear that Luther had no intention of producing a work equivalent to Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica or Melanchthon’s Loci (xv). Instead, Bayer desires to use this assortment of doctrines to show the inner coherence of Luther’s theology from multiple angles. The end result is a multi-faceted, systematic presentation of Luther’s theology, richly integrated into the Christian’s personal piety, church life, and existence in the world.
A few comments should be made regarding Bayer’s promotion of his work on Luther as “a contemporary interpretation.” First, Bayer views Luther’s concept of promissio as the forerunner to the speech-act theory developed and popularized by J. L. Austin, which has become a mainstay within contemporary discussions of hermeneutics and theological interpretation. Therefore, he unfolds Luther’s doctrine of Scripture in relation to how it serves as the source of God’s divine speech-act, namely, “as the Word that does what it says” (52). Second, Bayer desires to “re-present” Luther’s theology for a modern audience. His “contemporary interpretation” intends to be a channel through which Luther may speak into the twenty-first century, thereby causing him to join the modern audience in “the struggle for truth that reaches across the ages” (xix).
Bayer succeeds in presenting Luther’s theology in a systematic framework without violating the polemical and organic nature of his writings. At various points throughout, this becomes a cumbersome task; however, Bayer remains faithful to explaining how each doctrine relates to Luther’s prime subject of theology, and its resolution in the promissio of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He does not force Luther into an a priori philosophical framework, but rather determines these select doctrines based upon the dominating themes that arise out of Luther’s diverse sources. In essence, it is Luther himself who decides what to include and what to exclude in terms of systematic categories. By the volume’s end, one would have hoped to have seen Bayer devote more space to Luther’s Trinitarian theology. However, his discussion on the reasoning behind its placement at the end of the book within an eschatological framework compensates for this disappointment (334–36). In addition, Bayer’s work benefits from a rich and informative “Preface” and “Introduction,” but ends abruptly without a formal “Conclusion.” His final chapter entitled, “Promise and Prayer,” serves the work in this manner, but does not sufficiently assess Bayer’s effort at systematizing Luther’s theology, nor does it adequately evaluate its contemporary relevance.
In conclusion, Bayer’s Martin Luther’s Theology will assuredly soon be recognized as one of the preeminent authoritative sources in the field of Luther studies. Trapp’s English translation carries a lively tone and is accessible to those interested in Luther’s theology from the novice to the scholar. Bayer’s work is a masterpiece of precision and integrity where Luther’s voice is not muffled, but instead is heard loud and clear on every page.
