E2: Antichrist = "collective person", all individual Popes (Comparing LC-MS vs Old Missouri)

[2024-12-21: added note in red below on "collective work".]

      This continues from Part E1 (Table of Contents in Part E1) presenting the 1870 Eastern District convention essay on "The Antichrist". Walther was in attendance, so the essay's content would be his as well. — In this post, we dig into the portion that is in direct opposition to what is taught in the LC–MS today: 

1) Has the “Missouri Synod” never taught that individual Popes were the Antichrist?

the LC–MS's Theological Commission states:	1870 Eastern District essay (w/ Walther): (emphasis mine)
“The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod does not teach, nor has it ever taught, that any individual Pope as a person, is to be identified with the Antichrist.”	“The present pope is considered by many to be too pious to be the Antichrist… But do not be deceived, the devil disguises himself as an angel of light.  Pius IX is rather the greatest hypocrite, the most shameful, most wicked man that the earth bears at present”

The Eastern District convention, along with Walther who is considered the father of the Missouri Synod, explicitly taught that an individual Pope was “the Antichrist”. Walther’s word to the LC–MS: “do not be deceived”.

2) Again, not “any individual Pope as a person”?

the LC–MS's Theological Commission states:	1870 Eastern District essay (w/ Walther): (emphasis mine)
“…the Scriptures also teach that there is one climactic "Anti-Christ" ... Concerning the historical identity of the Antichrist, we affirm the Lutheran Confessions' identification of the Antichrist with the office of the papacy…” [excluding any individual Pope]	“…according to the Scriptures, we should rather think of a collective person (consisting of several individuals).” Luther: "One should by no means obey those who understand this (Dan. 8:23-25) and similar passages of the prophets to refer to one person alone… [Luther refers to “person” here, not just an office. The Antichrist is not “one person” but a series of persons holding that office.] Paul would have understood the whole body and the whole swarm of the ungodly and all their descendants to be the same end-Christ [or Antichrist]. Gerhard: “…Against the Papists we urge that in Matt. 16:18 the singular with the definite article and the demonstrative pronoun “ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ” [“on this rock”] is found, and yet they [papists] refer that word no less to every pontiff. We also urge this, that canon law, when it names the "Pope," does not understand one [einen] man, but every Pope who is present at the time, or the whole succession of Popes." Hülsemann: "There is absolutely no reason why one should think more favorably of the present Roman bishop, Urban VIII [an individual man], as if he were either not the Antichrist, or that he has not defiled himself with all the marks of the Antichrist.

Now the LC–MS may think that their identification of only the “office of the papacy” as the Antichrist agrees with the essay’s statement of a “collective person”, but the Eastern essay then clarifies this with the term “several individuals”. [2024-12-21 Cp. to "collective work" in copyright law.] Now the LC–MS theologians will surely fault the Eastern District essayist, saying that this is not what the Scriptures teach, not what the Confessions teach. But the LC–MS’s teaching essentially says that the Confessions are ambiguous when it is written that “the Pope is the very Antichrist”. But the writings of Luther, Gerhard, and  Hülsemann know nothing of the peculiar LC–MS doctrine. Luther does not speak of just the “office of the papacy”, he used the word “person”. He is not excluding the “office of the papacy”, he is reinforcing it by referring to the “person” or “persons”. And while Gerhard does not specifically speak of “individual men”, yet his terms “every pontiff” and “every Pope” point to individual men as Popes. — He also understands the word “Pope”, in the confessional phrase “the Pope is the very Antichrist”, in the same way that the papists do. The papists do not distinguish the word “Pope” from the “individual men who fill that office”. 

      The Lutheran Confessions state “the Pope is the very Antichrist”. Nowhere do they exclude the individual Popes as the Antichrist, as the LC–MS theologians do. Yet these theologians boldly claim “we affirm the Lutheran Confessions'…”.

      There is another aspect of the Old Missouri Synod teaching that "flies in the face of" today's LC–MS, the duration of the period of time of the Pope as the Antichrist. We cover that in the next Part E3.

Gerhard's wisdom on "Faith and Love"

      In the December 25 1861 issue of Der Lutheraner, vol. 18, p. 79, I ran across the following reprint of John Gerhard's wisdom on the difference between "Faith" and "Love":

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Faith and love.

Faith listens to God's promises; love listens to God's commandments.

Faith deals with the works of God; love with our works.

