-- B. Concept of special revelation.
many miracles recounted, 2:43, 3:5, 5:12-16, 6:8, 8:6, 7, 13, 9:34, 40, 13:11, 14:3, 16 :18, 19:11, 20:10, 28:5, 8: but Paul also gives evidence of this miracle power of the apostles, Rom. 15:18, 19; 1 Cor. 12:9, 10;
2 Cor. 12:12; Gal. 3:5, cf. Heb. 2:4. For a time this miracle power continues in the church. But it ceases, when Christianity is established and the church is the object, in which God glorifies the wonders of his grace, Aug. de civ. 22 :8, de util. cred. 16, de vera relig
25. The spiritual miracles are those in which God now reveals his power and his glory, Luther at Köstlin, Luther's Theol. II 249 v. 341 v. Scholten, L. H. K. I 143. Yet the Scriptures point towards a future, in which the miracle will again do its work. The αίων μελλων will first take place in the new heaven and the new earth, where righteousness dwells. Then the miracle has become nature. Ethos and physis are reconciled. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world are one, Op. 21-22. Cf. Oehler Theol. des A. T. 1882 S. 210 f. Schultz,
Altt. Theol. 270 f. 534 f. 577 f. Smend, Lehrb. der Altt. Rel. Gesch. 88 f. W. Bender, Der Wunderbegriff des N. T. Erankf. a/M. 1871. Ph.
Schaff, Jesus Christ, the miracle of history 1867. Neander, Gesch. der Pflanzung u. Leitung der Chr. K. 5e Aufl. 1862 S. 49 f. 154 f. 336 f.
Tholuck, Vermischte Schriften, Hamh. 1839 I 28 f.
B. Concept of special revelation.
5. The system of revelation, which Scripture makes known to us, has been too much misunderstood and neglected in Christian theology.
Only in recent times has the concept and essence of revelation become the subject of deeper study. In the past, no need was felt for this. Between Christians and pagans the possibility of revelation was not in dispute. The only controversy was over the truth of this revelation, which was taught in the O. and N. Test. And this was argued by the apologists against the attacks of Celsus and Porphyrius on all kinds of grounds. Incidentally, the thoughts on revelation came down to this scheme: God can only be known by God. All knowledge and service of God therefore rests on revelation from Him. But the revelation of God in nature and history is insufficient.
Therefore a special revelation is needed, which reaches its climax in
Christ, Harnack, Lehrb. der Dogmengesch. I2 420 f. 436 f. 453 f.
The following theologians, especially the scholastics, took great care in defining and describing the relationship between nature and revelation, knowledge and faith, philosophy and theology, but they did not consider the concept of revelation and only mentioned it in passing, cf. Thomas S. Theol. I qu. 57 art. 5 ad 3. II 2 qu. 2 art. 6. III qu. 55 art. 3. The Protest, theologians also paid too little attention to this concept. They immediately identified revelation with the Scriptures, and did not entirely escape the abstract supranaturalistic and one-sided intellectualistic conception which had gradually been formed of them in theology. Cf. Gerhard, Loci Theol. I § 12. Calovius,
Isagoge ad theol. p. 101 sq. 142 sq. Polanus, Synt. Theol. VI 9.
Maresius, Syst. Theol. 1 § 15 sq. Heidegger, Corpus Theol. XII 46.
Socinianism drove this supernatural and intellectual understanding of revelation to the forefront, Fock, Der Socin. 296 f. 314 f.
Remonstrantism had essentially the same conception, Limborch, Theol. Christ. II 9, 18. Between rationalism and supranaturalism there was no difference in the concept of revelation; for both it consisted in an external communication of doctrine. It was not surprising, and also fully deserved, that such a concept of revelation could not withstand the criticism of deism and rationalism. What was the religious value of a revelation which gave nothing but some rational truth, which might later have been found by reason itself?
Yet it turned out that the concept of revelation had been discarded all too soon. Religion and revelation showed a much closer relationship upon deeper historical and philosophical investigation than had previously been thought. Thus the concept of revelation came to be honored again in the newer theology and philosophy and various attempts at reconstruction were tried.
Hamann, Claudius, Lavater, Herder, Jacobi, and others pointed out the relationship between religion and art and related revelation to inspiration by genius. The concept of revelation was extended to the point that everything became revelation.
