Yet, the book of james explains just the opposite concerning salvation. But the man who started the protestant reformation, the famous martin luther, said just that. It really is amazing how frequently this citation appears. Sirach, baruch, tobit, judith, 1 and 2 maccabbees, and wisdom, along with some chapters of daniel and esther. In fact, he once offered his doctors cap to anyone who could reconcile it with romans 3. What the bible says about james called epistle of straw. Finding jesus in the book of james banner of truth usa. Why did martin luther throw out 14 books of the bible. Preserved smiths the life and letters of martin luther on page 269. Regarding the new testament book of hebrews martin luther stated, it need not surprise one to find here bits of wood, hay, and straw oharepf. Martin luther book of james epistle of straw brian. Martin luther and the book of james shameless popery. Luther, according to the holman bible dictionary, disciples study bible and other references, had the greatest difficulty with what james wrote about faith and works in the second chapter of his book. James the straw apostle and martin luther the grit in.
Mar 16, 2017 brother martin, so well did you embody a life of receiving gods grace. Martin luther book of james epistle of straw brian johnston. Go to any good academic library and take a look at luthers 1534 translation of the bible. Pauls epistles, especially romans, galatians, and ephesians, and st. But many people know martin luthers opinion of the book, or think they do, and wonder whether james is really to be placed on the same level as the gospels or pauls letters. Did martin luther really want james taken out of the bible. Jamess epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to these others, for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it german new testament, preface, 1522 ed. James epistle is really an epistle of straw, for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it. Luthers canon is the biblical canon attributed to martin luther, which has influenced. Therefore st james epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to these others, for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it. Apr 02, 2014 the great protestant reformer, martin luther, infamously referred to the book of james as an epistle of straw in his preface to the german new testament. To him, it had little worth compared to pauls letters.
What is less well known or talked about, is that luther also praised the book of james in the same preface. Martin luther changed andor discounted 18 books of the bible. The biblical book of james is full of wisdom and is regularly quoted by ministers preaching against gossip the section on taming the tongue in chapter three is powerful stuff. For luther, the book was not written by an apostle, but rather a later christian. Many have asked for the reference for luthers quote, which states that st paul and st james stand in contradiction with one another on the doctrine of justification. He used the recent 1516 critical greek edition of erasmus, a text which was later called textus receptus. These two statements greatly influenced luther to call the epistle an epistle of straw.
Luthers canon is the biblical canon attributed to martin luther, which has influenced protestants since the 16thcentury protestant reformation. But knowing that such a great scholar questioned it opens a fascinating window on to how we came to have. Martin luther s description of the epistle of james changes. While the lutheran confessions specifically did not define a canon, it is widely regarded as the canon of the lutheran church.
I understand the he discarded james because of the problematic verse james 2. When you referred to james as an epistle of straw, you did not question its inclusion in the canon of scripture, but sought to clarify its place with. If the christian gospel centers in the triune god, why spend time with a new testament book that does not mention the holy spirit. Since the time of the reformation, the book of james has been controversial. He called it an epistle of straw, seeing it clearly rejected eternal security. He is the author of so youre thinking about going to seminary brazos and the volume editor of 12 samuel, 12. Martin luther didnt seem overly impressed with the bible letter by james, describing it as a right strawy epistle.
Why did martin luther discard the book of revelation. Like other church leaders, martin luther had opinions about books of the bible and writings that were purported to be canonical. James epistle is a perfect strawepistle compared with them, for it has martin luthers description of the epistle of james changes. James was rejected by the ancients, i praise it and hold it a good book, because it sets up no doctrine of men and lays great stress upon gods law. Sep 01, 20 since the time of the reformation, the book of james has been controversial. It was the first full translation of the bible into german based mainly on the original hebrew and greek texts and not the latin vulgate. Six points on luther s epistle of straw almost five hundred years after the fact, roman catholics still scrutinize martin luther. Therefore st james epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to. Mar 03, 2018 part of martin luther s attacks on the catholic church was the books of the bible now known as the apocrypha. Those just learning it should not be surprised when they read it, though. Wengert f or lutherans, james, of all biblical books, isto paraphrase george orwellless equal than others. In some cases, luther argues that it was not written by an apostle. James has therefore been vindicated by the truth of the word of god. You were not a man of dead faith, but of belief that was alive and active, even at the risk of being rash and god often had his good purposes in your bent to action.
I consider that it is not the writing of any apostle. He didnt think it expressed the nature of the gospel, it appeared to contradict pauls statements about justification by faith, and it didnt directly mention christ. Did martin luther take out the book of james and some. Luther famously referred to the book of james as an epistle of straw, purportedly because of its lackluster portrayal of the gospel and the ease with which it might be used to foster doctrines of worksrighteousness.
At one point in his career, martin luther famously stated, st. Martin luther, the celebrated catalyst of the protestant reformation, famously took issue with the book of james. Luthers biggest issue with the book of james was that it appeared to contradict paul, and it seemed to oppose the doctrine of justification by faith alone, which was a central tenet of the. We have been studying the epistle of straw accorfing to martin luther. I have found though that those who chastise luther on his rejection of james tend to ignore the many statements in which he questions the book because of authorship. It seems he felt disappointed that it didnt contain any exalted description of christ, nor make reference to the work of the spirit, and didnt work hard to defend the faith. What martin luther said about james though this epistle of st. Jamess epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to these others, for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about. Jan 02, 2020 the book of james is directed to jewish christians scattered among all the nations james 1. Its often said that luther was so opposed to the book of james that he suggested it didnt belong in the biblical canon. No, that is a common misunderstanding, but the luther bible had the same books as the catholic bible, although he did put the apocryphal works in a separate section luther was vocal in his criticism of several of the books, particularly james which he called an epistle of straw, but he did not remove any books. From the start, i need to emphasize that we, as confessional lutheran christians, do not base any of our teachings on the opinions of martin luther. Protestant reformer martin luther cogwriter although protestants like to think positively about martin luther because of his supposed belief in sola scriptura the bible alone, the truth is that martin luther changed parts of the bible and discounted the value of many books.
