And it is His immutable will that the rational creatures are to regulate themselves in accordance with the norm and guiding principle of His immutable will which He has set forth in the writings of His law.—Johann Gerhard,
Schola Pietatis, I:143
One day we will die. Nothing is more certain than this. But there is nothing more uncertain than the time, place, and manner of our death.—C. F. W. Walther, God Grant It!, p. 188.
The Gerhard quote shows one of the problems with the word “law.” About 10 different words in Hebrew are translated into a single Greek word, “nomos,” which is, turn, translated into “law.” One of those Hebrew words is “Torah,” which in its widest meaning is “the mind of God,” but is always translated as “law.” St. Paul makes reference to this when he writes, 1 Cor. 2:16, “But we have the mind of Christ.” As we all know, the Old Testament contains both Law and Gospel, therefore, “He has not only set forth his will in the writings of His law,” because the Gospel, as proclaimed in Torah, the Prophets and the other Old Testament writings, is also part of His immutable will.
ReplyDeletePeace and Joy!
George A. Marquart
It’s clear from the context, he intends the Ten Commandments (each of which he meditates on in great detail in this work).
ReplyDeleteIt is fairly certain that some OT citations he uses (I do not have this work) do not apply, because the Hebrew text refers to Torah, and not "the Words" or "The Ten Words." Melanchton did this in the Apology to the Augsburg Confession, when he writes that "the Law written in our hearts," Jeremiah 31) are the Ten Commandments. The Hebrew text uses "Torah."
ReplyDeletePeace and Joy!
George A. Marquart