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 When
the Lord’s church was established in the first century
inspired men began to record N.T. truths to guide future
generations in His way (2 Pet. 1:15, 3:1-2; Lu. 1;1-4; Jn.
20:31). But even then men “twisted” the scriptures (2 Pet.
3:16); and as apostasy developed, they buried God’s word
(almost literally) beneath their traditions. The history of
Restoration began when God’s word was uncovered, so it could
touch man’s heart.
During
the Middle Ages the Roman church dominated the scene. The little
learning that prevailed was bound in Latin and decorated with
mysticism. Commentaries of that day “bring out every other
meaning but the historical and plain sense intended by the
biblical authors.” (Schaff; VI, 717f) What the text
said was not nearly as emphasized as the “allegorical, moral,
and anagogical” suppositions of the clergy. One must
understand that setting to appreciate the following.
Erasmus
(1466-1536) was hardly a zealous reformer. He died in the Roman
church, although he wrote sharp satire against it. But in the
Preface to the 1st. edition of his Greek New Testament he
expressed. the hope “that the Scriptures might be translated
into every tongue and put into the hand of every reader, to give
strength and comfort to the husbandman at his plough, to the
weaver at his shuttle, to the traveler on his journey and to the
woman at her distaff.” It may be “Greek to you” but his
publication of the Greek text spurred independent Bible study,
logical exegesis, and prepared the way for the proclamation of
the true gospel. His first edition appeared in
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1516, with others in ‘19, ‘22, ‘27,
and ‘35. Zwingli copied the Pauline Epistles from the 1st.
edition. Luther prepared a German translation, and Tyndale made
his English version from the 2nd. The 4th. and 5th. editions
were the basis of the textus receptus, from which
the King James version was largely taken.
This
is not to praise Erasmus as a great “Christian” leader.
Schaff says he was “a critical scholar and not a man of action
or of deep fervor of conviction.” He ridiculed the Roman
church but “his piety was not deep enough to brave a rupture
with the old order.” He thought Luther’s manners coarse, and
they had a written feud over free will. But it was a common
saying of the day, “Erasmus laid the egg which Luther hatched.”
Luther said of Erasmus, “He has done what he was ordained to
do: he has introduced the ancient languages in the place of
injurious scholastic studies.”
In
England, John Wyclif (1324-84 used a logical approach to
Scriptures. He assaulted Romanism in five main categories:
nature of the church, the papacy, priesthood,
transubstantiation, and use of Scriptures — with the last the
basis for all else. The Bible must come before the church, as
conscience before human authority. In 1382 he translated the
Latin Vulgate into English — emphasizing the right of the
laity to the Word of God. With good reason he was called the
Morning Star of the Reformation.
There
could be no Reformation no Restoration, and no true church today
without proper use of God’s word.
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