Full Text for Die Gottesidee in heidnischen Religionen (Text)

(truurnr~ta: UJ4tulugtrul jluu:tQly Continuing LEHRE UNO \VEHRE MAGAZIN FUER EV.-LuTH. H OMILETlK THEOLOGICAL Q UARTERLY-THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY Vol. X September, 1939 No.9 CONTENTS Page The Reformed Doctrine of the Lord's Supper. Th. Engelder ______ M1 The False Arguments for the l\lodern Theory of Open Questions Walther-Guebert ____ ______ .. __ 656 Die Gottesidee in heidnischen Religionen. P. E. Kretzmann ________ 666 Was Gamaliel's Counsel to the Sanhedrill Based on Sound Reasoning? w. c. Bw:hop _ __ ____ ___ _________________________________________ 676 Predigtpniwuerie Cuer die Evangelien der Thomasius- Perikopenreihe . __________________________________________ . _____________ 684 l\lisce1Ianea _ ______ . ____ " _ . .. __ _____________________ .. ___ .. __ .... __ .... ___ ._ .. _ 692 Theological Observer. - Kirchlich-Zeitgeschichtliches ____________ 698 Book Review.-Literatur .. _ .. _ .... .. ____________________________________ . 711 an Predller muu nlcht alle1n ",ei- lin, IIlIo daII et' dle Schafe unter- .... elae. WIe lie re-o..hte ChrL-ten sollen IeJD, IOJldem 8ucb daDeben den Woel- fell ",."!'eft, due lie die Schafe nlcht Ullfel1'm un4 mIt fal8eher Lehre ver- tuebl'en und IrrtUJD elntuehren. !Nther. EI 1st ke1n DIq. du die loMdI mehr bel der Kln:be bebMlt dmD die eute Predlg1. - ApoIogIe, At1. J4, If the trumpet atv. an uneertafn sound who Iball prepare bImMJf to the battle? - 1 eM.14," Puhllshed for the Ev. Loth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States CONCORDIA PUBLISHING BOUSE, St. J .(nm, Mo. 666 SDie @otte~ibee in ~eibnifd)en lReligionen man's salvation or damnation besides that which is found in the Apostolic Creed.''' (Dissert. Instit. ad Collat. Carthag., p.67.) The superficial thinker may look upon this whole presentation as hair-splitting micrology. But he who looks beneath the surface will soon convince himself that there is a principle involved here which means either life or death for the Church. If we uphold this principle, we shall preserve the treasure of our Church; should we sacrifice it, we would throw our treasure away. If our Church insists only on symbolical and not at the same time upon canonical unity, as Gerhard calls it, i. e., on Biblical unity, then our Church is, we repeat it, not an orthodox Church, but a miserable sect, which does not bind itself to accept the whole Word of God but only certain doctrines thereof. No matter how dear and valuable the incomparable Confessions of his Church are to every Lutheran, he does not permit them to become the Lutheran Bible, in which the whole faith of his Church is posited, while all other Biblical doc- trines are more or less irrelevant, mere subjects "concerning which every sincere Christian may hold his own private and individual convictions." It is indeed strange that men who constantly speak against placing the CoEfessions above the Bible decla -L -'8 bound as Lutherans only by those doctrines which are fixed sym- bolically. This fact makes it quite evident who those men are that actually stand on Scripture and believe in its supreme authority as well as in its clarity, and those who do not, We hope we have incontrovertibly proved to every attentive reader that also the hypothesis of a successive de'Telopment of dogmas whereby some men try to bolster up the modern theory of open questions is a false argument. Oak