# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1886_S67
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1886. 67

individual parts of Scripture. The procedure thus becomes a judicial
examination of Scripture.

No, we are indeed to search in Scripture, but not to examine it,
not to exercise criticism upon it. For it has absolute validity. To it we must
submit ourselves humbly. Those newer men, however, make Holy
Scripture the object of criticism. We recognize no infallibility except
that of Scripture, neither in the pope nor in the councils, neither in reason
nor in the so-called light of the enthusiasts. Scripture alone is infal-
lible. But now people want to take from us this Scripture, the only infallible thing
for us. Volck does say that in the doctrine of salvation of Scripture no error is to be found.
But what does that help us, if according to his presentation one can
know what the doctrine of salvation is only when one has grasped the whole organism
of Scripture and has it before one's eyes? And now Harnack even says
that the Church has only for some time been on the best way to get behind the "closed
organism" of Scripture. Thus everything is still
uncertain. One cannot yet determine with certainty what the "doctrine
of salvation" is. Truly, the newer theology mocks itself!

Thesis III.

C. Holy Scripture claims such validity and
demands such behavior toward it as only a
Holy Scripture proceeding from God himself, in content and expression, can
claim and demand.

As one can recognize from what Holy Scripture is, namely from its
divinity, also its authority, so that when it says: "Thus
saith the LORD!" all flesh is to bow before this word, so also
one can conversely recognize from the claimed authority of Holy
Scripture what character it thereby lays claim to.
According to Scripture it is a book whose authority is exalted above every creature.
When the LORD Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness,
he held up to the prince of darkness the word of Scripture and said:
"It is written!" "Again it is written!" "For it is
written!" and cited three passages of Scripture. What sense
would it have had if Christ had cited a saying of the great
Aristotle or of Emperor Augustus or Tiberius, or
if he had said: So commands King Herod? Then Satan would
have answered: What do I care about Aristotle, he was my servant;
what has Emperor Augustus to command me, I am not enrolled in
his tax lists; that counts for nothing with me; your authority too
I call in question; prove to me that you are God's Son. — But