The People's Book: The Reformation and the Bible (Wheaton Theology Conference Series)

by Jennifer McNutt; David Lauber

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2017

Overview

Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses caught Europe by storm and initiated the Reformation, which fundamentally transformed both the church and society. Yet by Luther's own estimation, his translation of the Bible into German was his crowning achievement.

The Bible played an absolutely vital role in the lives, theology, and practice of the Protestant Reformers. In addition, the proliferation and diffusion of vernacular Bibles—grounded in the original languages, enabled by advancements in printing, and lauded by the theological principles of sola Scriptura and the priesthood of all believers—contributed to an ever-widening circle of Bible readers and listeners among the people they served.

This collection of essays from the 2016 Wheaton Theology Conference—the 25th anniversary of the conference—brings together the reflections of church historians and theologians on the nature of the Bible as "the people's book." With care and insight, they explore the complex role of the Bible in the Reformation by considering matters of access, readership, and authority, as well as the Bible's place in the worship context, issues of theological interpretation, and the role of Scripture in creating both division and unity within Christianity.

On the 500th anniversary of this significant event in the life of the church, these essays point not only to the crucial role of the Bible during the Reformation era but also its ongoing importance as "the people's book" today.

Key Features

• Soughts to reflect on the impact of the people's book on Christianity today
• Examines many of the facets of the Bible as the people's book during the Reformation
• Represents the multiplicity of Reformation traditions according to the authors' particular study of the theme

Contents

Part I: Access and Readership

• Teaching the Church: Protestant Latin Bibles and Their Readers - Bruce Gordon
• Scripture, the Priesthood of All Believers, and Applications of 1 Corinthians 14 - G. Sujin Pak
• Learning to Read Scripture for Ourselves: The Guidance of Erasmus, Luther, and Calvin - Randall Zachman
• The Reformation and Vernacular Culture: Wales as a Case Study - D. Densil Morgan

Part II: Transmission and Worship

• The Reformation as Media Event - Read Mercer Schuchardt
• The Interplay of Catechesis and Liturgy in the Sixteenth Century: Examples from the Lutheran and Reformed Traditions - John D. Witvliet
• Word and Sacrament: The Gordian Knot of Reformation Worship - Jennifer Powell McNutt

Part III: Protestant-Catholic Dialogue

• John Calvin's Commentary on the Council of Trent - Michael Horton
• The Bible and the Italian Reformation - Christopher Castaldo
• Reading the Reformers After Newman - Carl Trueman

Part IV: The People's Book Yesterday and Today

• From the Spirit to the Sovereign to Sapiential Reason: A Brief History of Sola Scriptura - Paul C. H. Lim
• Perspicuity and the People's Book - Mark Labberton

Praise for The People's Book

The Reformation was about the Word, but it was also about words—the words of the Bible especially, which in turn resounded through countless sermons, hymns, commentaries, catechisms, debates, dialogues, and public acts. The words of Scripture were not merely script or print, but event, just as the Reformation was not simply a happening, but a shattering. The essays in this volume tell that story with verve and nuance and thus help us to understand why, five hundred years later, the Reformation is still so consequential.

Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University, general editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture

Despite what Protestants used to say, medieval Christians did have access to the contents of the Bible. Still, the Protestant Reformation gave them far greater access. It also placed biblical doctrine much closer to the center of the faith and spirituality of many Europeans, both Protestant and Catholic. The People's Book deftly explains how this transformation occurred—without oversimplification or Protestant triumphalism. Anyone interested in the legacy of the biblical reforms of Luther, Calvin, and their colleagues will find in these essays a treasure trove of scholarship and practical Christian wisdom.

Douglas A. Sweeney, professor of church history and the history of Christian thought, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Sola Scriptura, 'Scripture alone': these words still resonate over the centuries since the early 1500s. No single scholar can do justice to the complex history of the Bible and its impact in the Reformation era. Fortunately, Jennifer Powell McNutt and David Lauber have assembled a top-notch team to provide a rich feast of insights on the Bible in the Reformation era and beyond. From regional studies to carefully crafted reflections on the Bible and authority or worship, this book offers timely guidance for all who want to understand the roots of Protestant engagement with Scripture.

Karin Maag, Meeter Center, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI

Product Details

• Title: The People’s Book: The Reformation and the Bible
• Authors: Jennifer McNutt, David Lauber
• Series: Wheaton Theology Conference
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2017
• Logos Release Date: 2021
• Pages: 245
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Bible › History--Congresses; Europe › Church history--16th century--Congresses; Reformation › Congresses
• ISBNs: 9780830891771, 9780830851638, 0830891773, 0830851631
• Resource ID: LLS:PPLSBKRFRMTNBBL
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:19:25Z