Glen, ill. ALEX. WM. GUEBERT (To be continued) ~ie ®otte~ibee in' ~eibnifdjen ffidighmen ®reidj 3U ~nfang biefer ~bIjanblung mUB betont ttJerben, baB e13 fidj Ijier nul' um cine furac 2ufammenfaffung IjanbeIn tann. Unler 5rIjema ift ein13, lioer ba~ fdjon grofle lBlidjer, umfaffenbe jffierfe, ge~ fdjrieben tnorben finb, unb cine eingeIjenbere lBeIjanbIung arrer ein~ fdjIiigigen ~ragen. mit nuerrennadjtnei~, tniirbe nidjt nm ii6er ben flkr berfiigbaren ffiaum Ijinau~gelJen, fonbern ttJalJrfdjeinfidj audj bie ®ebulb bel' meif±en Eeler erfdjiilJfen. Unb bodj miidjte mandjer ll3af±or, befonber13 uei bel' ~eIjanbIung bel' ~bgiitterei unb bel' falfdjen ffieIigionen im erften ®ebot, bon ben allau vrciten ~llgemeinIjeiten Io13fommen unb, fonberIidj bei @)rttJadjfenen, etttJa13 lJeftimmter unb genauer lilJer bie ~ugotter bet,: SDie &ottesibee in ~eibniid)en lReligionCll 667 fdjiebener !noner unb Eanber referieren. ~ie~ ift um fo notiger. ag, toTe toir fofort fefjen tocrbcn. bie bergleidjenbc ~te1igion~toiffenfdjaft bid" fadj aUf falfdje lBafjnen gcratcn ift unb audj auf biefem ®cbie±e bide menfdjen irrefilfjrt. 2rber bie &u~filfjrungen foUcn fo fnapp totC mogIidj gefjaUen toerben. @!~ ift mcdtoilrbig unb lJebcutfam. baB bie @::bolutionMl}eorie audj auf bem ®ebie± ber 9l:eHgion~toiffenfdjaft bie feItfamften {'Yrildjte ge" ~eitigt fjat. ~n ber naibften ~eife toirb bon ben !nertretern biefer 5tfjeorie angenommcn. ba[3 bicfelbe @::nitoicHung. bie man bei arren Eebc" toefen angenommen fja±. ceteris paribus altdj nUf aU en anbern ®cbie±en be~ menfdjficl:jen m5iffcn0 unb ber menfdjficljen 5tiifigfeit ftattgefunben fjaben foIL ~arum toirb in berfcljiebenen nieberen unb fjofjeren @>cl:julen in fcljier jebcm Unterridjt0fadj ofjne ineitere0 angenommen. baB e0 ficlj um cine @!bolution bon einfadjen au fompn~ierien {'Yormcn fjanbeU. man tragt biefe 5tfjeorie ar~ feI'6ftberftanbficlj bor nidjt nur aUf bem ®ebie± ber lBiologie. lonbern auclj auf bem ber ®eograpfjie. ber @c" fdjiclj±e. ber ~unft unb fogar ber 9l:efigion. ~ie @!bolufion0igeoric auf bem ®elJidc ber ffieHgion ift befonber~ merftourbig. ~ie getoofjnIidj bargefterrt, foU ba0 ®efilfjI unb bie @::r" fenntni~ bon bem ~afein ®otte0 nicljf auf einer Offcnbarung ®otfe~ berufjen, f onbern aucl:j aUf einem @::nttoicrlung~borgang analog bem, ben man bei ber @::bolution ber 5tiere unb be~ menfcljcn annimmt. 91adj bicfcr 5tfjeorie foU ba0 Q3etollf3ffein bel' @::6iftcnil eine~ gotfIicljen jffiefen~ unb ba~ lBetouf3tf ein ber tncIigion ficlj dina f 0 enitoicfeIt fjaben. (trft fjabc bcr primitibe jffiiIbc. bcr nur toenigc @>htfen iiber feincn affen" artigcn !noreUern ftanb. bei getoaftigen Q3c3eigungen ber ~atudriifte, toie bei ®etoiitern, (§rbbeben unb bergleicljen, ein ®efii~r ber !nertoun" berung, be~ @>taunen~, be~ 6cljrecfen0 unb ber {'Yurdjt berfpiiri. ~ier" mit fjabe ficlj in fur~em bie &nedennung ciner unperfiinIicljen ~raft, mana genannt, berbllnben. tote bei ben 5toba0 auf ben ~iigeln @Jilb" inbien0. ~er niidjftc 6cljritt in ber @::ntluicHung ber 9l:efigion0ibce fei gcinefcn. baB man bicfc libernatiirIicljen ~rafte unb lBeileigungen mit getoifjen 9Caturgegenftiinben. mit Q3ergen, ~effcn. gronen lBiiumcn ober audj mit ~ingen in ber unmitfeIbarcn 91acljbarfcljaf±, bie man aUenfaU~ aI~ 2rmuldte mit ficl:j umfje:rtragen fonnte, berbanb. @>o foU ber {'Ycfifcl:j" bienfi eniftanben fein. 2ugleiclj foUen bide 91aiurboIfer ben ®eiftern ber !nerftorbenen ober audj ben ®eifiern ber 