LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Brock University

ZWECK: LUTHER ON JAMES 59
school.” 26 What seems to be indicated by comparison of these two
statements is that a virtual consensus had been reached in Wittenberg: that
the majority on the Wittenberg faculty agreed with Luther in excluding
James from the canon, but that there was still a minority who supported its
retention in the canon. Neither statement necessarily implies any weakening
of Luther’s own conviction on the subject. Quite the contrary is revealed by
the commentary that he adds.
In 1543 Luther refused to accept a citation from James, because this
Epistle lacks the necessary authority. 27
8. “THE TRUE AND NOBLEST BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT”
It is true that Luther does distinguish within Scripture between those
books that he regarded as particularly valuable against the rest; just as Christ
distinguished, on the one hand, between the Twelve whom He loved (John
15:9), and, on the other hand, “the disciple whom he loved” (John 13:23)
from within the Twelve.
One of the favourite passages of the Gospel-reductionists occurs in the
general Preface to the New Testament. These comments did not appear in
any edition of the complete Bible (1534 onward), nor did they appear in
separate editions of the New Testament that were published from 1534 to
1537. They appeared in the editions of the New Testament from 1522 to
1534. In this passage, Luther distinguishes between the books in the New
Testament canon, expressing greater appreciation for some than for others.
He heads the section: “Which are the true and noblest books of the New
Testament” He is thus announcing his intention of directing his readers’
attention to those books in Scripture which ought to have priority for them.
He thus specifies:
John’s Gospel and St. Paul’s epistles, especially that to the Romans, and
St. Peter’s first epistle are the true kernel and marrow of all the books.
They ought properly to be the foremost books, and it would be advisable
for every Christian to read them first and most, and by daily reading to
make them as much his own as his daily bread. 28
He then gives his reason for ranking these as the most valuable of the books
of the New Testament:
26 WA TR 5, no. 5443. Qtd Reu 26.
27 See Reu 26f. and Karl Holl, Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Kirchengeschichte I, Luther
(Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1923) 561 n. 6.
28 AE 35:361f.