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The Reformation was essentially a Christian reform movement that started in Europe. Its beginning is usually dated with Martin Luther’s 95 theses but it has so many precursors such as Johannes Hus. As a historical period, the Reformation is considered to have ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648; however, many of the denominations that arose during that period continue to exist and Protestantism remains one of the vibrant branches of Christianity to date. It has to be noted that one of the events that led to the Reformation is called the Renaissance. The Renaissance is to be discussed briefly because of its importance to hermeneutics.

The Renaissance is a series of literary and cultural movements in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries that began in Italy and eventually spread into Germany, France, England, and other parts of Europe. Renaissance

included the study of the great civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. It was also in turn influenced by the concept of humanism, which emphasizes the worth of the individual.

Renaissance humanists believed it was possible to improve human society through classical education. This education relied on teachings from ancient texts and emphasized a range of disciplines, including poetry, history, rhetoric (rules for writing influential prose or speeches), and moral philosophy (Encyclopaedia Wikkipedia)

One of the great humanists of the period that influenced biblical hermeneutics was Erasmus. As has been said above, the Renaissance called attention to classical languages, the Greek and the Hebrew languages did not escape the focus too. Erasmus facilitated the study of the biblical languages by publishing the first critical edition of the Greek New Testament. His work was followed by that of Reuchlin who translated a Hebrew Grammar and Lexicon. The rediscovery of the ancient texts and the studies that followed gradually led scholars to abandon the allegorical method of interpretation. This was replaced by the principle that the Scripture has only one single sense. The two greatest interpreters of the Reformation were Martin Luther and John Calvin.

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Martin Luther was a German theologian and religious reformer, who initiated the Protestant Reformation. His influence extended beyond the borders of religion to politics, economics, education and language. This vast area of influence has made him one of the crucial figures in modern European history.

Luther’s hermeneutics can be understood from his view of the Bible. The first of these views is that the Bible should not be viewed as any other literary piece; hence he asserted the issue of faith and the Spirit’s illumination. Secondly, Luther maintained that the church should not determine what the Bible teaches but that the Bible should determine what the church should teach. He moved further to reject the allegorical method of interpretation which he referred to as ‘dirt’, or ‘scum’ or ‘obsolete loose rags.’

In interpretation, Luther maintained that a proper understanding of the Bible must come from the literal understanding of the text of the Bible. He said further that the interpreter should consider the historical conditions, the

grammar and the context of the passage he wishes to interpret. Contrary to Roman Catholic teaching that the Bible is obscure and that it is only the priest or the church that can decipher its true meaning, Luther said that the Bible is a clear book and is simple to understand.

After having abandoned the allegorical method, Luther was faced with the dilemma of finding another means of making the Old Testament relevant to the modern Christian since up to that time allegory has been the only means by which the Old Testament has been interpreted. To fill this vacuum, Luther proposed the Christological principle. This principle later became Luther’s hermeneutical principle. Consequently, this caused Luther to see Christ in many passages of the Old Testament, especially the Psalms. You need to note that even if we disagree today with Luther’s Christological principles, “it did enable him to show the unity of Scripture without recourse to mystical interpretation of Old Testament text”(Virkler, 1981).

John Calvin (1509-1564)

John Calvin was a theologian, humanist, pastor and a leading figure in the Reformation. John Calvin was probably the greatest theologian of the Reformation. He did much to shape religious thinking as Protestantism advanced in Europe, and Calvinism became the basis of Presbyterianism.

He also had a direct influence on the later relationships between Protestant churches and civil governments. Calvin founded a system of government that was based upon the teachings of the Bible and in which the civil powers were subordinate to the church and its ruling council. He encouraged production and commerce and insisted on the individual virtues of honesty, thrift, simplicity, and hard work. His ideas were well suited to the emerging capitalism of the 16th century.

Apart from being regarded as the greatest theologian of the Reformation, he can also be regarded as the greatest exegete of the Reformation. Like Luther, Calvin also regarded allegorical interpretation as the device of the devil to keep the meaning of the Bible obscured. The most popular phrase by which Calvin’s hermeneutical principle is called is “Scripture interprets Scripture.” This phrase signifies the emphasis that Calvin placed on the study of the context, grammar, words and the study of parallel passages rather than reading meanings to the words of the Bible. He is quoted by Farrar (1885) to have said “it is the first business of an interpreter to let the author say what he does say, instead of attributing to him what we think he ought to say.”

Unlike Luther, he did not see Christ in every passage of the Bible. Despite the differences between Luther and Calvin in their hermeneutical principles, you have to take note that the hermeneutical principles they set forth became the foundation for modern orthodox Protestant hermeneutics.

Self-Assessment Exercise 3

Examine the most important contributions of Reformation to hermeneutics.