Reformation. His expositions cover nearly all the books of the Bible,
3. CALVIN was, by common consent, the greatest exegete of the Reformation. His expositions cover nearly all the books of the Bible, and their value is still recognized. The fundamental principles of Luther and Melanchthon were also his, and he surpassed them in making his practice square with his theory. In the allegorical method he saw a contrivance of Satan to obscure the sense of Scripture. He firmly believed in the typical significance of much that is found in the Old Testament, but did not share the opinion of Luther that Christ should be found everywhere in Scripture. Moreover, he reduced the number of Psalms that could be recognized as Messianic. He insisted on it that the prophets should be interpreted in the light of historical circumstances. As he saw it, the chief excellency of an expositor consisted in lucid brevity. Moreover, he regarded it as "the first business of an interpreter to let his author say what he does say, instead of attributing to him what we think he ought to say."
4. THE ROMAN CATHOLICS. These made no exegetical advance during the period of the Reformation. They did not admit the right of private judgment, and defended, as over against the Protestants, the position that the Bible must be interpreted in harmony with tradition. The council of Trent emphasized (a) that the authority of ecclesiastical tradition must be maintained, (b) that the highest authority had to be ascribed to the Vulgate, and (c) that it is necessary to conform one's interpretation to the authority of the Church and to the unanimous consent of the Fathers. Where these principles prevail, exegetical development has come to a dead stop.
QUESTIONS: What was the Renaissance? Was it a theistic or a humanistic movement? How did it influence the Reformation? What evidence have we that the Reformers had an organic conception of inspiration? How is it to be accounted for that at least the earlier Reformers did not altogether escape the danger of allegorizing? What is the "right of private judgment"? How did Melanchthon and Calvin propose to reach unanimity in the case of disputed interpretations? What is the only continuous and complete contribution of Luther to the exegesis of the New Testament? What is