91aturfriifie iibernatiirIidje {'Yiifjigfeiien beigeIegt ~aben, fo baB ficlj bel' ~rnimi~mu§ enitoicfeI±e. ~cr niicljfte @>cl:jritt f ei bann getoef en, batl man bie iibernatiirHcljen S1!riifte, bie ber menfcljliclje ®ei]! empfanb, mit getoiffen erbacljiell ober audj gemacljien lBiIbern bon ®o±±~eiten berbanb, fo ban ficl:j ber eigent" Hcl:je ~oI~ffjei~n1U~ enttoicrertc. bie !nieIgotterei, bie bef ol1ber~ bon ben griedjifcl:jen ltnb romifcl:jen ~ranifern toie auclj in bel' @>cljrift gefcl:jiIbert roirb, ~f. 115, 4-8; ~ef. 40, 18-20; 44, 9-20. ~ann foIIen ein" ilelne !noner ober 91ationen fidj einen bel' bieIen ®otfer ar~ @>iammgott 668 SDie ®ottesibee in l)eibnifcf)en \Religionen au~gefudJt fjalien, fo unter anberm bie ~inber ~~raeI ~efjOIJafj, alier ofjne ben anbern @otifjeiten eine getuiff e ~nedennung au IJertueigern. €ld)lieilHd) alier fJalie bief er .l)cnotfjei~mu~ aum ))J,onotfjei~mlt~ gefilfjrt, inbem bie lpi'lteren ~ropfjC±en aIle anbern @otter al~ @oi2en (9Iid)tfe) IJertuarfen unb ben 0Jott, ber fid) illnen offenliart fjattc, ag ben alleinigen ®oft proHamiericu OlJ(onotfjeismu~). @lienfo merflniirbin tuie bief e @rjinbungen ift bie :irati adjc, bail li16 aUf ben fjeutigen :irag bie Q3ertreter biefer @IJolution~tfjeorie fidj in ben lReifjen ber ~manner finben, bie cine IJollftanbig falfdJe ~ltffaffung bon bem lBegriff unb ber ~ufgalic ciner nildjternen bergleidJenben lReIigions~ tuiffenfdJaft fjalien. ~tr fpredJen biefer berfjaHni~matig neuen ~iffen" f dJaf± butdJau~ bie @;!;iftenalieredJ±igung nidJt ali. 8ugleidJ edlaren tuir alier audJ auf ba~ en±fdjiebenfte, bat fcin ?yorfdjer aUf biefem ®eliiet ®efjor jinben fome, ber nidjt bon bornfjerein bie dJrif±lidJe lReligion ag bie einaige geoffenliarte, al~ bie ali for ute lReligion, anerfennt. lffienn a. lB. Q3an lBu~fid in feinem mudje The Saviors of Mankind bie fol" genben aUf e i n e €ltufe f±em: 12aotfc, S1;onfuaiu~, ®autama, 80roafter, ~affjnaton, IDCofe~, ~efaia~, €lotraies, ~@fu~ bon 9laaareifj, €laul bon :irarfu0 unb ))J(ofjmmncb, unb Inenn biefer IDcobernift in fciner @infcitung fotuofjl luie in feincr cnblicIjen 8ufammenfaffung in lpo±±tfcfjcr >mctfe bon fold)C11 rebet, bie em "inspired and infallible gospels" gIemDcn, unb bann fdjIieilIidj mit cinem djirtaf±ifdjen ®ebanfen fein mud) l1ccnbe±, fo arlieitet er nid)± luiffenfdjaftridj unb fjif±orifdj, fonbern auf 0hunb einer borgefatten ID?etnung. :0asfcI0e gift bon ®rant in feinell1 fcilcInb ne~ fdjriel1cncll mudjc Oriental Philosophy; benn filr ifjn finb aile 8Migio~ nen ganc} uno gar aUf c i 1l e r €ltufe, fo baB er fidj nidjt fjofjcr r)inClllf~ fdJtuingen Iann, af,:; oU fdjrciben: "Must we not all express our appreciation to the Ineffable One, by whatever name He has mani- fested Himself throughout all times?" €lellift manner roie lRoliinfon, ~rarfe, mraben, .l)ume, bie ber dJrifHidjen lReligion bie olierfte €lieI" lung un±er ben lffieftreIigionen antucif en, tun bies nidjt in bem €linne, baB fie auf ber @inaigartigfeit unb ber ~liforutfjei± be~ ~fjrif±entums lieftefjen, fonbern nur bergleidj~tueife. ~enn man bie €ldJrif±en biefer IDcanner f±ubieri, fann man fidJ be~ @inbwcf~ nidj± ertuefjren, baB fie liei aller ®eIefjrfamfeit bodj nidj± ben ®wnbunterfdJieb atuifdjen ber djriftHdjen 81efigion unb allen anbern lReligionen erfaBi fja0cn, namIidj bat jene bie :Offclll1awng ber @nabe @oites in ~fjrifio ift unb baB bas &)era be" CIfjriftentums in ber glorreidJen Q3edilnbigung beff en beftefjt, tuas