Religion, poetry, philosophy, history, language are different expressions of the same original life. Omnia divina et humana omnia. And in the midst of all
these revelations stands Christ; to Him everything points, around Him everything groups, Ehrenfeuchter, Christenthum und moderne
Weltanschauung, Gottingen 1876 S. 243 f. Also Schleiermacher, Glaub. § 10, 13 definitely rejected the rationalistic doctrine of revelation. He sought its propriety not in the supernatural character it possesses or not, but in the newness and originality with which a person or an event appears in history. Revelation is therefore related to poetic and heroic inspiration, and in fact consists of awakening new, original disorders of religious feeling. Schleiermacher prepared this conception of revelation, which allows it to exist not in the communication of doctrine but of life. Rothe, Zur Dogmatik 1862
S. 55-120, has the same idea about revelation as inspiration, but he also assumes as the constitutive element of revelation an external, historical manifestation, so that the internal revelation, inspiration, is not magical and mechanical. The peculiarities of the concept of revelation among the theologians, who more or less follow
Schleiermacher, consist above all in this: revelation is to be distinguished from theopneustia, from the Holy Scriptures; Scripture is not to be distinguished from theology, but from theology.
Revelation is a religious, and even more a soteriological, concept, related but not identical with genius, poetry, and heroism; it is the correlate of religion alone; It is not a doctrine about all kinds of physical, historical and metaphysical things, but only a religiousethical truth; it is a sharing of life, a self-communication of God; it is not strictly supernatural, but truly natural and human; finally, it is not only external (manifestation), but also internal and spiritual
(inspiration). There are still differences as to the beginning, extent, and end of revelation, but in the main this is the view found in Nitzsch, System der chr. Lehre § 22. Twesten I 341 f. Martensen § 11,
12. Lange I § 56 f. Dorner I 56.9 f. Frank, System der chr. Wahrheit 2e Aufl. II 8 f. Kahler, Wiss, der chr. Lehre I 192 f. Saussaye, Mine
Theology 35 v. Gunning and Saussaye, The Ethical Principle 21 v. etc.
But not only Schleiermacher and his school have revived the concept of revelation, but also Schelling and Hegel have tried the same in their own way. Through them rationalism acquired a speculative character. They did not try to destroy the Christian revelation by a
criticism of reason, but they sought speculatively to trace the deep idea which underlies it and all Christian dogmata, and in doing so they set themselves as speculative rationalists against the vulgar rationalists of earlier times. According to Schelling in his first period, the whole world was the self-revelation of God. Nature is the visible spirit, spirit the invisible nature. The essence of God becomes known to mankind through all of nature, but especially through the development of the human spirit in art, religion and science. And so Hegel also taught that God does not reveal Himself to man through a passing event [in time], but He reveals Himself in man himself, and becomes conscious of Himself in man. And this becoming conscious of God in man, is man's knowing of God, is religion,
Keligionsphilosophie 1832 I 29. II158. Encyclop. S. 576. Revelation for Hegel therefore equals the necessary self-revelation, with the selfconsciousness of the Absolute in the human spirit; the history of religions is the history of the coming to self of the Absolute in the human consciousness, and reaches its climax in Christianity, which expresses the unity of God and man. This idea of revelation as the self-communication of God to each and every human being is connected in the main with that conception of revelation which we find in Marheineke, Grundlehren der chr. § 206. Rosenkranz, Encycl. der theol. Wiss. 2nd Aufl. 1845 S. 1 f. Erdmann, Glauben und Wissen
1837. Strauss, Glaubenslehre § 19. Feuerbach, Wesen des Christ. 2nd Ausg. S. 174. Biedermann, Chr. Dogm. I 264 f. Pfleiderer, Grundriss §
16. Lipsius, Dogm. § 52, Philos, und Religion 1885 S. 266 f. Scholten, Initia, ed. 2. p. 26-39. L. H. K. I 165 v. 233,299. Common to these is the denial of the supernatural character of revelation, but otherwise there are great differences as to content, extent and manner. The peculiarity of this conception lies in the fact that very little value is attached to the distinction between natural and supernatural revelation, that emphasis is placed on the positive character of every religion and on the historical, external nature of revelation, and that for Christianity this historical revelation is found above all or even exclusively in the person of Christ. u. Vers. III3 190 f. 599 f. Kaftan,
Wesen der chr. Religion 171 f. 295 f. Herrmann, Der Begriff der Offenbarung Giessen 1887. G. v. Schulthess-Rettberg, Der Gedanke
einer göttlichen Offenbarung, Zurich 1893. Nitzsch, Lehrbuch der ev.
Dogm. s. 131 f. Cf. the Groninger school here in the country, Hofstede de Groot, De Groninger Godgeleerden in hunne eigenigheid 42 v.
A clear and lucid understanding of revelation is still lacking in dogmatics. There is a difference of opinion among the theologians concerning everything that is considered in this understanding.
