The Devil’s Whore: Reason and Philosophy in the Lutheran Tradition

266 Pages·2011·19.741 MB·English

by  Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth

Reason, the devil’s mother— H Reason and Philosophy The Devil’s Whore
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The Devil’s Whore
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“As we move toward the five hundredth anniversary . . . of Martin g
s
Luther’s . . . posting of his Ninety-Five Theses for Debate on Octo- e
t
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ber 31, 1517, this collection of essays has been assembled to ana-
lyze some obvious and perhaps not-so-obvious connections between Martin Luther’s disdain for philoso-
Luther’s revolutionary theology and the historical development of phi- phy is well known, and the Lutheran
losophy on the European continent and to explore concepts on the theological tradition has been wary
development of contemporary philosophy done by Lutherans today.” of its constructs. Yet the tradition
—David M. Hockenbery, from the introduction T also includes philosophical giants —
from Melanchthon to Schleiermacher
h
“How can a Lutheran both affirm Lutheran theology and do philosophy to Kierkegaard and even Nietzsche.
e
when Luther himself firmly held a skeptical position toward reason
This volume shows how Luther’s
and the philosophical discipline? . . . This book . . . serves as a vehicle
D skepticism about philosophy actually
for scholars of Luther and scholars of philosophy to come together to
opened up new ways of doing and
discuss the quandary of Lutheran philosophy. It argues that Lutheran e
seeing philosophy.
philosophy, quandary though it may be, is a deep and rich vein of v
thinking. As such the book [presents] its research and stands as a i
call for more new research in the history of Luther’s own ideas, in the l Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth has
’
s gathered an illustrious group of phi-
understanding of continental philosophy, and in the future of ideas.”
losophers, theologians, and historians
—Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth, from the afterword W
Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth is to assess the paradox and achieve-
associate professor of philosophy at ments of philosophy in the Lutheran
h
Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, CONTRIBUTORS vein. In their important exploration
o
and author of numerous articles on
in the his-tory of ideas, they not only
Oswald Bayer John F. Hoffmeyer Charles Peterson
the relationship between philoso- r
probe the roots and branches of
phy and theology in Augustine, Hil- Dennis Bielfeldt Denis R. Janz Gregory R. Peterson e
Luther’s own ambivalence toward phi-
Troy Dahlke Gregory Johnson William R. Russell
degard of Bingen, Luther, Nietzsche,
Sarah E. Fredericks Pauline M. Kaurin Lea F. Schweitz losophy, they also draw illuminating
Wittgenstein, and John Paul II. She
David J. Gouwens Carter Lindberg Gary M. Simpson connections between his revolution-
is on the steering committee for the
Christine Helmer Christian Lotz Mary J. Streufert ary theology and the development
Martin Luther and Global Lutheran-
ism Consultation for the American Paul R. Hinlicky Mary Elise Lowe David Vessey of European continental philosophy,
Academy of Religion. David M. Hockenbery Martin E. Marty Markus Wriedt and its implications for today.
Religion/History of Christianity/Lutheran
Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth, Editor
The Devil’s Whore
Studies in Lutheran History and Theology

Published volumes

I Am a Christian
The Nun, the Devil, and Martin Luther
Carolyn M. Schneider

Redeeming the Gospel
The Christian Faith Reconsidered
David A. Brondos

Liberating Lutheran Theology
Freedom for Justice and Solidarity in a Global Context
Paul Chung, Ulrich Duchrow, Craig L. Nessan

The Devil’s Whore
Reason and Philosophy in the Lutheran Tradition
Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth, Editor
The Devil’s Whore

Reason and Philosophy
in the Lutheran Tradition

Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth
Editor

Fortress Press
Minneapolis
THE DEVIL’S WHORE
Reason and Philosophy in the Lutheran Tradition

Copyright © 2011 Fortress Press. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in
critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner with-
out prior written permission from the publisher. Visit http://www.augsburgfortress
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Minneapolis, MN 55440.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised
Standard Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
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rights reserved.

Cover image: Ancient English Church Stained Glass © iStockphoto.com/RMAX
Cover design: Alisha Lofgren
Book design:

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dragseth, Jennifer Hockenbery
The devil’s whore : reason and philosophy in the Lutheran tradition / Jennifer
Hockenbery Dragseth.
p. cm. – (Studies in Lutheran history and theology)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8006-9732-7 (alk. Paper)
1. Salvation—Christianity. 2. Lutheran Church—Doctrines. I. Title.
BT751.3.B77 2010
234—dc22 2010019366

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI Z329.48-1984.

