JPK4: Gerhard: "The Rule of Faith" (or "Analogy of the Faith")

This continues from Part JPK3 (Table of Contents in Part JPK1) in a series defending against the aberrant teachings of deposed Wisconsin Synod Prof. J. P. Koehler († 1951) of the Wisconsin Synod. — Franz Pieper, in his essay (JPK3) referenced the "old theologian" John Gerhard and his work On Interpreting Sacred Scripture twice, especially where Gerhard speaks explicitly of the "rule of faith".  By contrast, Prof. Koehler had the following comment about the "analogy of faith" which had come up in an intersynodical conference meeting (History, p. 212): 

"No one had thought of carefully examining Rom.12:6, where the phrase ("the analogy of faith") is used by St. Paul… The expression had been used for over fifteen hundred years in the church as a technical principle of interpretation, and so all the answers given at the meeting as to ‘the analogy of faith’ were based on the various statements of the dogmaticians. [e.g. John Gerhard] … The proper interpretation of the misapplied Scripture text became imperative, and Koehler… applied himself to the task"

So Koehler "applied himself to the task" of overturning "fifteen hundred years in the church" since he, and "no one" else, will be "carefully examining Rom.12:6". What Koehler omits to say is that he is also overturning Martin Luther (Part JPK2) who agreed with the leading lights of the last "fifteen hundred years in the church" on "the rule of faith". 

(But Rom. 12:6 plainly says in Greek "if prophecy, according to the analogian (ἀναλογίαν, analogy) of the faith". No amount of "exegesis" can overturn these plain words.) — 

       But let us go back to one of those "dogmaticians" that Koehler disdains, John Gerhard, and see what he taught. His work is most instructive for Lutherans, in spite of Koehler, especially on Holy Scripture itself. In 2017, CPH published an English translation of Gerhard's On Interpreting Sacred Scripture and in the following I quote the full paragraphs that Pieper references in his Lehre und Wehre essay (Part JPK3) and in his Christian Dogmatics book. These show the Lutheran, that is the Christian, way of "Interpreting Sacred Scripture". From pp. 76-77 of that book:

John Gerhard on the "Rule of Faith"

§ 75. … By “the rule of faith” we mean the clear passages of Scripture where the articles of the faith are laid out in clear and explicit words. Here belong all those argu­ments by which we proved in its own place that Scripture is perfect and perspicuous and therefore is the norm of all theological controversies.

§ 76. Moreover, because the most important and chief headings of this rule are pre­sented in the Apostles’ Creed, the fathers call it “the rule of faith.” When Irenaeus explains the rule of faith, he goes to the Apostles’ Creed. Tertullian: “The rule of faith is indeed entirely one, solely immovable and unalter­able, the rule, that is, of believing in only one God Almighty, Maker of earth; and in His Son, Jesus Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, on the third day rose again from the dead, was received up into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father; He will come to judge the living and the dead even through the resurrec­tion of the flesh.” Augustine: “If the Holy Spirit were not God, then He would not come before the church in the rule of faith.” Ambrose: “For this purpose did the apostles come together: to prescribe the rule of faith.”  

§ 77. In these statements, the Apostles’ Creed is called “the rule of faith.” Elsewhere, however, they call Scripture itself “the rule of faith” because each and every one of its points is presented in Scripture with clear and distinct words. Irenaeus calls the Word of God “the rule of truth.” Clement: “The sound and sure rule of truth is to be sought from the divine Scriptures.” Augustine says: “Sacred Scripture secures the rule of our faith.” He calls the Sacred Scriptures “the divine scale”. Again: “Although we could not discover the intent of this book’s author, nevertheless we did not waver from the rule of faith which is sufficiently well-known to the faithful through the other parts of Holy Writ which have the same authority.” Chrysostom calls Scripture “the accurate measure, rule, and norm of everything.” Gerson: “Holy Scripture is the rule of faith. No authority of men is to be accepted contrary to it, if it is understood well.”

§ 78. The Papists are proposing a different rule of faith. They add traditions to Scripture which they claim must be embraced with equal devotion. This rule [regula], however, is very irregular…. Scripture is the entire and complete rule and needs no addition or subtrac­tion. If traditions agree with Scripture, we receive them; but if they disagree, we rightly reject them.

§ 154 (p. 102-103): "If they were to claim that the rule of faith compels us to quit the literal sense—because the rule of faith asserts that Christ’s body is a true and natural body and because Christ has bodily ascended into heaven—the fourth observation hastens to help: the rule of faith must be accepted in its entirety, nor must its parts be placed in opposition to one another. Scripture teaches both that Christ’s body is truly a human body and that it is nevertheless truly distributed in His Supper. Therefore both must be believed. The one must not be set against the other, for Christ’s body is not only truly a human body but is also the body belonging to the Son of God; Christ not only ascended into heaven but also sits at the right hand of God." 

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      While the Papists add their "Tradition" alongside the Scriptures, Koehler would add his brand of "exegesis", sometimes called "historical exegesis". Never mind the plain reading of clear passages. HE will supposedly tell Christian people what the Scripture actually says, never mind the faithful instruction of not just the old Missouri Synod teachers, but also the leading lights of  "over fifteen hundred years in the church". That puts the old Missouri Synod teachers in good company.

      It may be noted that sympathy for Koehler's teaching found favor also in the LC–MS leading up to the 1974 Walkout, being published in Concordia Theological Monthly twice. In a 1952 article in Concordia Theological Monthly p. 50, Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan judged a historical work of Koehler as "perhaps the outstanding work of its kind to come out of American Lutheranism, regardless of synod." Pelikan later left the Lutheran Church. And finally in 1972, Concordia Theological Monthly published an article that gave a long quote from J. P. Koehler. — We conclude this series in the next Part JPK5.  Then in an Appendix we will compare a core teacher in the LC–MS Concordia Seminary, Prof. Joel Biermann, with past Lutheran and ancient teachers on "the Analogy of Faith". Biermann directly contradicts them.  

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 § 78 against Prof. Joel Biermann of Concordia Seminary!

      It should be noted that not only the Papists "add traditions to Scripture" for their "rule of faith", but also Prof. Joel Biermann of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, although he tries to deny this at 46:11 here. He teaches this explicitly to his seminary students as documented in his lecture to his Systematics class. We will be publishing a 4-part transcript of an excerpt of his lecture with annotations as a follow up to this series.