LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Brock University

LTR IX (Academic Year 1996-97) 50-74
LUTHER ON JAMES: A CURIOUS OVERSIGHT
Glen E. Zweck
1. TWO COMMON MISTAKES
In many of the discussions on the question of Luther and the Letter of
St James, there is a serious distortion that arises from two related mistakes.
The first mistake, the “curious oversight” referred to in the title, is that
of beginning the discussion with comments from Luther’s introduction to
James in the September Testament of 1522. This error results from the
oversight of ignoring the prior comments on the subject in his introduction
to Hebrews, and thus distorting his comments in the introduction to James
by taking them out of their proper context. What Luther says in his
introduction to James presupposes what he had earlier said in the
introduction to Hebrews.
The second mistake is misunderstanding Luther’s comments on
apostolicity in his introduction to the Letter of St James, as if this were a
new and subjective criterion of canonicity invented by Luther himself, and
intended by him to replace the former criteria.
2. GOSPEL-REDUCTIONISM: THE ISSUE DEFINED
A good illustration of these errors, and the resultant evil
consequences, is provided by the editorial comments in volume 35 of the
American Edition of Luther’s Works. These evil consequences are farreaching
indeed, and go to the heart of the dispute over Luther’s
understanding of Scripture. In particular, they have to do with that form of
“Gospel-reductionism” which, under the plea of following Luther’s
Christocentric interpretation of Scripture, turns the material principle of
Christian theology (defining the essence of the Gospel) into a formal
principle (defining the source of Christian theology). “Gospel-reductionists”
frequently accuse the confessional theologians in the LC–MS of turning the
formal principle (the Scripture principle) into a material principle (the
Gospel principle): charging them with teaching that we are saved by the
inerrancy of Scripture. Actually, the boot is entirely on the other foot. It is
the “Gospel-reductionists” who turn the material principle (the Christ
principle) into a formal principle, by teaching that only that in Scripture is
God’s Word which treibt Christum “inculcates Christ”. In doing this, they
seek to enlist Luther on their side, as if he taught that only that in Scripture