Faith receives Christ's benefits; love returns benevolence.

Faith goes in and takes hold; love goes out.

Faith is, as it were, a beggar, but love is a generous benefactor.

Faith makes one God's child; love proves that one has become one.

Faith has Christ, as he is offered in the Gospel with all His benefits, as its object, love God and neighbor. (Johann Gerhard.)

Love wants to be deceived, but faith cannot be deceived.

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What a Christian lesson this is!

2 judgments of Walther: Mayes faults Walther, again (on Gerhard's terminology)

      This post is an excursus to Hochstetter's History Chapter 12 (Part 16) dealing with the so-called Predestinarian Controversy, and Walther's pivotal role in it.

Pastor Eissfeldt's 1931 testimony for Walther

      To add to Pastor Hochstetter's testimony of Walther's theological skills in discussions with the opposing members of the Iowa and Ohio Synods, I would add a quote from a 1931 writing published in CHIQ (CTS-FW Media) from a pastor who knew Walther intimately, Pastor Carl Eissfeldt [lutheranmuseum.com; Find-A-Grave; DL30 (1880), p. 52-53]. Much more will be said about this short essay in a future blog, but for now, let us hear his judgment of Walther's theological ability (emphasis mine):

"Already in my younger years I had occasion to admire Dr. Walther’s patience in dealing with his opponents. His firmness and tenacity in clinging to the clear doctrine of the Word of God was matched by his remarkable patience with such as were still caught in the meshes of false doctrine. This trait of Walther’s struck me already in the days of my childhood on the occasion of the Iowa Colloquium in November of the year 1867.… To the memories of Walther indelibly impressed on my mind belong also the days when, after the controversy on Predestination had broken out, a conference took place in the seminary of the Wisconsin Synod between representatives of the Synodical Conference and those charging us with Calvinism. Walther and Professor Craemer were guests in my parents’ home on this occasion. Never have I seen Walther so downcast, so depressed in spirit, as in those days. Usually Walther took an active part in the conversation whenever he returned from any synodical meeting. This time he came to our home from every meeting silent, utterly saddened; he took almost no part in the conversation, ate only what my mother urged upon him, and retired early to the solitude of his bed-chamber, where, without doubt, he wrestled in fervent prayer with his God."

Prof. Mayes 2018 judgment against Walther

      Walther's understanding of the Ohio and Iowa Synods, the dogmatists of Lutheran Orthodoxy, and the Formula of Concord in relation to the Doctrine of the Election of Grace is historic.  Much has been written about this, both by Old Missouri and also by the LC-MS.  The two points at issue are firstly that Scripture alone is the norm and rule of theology, and secondly that theological terminology should avoid confusion wherever possible.  Walther masterfully demonstrated his Scriptural theology and his language usage, i.e. the meaning of "instrumental cause", especially in the Predestinarian Controversy — see Hochstetter's footnotes to pages 365-366. So it is with sadness that Prof. Benjamin T. G. Mayes continues his misjudging of Walther's theology in his understanding of the great dogmatist John Gerhard in his "General Editor's Introduction"  to the English translation of Gerhard's writing On Justification Through Faith, (CPH, 2018). Mayes enjoys some support of a conservative LCMS Pastor Joshua Scheer (WB) regarding Mayes' "great work in the name of Lutheran Orthodoxy". But Prof. Mayes says (p. xvi-xvii, emphasis mine):

• Walther "failed to define the terms and imported a different meaning of “instrumental cause” than what was used by Gerhard." [Really? Walther misunderstood theological Latin usage of "instrumental cause"? Did he also "fail" in his judgment of Musaeus on this same term, Hochstetter p. 366?]
• Walther "is wrong on what the Lutheran Orthodox meant by faith as a causa instrumentalis… of justification and why they used this terminology." [Or could it be that Editor Mayes is himself weak on the Lutheran Doctrine of Justification, as he is on a hierarchical doctrine of the Ministry, like Loehe and Grabau?]
• "Walther rejected the idea that faith is a ‘nonprincipal impulsive cause of justification and salvation.’ Gerhard rejected the same idea." [As if Walther was not also aware of this!]

Gottfried Fritschel:
Walther is "a disgrace";
Mayes mentor?