Perhaps there is a boundary to be drawn between those who accept supernatural revelation and those who accept only natural revelation. But even then the question arises whether the supernatural character of revelation lies in the manner in which it came to us, or in the newness and originality of its contents
(Schleiermacher). Furthermore, how does supernatural revelation differ from natural revelation in nature and history, especially from religious, poetic, heroic inspiration, which is also found outside
Christianity and is so often associated with Christian revelation (Hamann, Herder, Jacobi, Schleiermacher)?
Where is this supernatural revelation to be found, also in the religions of the heathen, or only in Israel, or even exclusively, in the person of Christ
(Schleiermacher, Ritschl)? How far does it extend after Christ, is it limited to him, or is the working of the Holy Spirit in rebirth, conversion, etc. also to be counted under the concept of revelation
(Frank)? Is its impact primarily knowledge, so that it enlightens the mind (Hegel, Biedermann, Scholten), or is it primarily mystical in nature, an impact on the mind, an awakening, a revival of the emotions (Schleiermacher, Lipsius, Opzoomer, Ethics)? Is the external, the historical, the manifestation, either in nature (Hegel,
Scholten), or in history (Schelling, Ritschl), or especially as a miracle (Rothe) the main point of revelation, or does the centre of gravity lie in the subject in the self-revelation of the absolute Spirit, of God, to mankind (Biedermann, Lipsius)?
6. The revelation which Scripture makes known to us does not consist of a few disjointed words and facts, but is one historical and organic whole, a mighty world-managing and world-renewing system of acts of God. She acts, as we saw, in three forms, theophany,
prophecy and miracle, שכיכה, ה;כב״ and בריה. But these three do not stand apart from each other; they form one whole and together aim at one goal. Already through the revelatio generalis God does not leave man untouched; He reveals Himself in nature and history, He speaks in heart and conscience; He works miracles of power. The revelatio generalis may also be called revelation. For in a broad sense revelation is all action that emanates from God to place man in a religious relationship to Him. But through sin another form of revelation becomes necessary, one which, although in many ways related to the revelatio generalis, is essentially different from it in form and content. It is addressed to fallen mankind and must therefore be a revelation of grace. The revelatio specialis is God's seeking of and coming to mankind. He must now reveal Himself and speak and work in such a way that mankind is renewed in His image.
That is why God comes to man in a human way. The incarnation of man is the central fact in the revelatio specialis, which spreads light over all its area. Already in the creation God makes himself like man.
But in the re-creation He becomes man and enters into our situation.
And this incarnation, which is the actual content of the revelation specialis, already began in a certain sense immediately after the fall.
The special revelation of God enters into history and forms a history that continues through the ages. It assumes such a historical character because mankind itself, to whom it is addressed, exists only in historical form. It leads its life, follows its course, walks with it through time until the end. It goes back deep into the life of creation, joins in with providence and makes its light shine through the prism of human persons, situations and events. She uses all the character and individuality, all the aptitude and gift, which are given in creation. She wraps herself in the forms of type and shadow, of image and symbol, of art and poetry, of letter form and chronicle.
She adopts in religion the customs found in other religions, such as circumcision and sacrifice, temple and priesthood. She even considers fate, dreams and visions not too small to be used as instruments. The divine descends so deeply into the human that the boundaries between revelation and pseudo-religion seem to be
erased. Godspeech and oracle, prophecy and mantra, miracle and magic seem to approach each other.
And yet it is another heart that beats in Israel's religion. The peripheral and atomistic view appeals to such facts of resemblance between the religion of Scripture and the religions of the nations, but it does not explain the revelation in its character and significance, and in the end it does not know what to do with Scripture. Therefore, this view must give way to the central and organic one, which allows the light to shine from the center to the outer perimeter. And that center is the Incarnation of God. It is He who descends in the revelatio specialis and makes Himself equal to men. The subject of special revelation is actually the Logos, the Malak Jhvh, the Christ.
He is the mediator of creation, John 1:3; Col. 1:15, but also of recreation. Του γαρ δια της ίδιας πρόνοιας και διακοσμησεως τωι׳; όλων διδάσκοντος περί του Πατρος, αντου ην και την αυτήν διδασκαλίαν άνανειοσαι, Athan. de incarn. c. 14. Cf. Iren. adv. haer.
IV 6. He is the subject of revelation also already in the 0. Test, the angel of the covenant, who led Israel, Ex. 14 : 19, 23 : 20, 32 :34, 33 :
2; Isa. 63 : 8, 9, the content of prophecy John 5.-39; 1 Pet. 1:11; Apoc.
19 : 10. By theophany, prophecy and miracle He prepares His coming in the flesh. The O. Test, revelation is the history of the coming
Christ. Theophany, prophecy and miracle end with Him. In Christ they fall together. He is the revelation, the word, the power of God.
