Even Luther Had Feet of Clay
It is well known that Luther was not too fond of the book of James. We all recall that he labeled it a "right strawy epistle". What fewer know is that he wasn't fond of Esther either, wishing that it had not come to us at all. The following quote from an out-of-print work of Luther's makes the case. Think what lesson you can learn from this...
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"I am so great an enemy to the second book of Maccabees, and to Esther, that I wish they had not come to us at all, for they have too many heathen unnaturalities. The Jews much more esteemed the book of Esther than any of the prophets; though they were forbidden to read it before they had attained the age of thirty, by reason of the mystic matters it contains."
Martin Luther "God's Word and God's Work"
"I am so great an enemy to the second book of Maccabees, and to Esther, that I wish they had not come to us at all, for they have too many heathen unnaturalities. The Jews much more esteemed the book of Esther than any of the prophets; though they were forbidden to read it before they had attained the age of thirty, by reason of the mystic matters it contains."
Martin Luther "God's Word and God's Work"
posted by agonizomai at 12:01 am
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2 Comments:
One of the lessons that we can draw from this reality is that revelation is progressive. As a consequence, we must bear with each other and be patient with one another. If we were to throw out everything that Luther has to offer based upon this terrible lapse in understanding we would indeed cut ourselves off from a blessing.
Christina,
Yours is a very balanced and healthy observation. I have always benefited from Luther and hold his book "The Bondage of the Will" to be a seminal work for my understanding of of human depravity and Divine Sovereignty.
On the flip side, I sometimes find people who slavishly receive everything that a favorite writer has uttered without reference to historical context. We tend to make Saints of the saints.
And I have seen fellow believers buying up books of modern day so-called "gurus" by the armful when their teaching are at the very least harmful and, in some cases, heretical.
So my call, like yours, is for circumspection, balance, charity and discernment.
Blessings to you,
Tony
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