On Luther and the Literal Sense

It is impossible to overstate the theological consequences of the Protestant Reformation. From the doctrine of justification by faith alone to the sale of indulgences, the faith and practice of the Western church was turned upside down, or as the reformers contended, turned back to Scripture. One germane protest of Luther and the Reformers was the medieval hermeneutic - the quadriga.[1] The medieval method of interpreting Scripture was four-fold:

1.)    The literal sense

2.)   The allegorical sense

3.)   The tropological sense

4.)  The anagogical sense

The literal sense seeks the intent of the author. Grammatico-historical methodology is employed to discern the meaning of the passage to the original audience. The allegorical sense uses the redemptive-historical perspective, asking how the pericope is fulfilled in Christ. The tropological sense is the moral sense - what is the imperative? What does this mean for the church? How shall we now live in response to the text? The anagogical sense is the eschatological telos. What does the passage teach about the second advent of Christ?

Martin Luther rejected the quadriga for what he called the sensus literalis - the literal sense.[2]  Contra modern scholars, who articulate the exclusivity of the grammico-historical method, Luther contended that Christ is the literal sense. Because Scripture is governed by the messianic promise, the literal sense of the letters (Bible) is Christocentric. Greidanus notes, “The witness to Christ is Luther’s criterion not just for good preaching but first of all for evaluating biblical books.”[3] Later, Greidanus adds, “Luther begins with the premise that Christ is at the heart of the Bible.”[4] In his Preface to the Old Testament, Luther describes the Old Testament as “the swaddling-clothes and the mangers, in which Christ lies.”[5]

In my dissertation I analyzed Dr. Luther’s hermeneutic in two lectures he delivered on the book of Haggai.[6]These lectures have been compiled in a volume of lectures on the Minor Prophets.[7] In his lecture on Haggai 2, Luther highlights three themes that promise Christ in the prophecy: (1) The kingdom of Christ, (2) The unified people of God, and (3) The gospel.

The Kingdom of Christ

From the opening bell Luther is confident that Haggai is leading us to the kingdom of Christ.[8] The imminence of the kingdom is meant to be a comfort to the returning exiles who now face the task of rebuilding the temple. The elderly demographic of the restoration population had seen the splendor of the former temple with their own eyes or heard about it from their parents and the current state of the temple was discouraging (Hag 2.3). Luther compares their situation to personal salvation. Israel had seen the glory of Solomon’s temple, they were carted off into exile, and now they have returned to Judah. The task of rebuilding the temple seemed hopeless and foolish. He writes that believers have a similar experience. The gospel seemed like foolishness in the beginning, “but this is the way God declares his power.”[9] When things seem impossible to man, that is when God intervenes. For Luther, Israel’s story forecasts the kingdom of Christ.

The Church is the Unified People of God

Second, Luther sees the text fulfilled in the combined - Jew and gentile - church. On verse five, Luther comments that God is using “fiery words to stir up the heart of the people.”[10] The Lord speaks to Israel differently than how he speaks to his church now. Israel’s covenant was national - they were all included whether they were righteous or not. Luther adds, “[n]ow, however, the kingdom is a spiritual one, and promises of this sort apply only to the righteous, whether they be Jews or Gentiles.”[11] Luther emphasizes the difference between theocratic Israel and the church of every tribe, tongue, and nation, which is connected through the work of Christ.

Luther tells us why he believes this to be the case in verse six. Nationalistic Israel is no longer designated as the people of God because Christ has come; the advent of Jesus is the eschatological shaking of the heavens and earth in Haggai 2:6.[12] This redemptive shift is proven by the disappearance of the anointed offices in Israel. The Jews have not had a prophet, priest, or king since the coming of Christ. These anointed offices had blessed the people for generations, but their necessity ended with the work of Jesus. The Law and the Prophets have been fulfilled with the coming of Christ and the arrival of the gospel.

The Gospel

The gospel is the third theme that Luther sees in Haggai. Luther has a discrepancy with the Vulgate’s translation in Haggai 2.7 of the word “desired.”[13] He translates the term as “treasure,” or “what is treasurable.” For Luther, the treasure is the gospel. Citing Luke 24:47,[14] Luther sees Haggai preparing the nation for the coming of the good news. The gold and the silver (Hag 2.8) typify the spiritual treasure Christ brings. Jesus is the only one who brings peace (Hag 2.9), and this is why the gospel must be spread from Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).

For Luther, Haggai’s final oracle (Hag 2.20-23) is a messianic promise. He concludes that the speech was not so much for Zerubbabel, but for Christ who came from his loins.[15] The promise was not fulfilled in Zerubbabel’s lifetime, but in the time of Christ. The glorious fulfillment of the prophecy brings salvation and the preaching of the gospel.

Reformation Day reminds us of the five solas – (1) Scripture alone, (2) Christ alone, (3) grace alone, (4) faith alone, (5) to the glory of God alone. An important element of sola Scriptura is the Christocentric hermeneutic recovered. We stand in the tradition of Luther, who understood that the literal sense of the text is the Christ sense. May it always be so at Christ Community Church!

Happy Reformation Day!

[1]In recent years some Reformed Protestant scholars have argued for a return to the quadriga method, including Peter Leithart - https://theopolisinstitute.com/rehabilitating-the-quadriga/; and Patrick Schreiner - https://www.logos.com/grow/david-and-goliath-meaning-four-senses/.

[2]Greidanus, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, 112.

[3]Ibid., 119.

[4]Ibid., 120.

[5]https://www.wolfmueller.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Prefaces-to-the-Books-of-the-Bible-with-cover.pdf

[6]Alex R. Loginow, Sr. “Greater than the Former: A Christocentric Approach to Haggai in light of recent Christocentric Homiletics” (DMin diss. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2018) 31-36.

[7]Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 18: Lectures on the Minor Prophets I (Concordia Publishing House, 2007).

[8]Ibid., 379.

[9]Ibid., 380.

[10]Ibid.

[11]Ibid.

[12]Ibid., 381.

[13][Vug. - desideratus; MT - חֶמְדַּ֣ת]

[14]and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem (ESV).

[15]Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 18: Lectures on the Minor Prophets I (Concordia Publishing House, 2007)., 386.