“We Do Not Interpret”… in Pieper’s ‘Bible Church’

[2018-11-14: restored italicized words in Pieper quote]
      In a blog from 2013, I reviewed Dr. Lawrence Rast Jr.'s essay for the 2004 Reformation Lectures (Archive) series sponsored by Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary.  In that essay, Dr. Rast extracted a testimony of Dr. Franz Pieper from a 1931 issue of The Lutheran Witness after Pieper's passing in June 1931.  I marveled at the beauty of that testimony and determined to locate the source of it in the Sept. 29, 1931 issue of The Lutheran Witness.  When I came upon it, I found that the full story had not quite been given by Dr. Rast, for it concluded with an assertion nearly equal in beauty to Pieper's phrase, so I want to present this "reminiscence" in its full glory:

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“We Do Not Interpret.”

The Lutheran Witness, September 29, 1931, p. 326-7

“One morning in the year 1917 Dr. F. Pieper was lecturing to his class in Dogmatics, presenting, as usual, one of the great doctrines of Holy Writ. The ‘Deity of Christ’ was the subject under discussion on that morning, — a mystery which no man by nature can understand, but which faith gladly accepts as true. Dr. Pieper had just finished bringing a striking Bible-passage as proof for this Christian doctrine, when a student, having asked for the floor, arose and said:

‘Doctor, will you kindly give us your interpretation of that verse again.’

Dr. Pieper looked disturbed, slightly bewildered, then, peering sympathetically and intently into the eyes of the questioner, slowly and emphatically said:

‘My interpretation? Never! We do not interpret Scripture. Just listen to that passage again.’

The doctor then read slowly (sounded like an angel) and with great emphasis the passage in question and added:

‘That is what God says. It needs no interpretation. Believe it.’ —

There was a moment of silence, and I assure you God had spoken through His noble instrument, Dr. F. Pieper, that man of God with a simple childlike faith. I have mentioned this incident to a number of Reformed pastors with whom I have come in contact, as the manner and way in which all our theology is taught at Concordia Seminary, and they were dumbfounded at our ‘Thus saith the Lord,' ‘Thus it is written.’ As long as our dear Church has professors, pastors, teachers, and laymen that adhere to that principle, it will be and remain the ‘Bible Church.’”  

Rev. Benedict Schwarz, Chappell, Nebr.

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Dear God!... where did that ‘Bible Church’ go?  —  How wonderful Rev. Schwarz reported this story! — There were several other "reminiscences" of the recently "gone home" Pieper in the issues of the 1931 Witness.  I will present more of these in later posts.