Mayes is overly defensive of Gerhard on this point.  His judgment, while not as harsh, is similar to that of Prof. Gottfried Fritschel of the old Iowa Synod as he, against Walther's judgment of Gerhard's weak terminology, "exclaimed under the mask of pious horror":

“What a gross insult against the Lutheran Church, what a disgrace!” (Hochstetter's History p. 365)

Mayes admits that Gerhard and Walther agree on the chief point at issue.  But Mayes incredibly thinks he understands theological Latin usage better than Walther, and so feels compelled to fault Walther for being over cautious on terminology against Gerhard.  But Walther is the greater theologian than Gerhard on this point for he guards not only the pure doctrine of Justification, he zealously guards the proper terminology that allows no misinterpretation.  And that is exactly how Walther exposed the issue on the usage of the Latin term "intuitu fidei", or "in view of faith" by the Ohio and Iowa Synods. This judgment of Prof. Mayes is like his judgment against Walther in his 2011 CTQ essay. (Sadly Mayes also criticizes the theological judgment of Robert Preus on this same issue.)  Prof. Mayes would do better to just continue getting more translations published, and then just sit at the feet of Walther. No theologian has understood the dogmaticians, the Lutheran Confessions, and proper theological terminology, better than… C.F.W. Walther.

>>>>>>    Luther, Chemnitz,… Walther! (not Gerhard in the Big 3)    <<<<<<< 

===>>> Could it be that CPH luminary Prof. Benjamin T. G. Mayes is in part responsible for the non-publication of Dr. Fred Kramer's English translation of Hochstetter's History by Concordia Publishing House? — In the next post, Part 17, Chapter 13 of Hochstetter's History.

Plague 5- Gerhard's Consolation for Pestilence; Prayer

      This continues from Part 4 in a series (Table of Contents in Part 1) of Old Missouri devotions during a time of Plague or Pestilence as we are experiencing with the Coronavirus or COVID-19. — Although this installment does not come directly from "Old Missouri", yet it comes from a highly regarded Lutheran theologian/dogmatician from the era of so-called Lutheran Orthodoxy, roughly the period between the Reformation century and the age of Pietism.  John Gerhard, along with his other theological writings, also wrote devotional materials.  This example was pointed out to me from an interested reader and comes from the book Enchiridion consolatorium oder Tröstliches Handbüchlein Johann Gerhard's wider den Tod und die Anfechtungen beim Todeskampfe (Leipzig, 1877, Google Books: "Handbook of Consolation by John Gerhard Against Death and the Temptations of the Struggle with Death").

Enchiridion consolatorium oder Tröstliches Handbüchlein
John Gerhard's Manual of Comfort (CTSFW bookstore, $7.99)

This book was a translation of Gerhard's original Latin book by a pastor in Germany.  My correspondent had discovered one of Gerhard's "Consolations" that had a heading of "Pestilence" and considered it pertinent for the current world plague.  In the same book, I discovered a short "Prayer in Sickness" and so I consider it worthy to follow "Pestilence". So I then proceeded with the work of translation for both items. — However I have subsequently discovered that an English translation of just the first portion was made in 1990 by Dr. John Drickamer which is still available from the CTSFW bookstore (↗).  Drickamer admitted that he "abridged, altered, and adapted" the text and that he had "taken liberties with the wording".  I did not take liberties with my translations below, perhaps Drickamer's is more readable.  See the translated "Foreword" by the German pastor afterwards – it is informative for learning of Gerhard's own afflictions in his personal life.
      As I translated and studied Gerhard's work, I gained an appreciation for him and wondered that Starck's Prayerbook was patterned after Gerhard's work.  Two things stood out for me from Gerhard's devotion: (A) It is better to be in God's hands in plague and sickness than in man's hands in times of war and bloodshed – as David well knew. (#6); (B) On Christians, those who have despaired of their works and turned to the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, "on such the second death hath no power". (#8). — In the next Part 6…

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Translation from the German by BackToLuther using DeepL and Google Translators, pages 238-241, 185-187 ; 
Bible translations are KJV if not noted. (German texts here & here)

In Times of Pestilence.

Passages of consolation: Numbers 16:46-48 [KJV]: And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

2 Chronicles 6:28-30 [Luther Bibel]:  If becomes any dearth in the land, or pestilence,… or any plague or disease: Then whosoever shall pray or make supplication among all men, and among all thy people Israel, if any man shall feel his plague and his sorrow, then hear thou from heaven, from the place of thy dwelling, and be gracious.

