05.04.2013 Views

The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Catholic scholars, much as the concession embarrasses the argument for<br />

transubstantiation. Maldonatus, whose Commentary on Matthew is<br />

regarded by Romanists as the very best ever written on that Gospel, is<br />

especially worthy of examination on this point. When Romish testimony<br />

agrees with the Protestant, it has special value.<br />

It is the view of many of the most thoughtful <strong>and</strong> reliable Protestants<br />

who are not Lutherans, <strong>and</strong> who have a strong dogmatic temptation to<br />

overcome, in order to be faithful to the truth. We will give a few of these,<br />

as they come from sources where we might least expect them.<br />

Dr. HENRY HAMMOND, a classic among the older commentators<br />

of the Church of Engl<strong>and</strong>, says: "It must here be observed that the word<br />

touto, this, is not the relative to artos, bread, but of the neuter, whereas that<br />

is of the masculine, <strong>and</strong> consequently it is not here said, This bread is My<br />

body." <strong>The</strong> best interpreters of the Calvinistic Unionistic School have<br />

ab<strong>and</strong>oned the theory that "touto" can refer grammatically to "artos."<br />

Reformed Divines.<br />

Dr. JOHN J. OWEN in his Notes on Matthew (New York, 1857), on<br />

this point, says: "<strong>The</strong> form of words in the original does not refer so much<br />

to the bread, which is not mentioned, as to the thing."<br />

LANGE, the latest commentator of eminence on Matthew,<br />

confessedly one of the greatest scholars of the age, but strongly anti-<br />

Lutheran, says: "This is My body. This, in the neuter, therefore not<br />

directly oJ a‡rtoß (the bread)."<br />

STIER, who was Unionistic, says, in regard to touvto: "If anything<br />

be certain in regard to this matter, it is the sober word of Bengel, which is<br />

faithful to the simple letter, <strong>and</strong> has, therefore, become classical, ‘hoc<br />

quod vos sumere jubeo,' this which I comm<strong>and</strong> you to take." With this<br />

HENGSTENBERG, originally from the Reformed side in the Union,<br />

concurs with what Stier calls an "almost Lutheran approval." STIER says<br />

further in the note: "<strong>The</strong> Lutheran divines maintain this as the force: This<br />

which I comm<strong>and</strong> you to eat. <strong>The</strong>y are right." And again, in the text:<br />

"<strong>The</strong>re is good reason why our Lord does not say this bread."

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!