After all, in making up his new religion, luthers ultimate recourse. It took much courage for these men and others to risk everything to speak out and denounce the blatant corruption of new testament truth by the established church hierarchy. Martin luther, who detested this letter and called it the epistle of straw, failed to recognize that jamess teaching on works complementednot contradictedpauls teaching on faith. What does the epistle of straw represent in the bible. Peters first epistle are the books that show you christ and teach you all that is necessary and salvatory for you to know, even if you were never to see or hear any other book. The luther german new testament translation was first published in september of 1522. Luther and the canon of scripture and six points on luther s epistle of straw. Why did martin luther take 7 books out of the bible. Luthers objection to james was his belief that pauls doctrine of justification by faith was in opposition to the dead legalism of the pharisees. Martin luthers hostility to the book of james is wellknown, and ive mentioned it in other contexts, but i wanted to consider today the implications for the lutheran view of justification, at the heart of the reformation and of modern catholicprotestant disputes.
Comments off on six points on luthers epistle of straw six points on luthers epistle of straw almost five hundred years after the fact, roman catholics still scrutinize martin luther. The book of james, which martin luther called the epistle of straw holds a special place in the hearts of those who follow my anabaptist tradition, because it emphasizes treating people well and continues the gospel tradition of gods bias for t. This scripture must have posed quite a problem for martin luther. Apr 03, 2007 comments off on six points on luthers epistle of straw six points on luthers epistle of straw almost five hundred years after the fact, roman catholics still scrutinize martin luther. If you enjoyed this video, you can watch the session in its. Six points on luthers epistle of straw james white. The epistle of james is no epistle of straw, but instead it advocates building with gold on the foundation of christ and faith.
Obviously it is because he did not like the things written in that portion of scripture. According to our group, we have been studying one of the most helpful but challenging books in the bible. We evangelicals dont seem to know what to do with the nt letter of james. James makes it clear that a persons works are important to his salvation, because he states that faith without works is dead. James epistle is a perfect strawepistle compared with them, for it has in it.
Belief in this teaching was one of the major reasons why martin luther rejected the book of james. The earliest writings of the bible were likely composed in the 10th century b. We must keep the commandments and have faith in god. And he never says james isnt worth reading he just didnt think it was scripture. James epistle is a perfect strawepistle compared with them. It is a welldocumented fact that martin luther is quoted as having said that the book of the new testament called james was an epistle of straw.
He repeats this often, and also notes others before him did as well. The book of james is so clear that it even says that your religion is worthless if. The new testament was first published in 1522 and the complete bible, containing the old and new testaments with apocrypha, in 1534. Martin luther, founder of the protestant reformation, referred to the book of james as an epistle of straw. Martin luther was the first person to translate and publish the bible in the commonlyspoken dialect of the german people.
Mar 15, 2019 luthers biggest issue with the book of james was that it appeared to contradict paul, and it seemed to oppose the doctrine of justification by faith alone, which was a central tenet of the. After all, in making up his new religion, luther s ultimate recourse was to his own intellect. Some of the key parts from verses 14 to 26 which martin luther disagreed with are the following. He actually questioned its place in the canon, because he didnt find any gospel in it. To martin luther, james was an epistle of straw that had nothing of the nature of the gospel about it.
United church of god skip to main content united church of god. Heres the full context of luthers evaluation from his preface to the new testament. In fact, luther referred to the book of james as an epistle of straw and sought unsuccessfully to have the entire book. The overall system of evangelical thought today comes to us from the work of protestant reformers such as luther and calvin. I have been using your study material to lead a bible study group of up to 12 people in the uk. Martin luther struggled greatly with james not by faith alone jam. Heres the full context of luther s evaluation from his preface to the new testament. Why did martin luther throw out 14 books of the bible youtube. Jun, 20 luther famously referred to the book of james as an epistle of straw, purportedly because of its lackluster portrayal of the gospel and the ease with which it might be used to foster doctrines of worksrighteousness. The canon of scripture is the list of 73 books that belong to the bible. There are three things about luther and james that might interest us today. May 01, 2017 the book of james, which martin luther called the epistle of straw holds a special place in the hearts of those who follow my anabaptist tradition, because it emphasizes treating people well and continues the gospel tradition of gods bias for t.
Chasing down the luther quotes about james taylor marshall. Martin luther, the celebrated catalyst of the protestant reformation. Luthers epistle of straw comment according to the twelve. Martin luthers revelation of saved by faith is the foundation for his split from. Study james using martin luthers bible commentary to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. James was rejected by the ancients, i praise it and hold it a good book. One the most popular quotations from luther is the infamous epistle of straw remark, directed at the canonicity of the book of james. Part of martin luthers attacks on the catholic church was the books of the bible now known as the apocrypha. Therefore st james epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to these others, for it has. Sep 15, 2015 martin luther and the epistle of straw. Lutherbibel is a german language bible translation from hebrew and ancient greek by martin luther. The book of james is directed to jewish christians scattered among all the nations james 1.
The relationship of james and paul has generated a great deal of literature since martin luther made his famous declaration that the letter of james as an epistle of straw. In fact, luther referred to the book of james as an epistle of straw and. Lucas cranach the elder, portrait of martin luther in fact, luther referred to the book of james as an epistle of straw and. The recovery of james after martin luther derek cooper derek cooper, ph. Martin luther and the epistle of straw kathy schiffer.
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