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
―Indeed, that man Luther is the master of us all.‖
—Søren Kierkegaard, The Journal of Søren Kierkegaard

CONTENTS

Contributors IX
Editor’s Preface XV
Introduction David M. Hockenbery 1

Part One. Philosophy and Luther
1. Philosophical Modes of Thought of Luther’s Theology 13
as an Object of Inquiry
Oswald Bayer
2. Does Luther Have a ―Waxen Nose?‖ 23
Historical and Philosophical Contextualizations of Luther
Christine Helmer
3. ―Putting on the Neighbor‖: The Ciceronian Impulse in 31
Luther’s Christian Approach to Practical Reason
Gary M. Simpson
4. Luther and Augustine—Revisited 39
Markus Wriedt
5. Whore or Handmaid? Luther and Aquinas on the Function 47
of Reason in Theology
Denis R. Janz
6. Luther’s ―Atheism‖ 53
Paul R. Hinlicky
7. Luther’s Philosophy of Language 61
Dennis Bielfeldt
8. Philipp Melanchthon: The First Lutheran Philosopher 69
Charles Peterson

Part Two. Luther’s Impact on Continental Philosophy
9. Reasoning Faithfully: Leibniz on Reason’s Triumph of Faith 79
and Love
Lea F. Schweitz
10. The Means of Revolution: Luther and Kant on the Function 87
of the Law
Troy Dahlke
11. Faith, Freedom, Conscience: Luther, Fichte, and the 95
Principle of Inwardness
Christian Lotz
12. Hegel and Luther on the Finite and the Infinite 101
John F. Hoffmeyer
13. ―Faith Creates the Deity‖: Luther and Feuerbach 107
Carter Lindberg

VII
VIII CONTENTS

14. Søren Kierkegaard: Between Skepticism and Faith’s 115
Happy Passion
David J. Gouwens
15. Delicious Despair and Nihilism: Luther, Nietzsche, 123
and the Task of Living Philosophically
Gregory Johnson
16. Heidegger’s Existential Domestication of Luther 131
David Vessey

Part Three. The Lutheran Philosopher Today
17. The Vocation of the Philosopher 143
William R. Russell
18. Lutheran Environmental Philosophy 149
Sarah E. Fredericks
19. Luther and Philosophy in a Scientific Age 155
Gregory R. Peterson
20. Queering Kenosis: Luther and Foucault on Power 163
and Identity
Mary Elise Lowe
21. Philosophical Kinship: Luther, Schleiermacher, 171
and Feminists on Reason
Mary J. Streufert
22. Provocateur for the Common Good: Reflections on the 179
Vocation of an Academic Philosopher
Pauline M. Kaurin
23. Luther and the Vocation of Public Philosophy 187
Martin E. Marty

Epilogue: The Quandary of Lutheran Philosophy 195
Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth

Notes 201
Index 243
CONTRIBUTORS
Oswald Bayer is professor emeritus of systematic theology at the Protestant Faculty
of the University of Tübingen. He was, from 1986 until 2007, editor of Neue Zeitschrift
für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie. English translations of his works in-
clude: Theology the Lutheran Way (2007), Freedom in Response: Lutheran Ethics: Sources and
Controversies (2007), Martin Luther’s Theology: A Contemporary Interpretation (2008), and A
Contemporary in Dissent: Johann Georg Hamann as a Radical Enlightener (2011).

Dennis Bielfeldt is president and professor of theology at the Institute of Lu-
theran Theology. He has authored numerous articles on Luther and the Lutheran
tradition, on issues within the theology and science discussion, as well as on more
strictly philosophical topics. He is coauthor, with Paul Hinlicky and Mickey Mad-
dox, of The Substance of the Faith: Luther’s Doctrinal Theology for Today (Fortress Press,
2008). Bielfeldt, who is retired from being professor of philosophy and religion at
South Dakota State University, lives and works in Brookings, South Dakota.

Troy Dahlke teaches religion and philosophy at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
in Potomac, Maryland. He holds degrees from Concordia University, St. Paul
(BA), Yale Divinity School (MAR), and the University of Virginia (MA). He lives
with his wife and two sons in Fairfax, Virginia.

Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth is associate professor of philosophy at Mount Mary
College in Milwaukee. She received her AB in philosophy and classics from Bowdoin
College and her MA and PhD in philosophy from Boston University, where she
wrote her dissertation on Augustine’s understanding of the nature and vocation of
philosophy. She has written several articles on the relationship between philosophy
and theology in Augustine, Hildegard von Bingen, Luther, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein,
and John Paul II. She is on the steering committee for the Martin Luther and Global
Lutheranism Consultation for the American Academy of Religion.

Sarah E. Fredericks, assistant professor of philosophy and religion studies at
the University of North Texas, studies the relationship of religion, particularly
Protestant Christianity, to environmental issues. Her work has focused on energy
sustainability, the ethics embedded in international environmental policy docu-
ments, and environmental justice. Fredericks teaches a variety of philosophy and
religion courses including philosophy of religion, religion and science, ethics of
science, and Christianity and philosophy.

IX