He shows us the Father, declares His name, accomplishes His work.
The Incarnation is the conclusion, the goal and the end both of Israel's history, and also the center of all history, Bis hierher und vou daher geht die Geschichte (Joh. von Müller). I)e incarnation is the Centralwunder; es ist das Wunder aller Wunder, da das Göttliche unmittelbar mit dem Menschlichen sich berührt, Ranke, Weltgeschichte VIII 72.
When the revelation of God in Christ, in his person and work, has appeared and been described in Scripture, a different dispensation begins. The Holy Spirit began to dwell in the church; with that the character of the times was changed. The αιών οίτος passed into the
αιών μελλων. Just as in the first period everything was prepared for Chris, so now everything is derived from Him. Then Christ was formed as the head of the church, now the church is formed as the body of Christ. Then the Word, the Holy Scriptures, was finished, now it is being worked out. Yet this dispensation also has its place in the system of revelation. The revelation has been continued, though modified, according to the nature of the dispensation. Revelation, as signifying and producing the Christ, has reached its end. For Christ is there, His work is accomplished, and His word is finished. New, constitutive elements of the revelatio specialis can no longer hecome. The question is therefore of minor importance whether the gift of prophecy and miracles still continues in the Christian Church. The testimonies of the Church Fathers are so numerous and powerful, that for the oldest times this question can hardly be answered in the negative. 178. Voetius, Disp. II 1002 sq. Gerhard, Loci, loc. 22 sectio
11. Dr, C. Middleton, A free inquiry into the miraculous powers, which are supposed to have subsisted in the Christian Church. 3 ed.
Lond. 1749. Tholuck, Ueber die wunder der Hath. Kirche, Verm.
Schriften I 28-148. J. H. Newman, Two essays on scripture miracles and on ecclesiastical, 2 ed. Lond. 1870. H. Muller, Natur und
Wunder, Strassb. 1892 S. 182. But though these gifts have remained, the content of this revelatio specialis, which is concentrated in Christ and set down in Scripture, is not made richer by them; and if, according to the thought of Augustine, the civ. 22, 8, the util. cred.
16, the vera relig. 25 are reduced and ceased, that revelation is not made poorer by it. However, in a certain sense, the revelatio specialis in Christ still continues in this dispensation. Although all prophecy in the Christian Church has ceased and all miracles in the actual sense have passed, the Church itself is from moment to moment the product of revelation. The spiritual miracles continue. God's grace in Christ is glorified in enlightenment and regeneration, in faith and conversion, in sanctification and regeneration. Christ is mediator;
His concern is the church; He came to renew the world and to recreate mankind in the image of God. The revelatio specialis finds its purpose in bringing about a new order of things. And that is why, in a modified form, i.e. in a spiritual sense, it is still continuing today.
It finds its resting point only in the epiphany of Christ, in the new heaven and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Revelation according to Scripture is thus a historical process, an organic system, an ongoing divine action to break the power of sin, to establish His kingdom, to restore the cosmos, to άνακεφαλαιωσις των πάντων εν Χριστώ, Eph. 1:10. Τη theophany God sets Himself again as the one and true God against the idols of man's own adornment; in prophecy He places His thought as the truth against the lie of Satan, and in miracle He demonstrates His divine power against all works of iniquity. In Revelation, God posits and upholds
His I against all non-I, and despite all opposition brings it to general recognition and to complete triumph. The whole of Revelation is therefore soteriological. It proceeds from Christ, both in O. and in N.
T. But soteriological in the sense of Scripture, not in a religiousethical sense, as if Revelation contained only religious and ethical truth; much less in an intellectual sense, as if Revelation existed only in doctrine. But it is soteriological in the scriptural sense, i.e., that the content of Revelation is not doctrine or life or mental attainment, but that it is all these things together, a divine work, a world of thoughts and deeds, an ordo gratiae, which combats and conquers the ordo peccati in all fields. The purpose of Revelation is not only to teach man and enlighten his mind (rationalism), to make him practice virtue (moralism), to cultivate religious emotions in him
(mysticism). But the purpose of God's revelation extends much further and wider. It is none other than to remove mankind, humanity, the world from the power of sin, and to cause the name of God to shine forth in all creation. Sin has corrupted and destroyed everything, intellect and will, ethical and physical world. And that is why it is mankind and the whole cosmos, whose salvation and restoration God is concerned about with His revelation.
Soteriological, then, is certainly God's Revelation, but the object of that σωτήρια is the cosmos, and not only the ethical or the will to the exclusion of the intellect, and not only the psychic to the exclusion of the somatic and physical, but all together. For God hath decreed all