Ps. 91:1-7, 9-10 [composite Luther, KJV]: He who sits under the shield of the Most High, and abides under the shadow of the Almighty, says to the Lord, "My confidence and my fortress, my God, in whom I hope. For He delivers me from the snare of the hunter, and from the pestilence that is harmful. He will cover thee with His feathers, and thy confidence shall be under His wings. His truth is a covering and shield, that thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrows that fly by day, nor of the pestilence that creepeth in darkness, nor of the pestilence that wasteth at noon. Whether a thousand fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, it shall not hurt thee. For the Lord is thy confidence, and the Most High is thy refuge. No evil shall befall thee, and no plague shall come nigh unto thy tabernacle.

Ps. 112:7-8 [Luther Bibel]: When a plague comes, the righteous man is not afraid; his heart has undaunted hope in the Lord. His heart is confident, and fears not. [p. 239]

Reasons for Consolation: 1. God sends this plague to men. Lev. 26:25: I will send the pestilence among you. Amos 4:10: I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt.

2. God can protect His own in time of pestilence. Ex. 15:26 [Luther Bibel]: If you will obey the voice of the Lord your God, I will not put on you the sickness that I put on Egypt; for I am the Lord your physician.

3. The holy angels protect from the slaughter. Ps. 34:7: The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Ps. 91:11-12: For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

4. Faith in Christ will keep away the destroying angel. Ex 12:23: For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. [p. 240]

5. God can easily avert the pestilence if we ask Him in true repentance. 2 Sam. 24:16: And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. 2 Chron. 7:13-14 [Luther Bibel]: "If I send a pestilence among my people, and my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and they pray, and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their Land.

6. It is better to have pestilence than war and bloodshed. 2 Sam. 24:14: David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

7. Sometimes even the pious are taken by this plague. Is. 38:1, 21: In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil. Ezekiel 24:16 [Luther Bibel]: God says to the prophet Ezekiel, “Son of man, behold, I will take away the delight of thine eyes with a plague”. [p. 241]

8. But such things do not hurt them in their souls. Ps. 73:26 [Luther Bibel]: Though my body and soul may be withering away, Thou, O God, art always the consolation of my heart and my portion. Revelation 20:6: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power.

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Prayer in Sickness.

My Lord and God, who giveth and giveth back life, in whose hand is life and death, health and sickness, hear me, hear me, not according to my will and desire, but according to the good pleasure of thy will. If thou wilt, thou can make me well; just speak one word, and I will be well. Thou art the length of my days, my time is in thy hands. But if thou now would call me to thy heavenly homeland by the way of death, then first kill all inordinate love for earthly life in me, give me strength of spirit so that I may overcome the fear of death; light up and, when my eyes become dark, multiply in me the right light of the heart in the midst of darkness. With thou is the source of true life, and in thy light I shall see the light. Thy death, dear Lord Jesus, has become to my death [p. 186] poison, thy death has earned me eternal life. Thus I take thy Word with a believing heart and am therefore certain that thou dwellest in my heart through faith. Therefore I will not burden thou from my heart, but thou bless me and raise me up with life-giving comfort. Thou hast said: He who believes in Me shall never die. This thy Word my heart holds before thee, and in such trust I come before thy throne of grace that thou wilt not cast out him that cometh to thee. Thy dear blood maketh me clean from my sins, thy wounds hide me from the wrath of God and from the severity of judgment. In thee will I die, and thou wilt live in me; in thee will I abide, and thou wilt abide in me; thou wilt not leave me in death and dust, but wilt raise me up to the resurrection of life. Thou hast fought and overcome for me, so now fight and overcome in me as well. May thy power become powerful in my weakness. My soul clings to thee, do not let me be separated from thee. Thy peace, which is higher than all reason, preserve my heart and my senses. Into thy hands I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, Lord, thou faithful God. Take my soul [p. 187] which thou created, which thou redeemed, which thou cleansed of sins with thy blood, which thou hast sealed with the pledge of the Holy Spirit and nourished with thy body and blood. It is yours, thou gavest it to me. Now therefore take again what is thine, and forgive me the guilt of my sins with which I have defiled it. Let not the fruit of thy suffering be lost to me, nor thy dear blood shed in vain for me. In thee have I hoped, Lord, help me that I shall not be defiled, nor mocked forever. Amen.

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In the next Part 6…
Read the "Foreword" by the German pastor Böttcher in the "Read more" section below: