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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 65

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

THEOLOGICAL MATTERS 65

of the CTCR, to engage needed assistance to carry out its
work.

5. The BVC shall submit its budget to the CTCR
through the Executive Secretary of the CTCR.

6. The BVC shall report to the Synod through the
CTCR.
II. Purpose

The purpose of the BVC shall be to help the church
deal responsibly regarding the nature and use of English
Bible versions.

IIL. Functions

1. The BVC shall deal with those assignments referred
to it by the CTCR.

2. The BVC shall engage in the study and evaluation
of English Bible versions to the extent necessary for the
welfare of the Synod and other churches.

3. The BVC shall engage in the broader task of formu-
lating statements regarding the purpose and use of En-
glish Bible versions with special emphasis on theological
concerns and criteria. Such statements are particularly
needed in our time because new and multipurpose ver-
sions are continually appearing.

4. The BVC shall prepare guidelines to assist members
of the church and departments of the Synod to evaluate
individual Bible versions.

5, The BVC shall conduct its work, so far as possible,
in relationship with other Christian groups engaged in
similar work since Bible translating has now entered an
ecumenical phase.

The committee had referred to it by Dr. Harms a
letter from the pastor and the congregation (St. Peter)
at Swanville, Minn., on the subject of “Congregational
Responsibility in the Use of the New Catechism and
Modern Translations.” After careful study of this docu-
ment, the committee resolved that no committee action
was needed at this time, since its opinion on the RSV
is clearly set forth in Reports and Memorials of the
Cleveland convention, p. 204.

Martin H. SCHARLEMANN, Chairman

APPENDIX C
Report of Hermeneutics Study Committee

Acting favorably on a recommendation of the Com-
mission on Theology and Church Relations (1965
Worksook, pp. 35—36). the Detroit convention of The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod instructed the
commission to “conduct a comprehensive study of Bib-
lical hermeneutics” and for this purpose authorized the
commission “to engage sufficient full-time personnel”
and “to make provision for leaves of absence for men
appointed to participate in the study. in order to expe-
dite the study.” (1965 Proceedings, Res. 2-07, p. 95)

The process of selecting eight men to serve as a core
group for carrying out the Synod’s assignment took
6 months. The following men were finally appointed to
this group and accepted their appointments: Walter
Bartling, Robert Bertram, Martin Franzmann, Heino
Kadai, H. Armin Moellering, Robert Preus, Walter
Roehrs, and Raymond Surburg. The executive secretary
of the CTCR was added ex officio. In January 1966 the
committee held its first meeting. Including that first
meeting there have been 12 meetings through April 1969.

As a starting point for its work the committee ac-
cepted the plan which the CTCR had adopted (May

1965) outlining the study as recommended to the Synod.
While further specification has been found desirable at
some points, this original plan of the CTCR still pro-
vides the basic framework and direction for the com-
mittee’s work. It is entitled “A Prospectus for the
Proposed Comprehensive Study on Scripture and Her-
meneutics” (cf. WorKBooK Appendix).

As a “primary and basic part of the whole inquiry”
the “Prospectus” called for a study of the hermeneutics
of the Lutheran Confessions, particularly at the hand
of Article IV of the Apology of the Augsburg Confes-
sion. The committee was in full agreement with this
directive and for the reason stated in the “Prospectus”:
“Tf our confessions are in fact what we believe and de-
clare them to be —a true and correct exposition of the
doctrine of the Holy Scriptures — then the hermeneu-
tical principles according to which these Confessions
expound that doctrine deserve our most careful analysis
and demonstration.” Dr. Robert Bertram accepted the
assignment to undertake this foundational portion of
the work. From his study so far the committee has had
the benefit of reading and discussing three detailed
chapters of what will finally be a six-chapter work,

The need for an inductive approach to certain as-
pects of the hermeneutical question had already been
cited by the CTCR in its very first report, “A Study
Document on Revelation, Inspiration, Inerrancy” (p. 15),
issued in 1964. This need was reiterated by the ‘“Pro-
spectus” at several points. As one of its first tasks,
therefore, the core group undertook the joint study of
a selected pericope, Matt. 21:33-46, with individual
members investigating particular aspects of the pas-
sage. As a consequence of this group study and the dis-
cussion that it prompted. one of the committee members
was able to draft a statement formulating some of the
specific hermeneutical questions and concerns that had
emerged. With these questions and concerns in mind
the committee again addressed itself to Scriptural data,
this time to a pair of pericopes, one from the Old Testa-
ment (Gen. 28:10-22) and one from the New Testament
(Matt. 4:1-11 and parallels).

In the meantime other lines of approach to the task
were also pursued. In order to prevent any needless
misunderstanding from arising in the discussion of moot
points and so as to establish a secure and common base
from which our joint work could move forward, a brief
summary of axiomatic presuppositions (Vorversténdnis)
for the study of Biblical hermeneutics was drafted and
unanimously accepted (cf. WorKBook Appendix). A re-
view of the original “Prospectus” in the light of the
work done thus far led to a more detailed and concrete
programing of the project for individual members, Ac~
cordingly 8 weeks of the summer of 1967 were spent in
working on specific assignments as follows:

Bartling, “Hermeneutics and Pauline Parenesis”
Bertram, “The Hermeneutical Significance of Apology
Iv”

Franzmann, “The Hermeneutics of Fulfillment: Isaiah
7:14 and Matt. 1:23”