Theological Origins of Modernity

luther and the storm of faith 127
tion that the celibate life is higher or more holy than the married life in Luther’s
view is mistaken. Indeed, it is itself the product of the devil’s stoking
of priestly pride. Th e carnal life for Luther is thus a divine gift to be enjoyed.
Luther himself loved nature and enjoyed eating, drinking, sexuality, etc.
During his disputation with Eck, he carried a rose in his hand that he repeatedly
gazed upon and smelled to remind himself of the goodness of creation.
Th at we typically associate the Reformation with Puritan asceticism
has little to do with Luther and much more to do with a revival of Neoplatonism
in the thought of Calvin and the Calvinists, which replaced Luther’s
cosmology of incarnation with a more arid intellectual spiritualism. 121
conclusion
Luther’s thought originates out of the deep spiritual problems that arise
from his encounter with nominalism. His thinking follows a path that is
radically diff erent from that of his scholastic predecessors. In part, this
new vision owes a great deal to nominalism, but it is crucially formed by
his own great insight into the centrality of incarnation. Th is radical new
ontology produces a new view of God, man, and the natural world. Th is
said, Luther’s position is beset by deep and intractable problems. Th e question
of divine justice, for example, cannot be as easily disposed of, as Luther
would have us believe. Focusing on Christ and the Incarnation and
prohibiting speculation about the hidden God will not put such questions
to rest. Why should we assume that this hidden God is merciful and loving
rather than indiff erent or cruel? How do we know that he is not a genius
malignus, as Descartes would later suggest? In other words, why should we
trust God’s promises, trust that he will abide by his potentia ordinata when
in fact he is more truly a potentia absoluta?
Luther’s answer to this perplexing question comes down to his faith in
Scripture. But Luther himself fi nds it diffi cult to sustain this claim. Scripture,
as he oft en admits, has to be interpreted, and that means valuing
some passages and books above others. How in such circumstances do
we know we are choosing correctly? How do we know what we take to be
divine inspiration behind our reading is not in fact the subliminal urgings
of our passions and desires?
Moreover, a great deal in Luther’s thought turns on the notion of grace,
but Jesus never uses the word charis in this sense in the Bible. It becomes
central only in Paul and later in Augustine. 122 Similarly, it is diffi cult to fi nd
any mention of predestination in the synoptic Gospels. Luther’s Christianity