A popular Franciscan preacher at the Mainz Cathedral, Johann Wild (1495-1554) was known for his irenic spirit and ability to accommodate his teaching to the needs of common people. While Paul’s greetings at the end of Romans are often passed over, Wild pauses to find their pastoral significance, and carefully notes the prospective benefits they…

John Calvin’s (1509-1564) enthusiasm for the word of God is clear as his interpretation of this passage meditates on the value of Scripture and its role in the Christian life. He defends the value of both Old and New Testaments for the edification of believers, arguing that as the same Spirit of Christ oversaw the…

Known for his uncompromising views on church discipline and the assertion of obedience as a mark of the church, Lutheran theologian Tilemann Hesshus (1527-1588) was often embroiled in controversies and was asked to leave numerous cities during the course of his pastoral career. In his interpretation of Romans 14:23, he follows Augustine and many of…

In his interpretation of Romans 14, German Reformed theologian Wolfgang Musculus (1497-1563), like many of his contemporaries, frames his discussion around the distinction between primary, indisputable matters of faith, and those things that are adiaphora, or indifferent to faith. Christian freedom, he argues, should not result in controversy and division on account of these secondary…

In beginning his discussion of the thorny questions that surround the relationship between the church and the state, Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560), Martin Luther’s successor as the leader of the reform of Germany, sets forth a logical rationale for the need of civil government. Many aspects of life, he argues, are not immediately related to the…

While Martin Luther (1483-1546) has often rightly been castigated for his harsh words against the Jews, there is no question that he desired their salvation. In hoping that the Jews saw the riches of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles, it is clear that he saw no distinction under the Gospel between Gentile and Jew and…

In his exegesis of Romans 10:14, German Reformed theologian David Paraeus (1548-1622) identifies a gradation in the ministry of the Word that leads to salvation, beginning with God’s calling of his preachers and climaxing in the hearing of the elect, who are guided by the Lord to call on Him in faith. Romans 10:14 How,…

An accomplished philosopher, the Dominican Domingo de Soto (1494-1560) was chair of theology at the University of Salamanca and an imperial theologian during the Council of Trent. In this interpretation of Romans 9:6-13, the Catholic theologian affirms his Augustinian credentials, asserting the priority of divine grace in salvation and the faithfulness of God to His…

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. —Paul to the Romans (7:15) “What is this negligence, this standing still? On your way to the mountain, running, and peel away the dead skin that keeps you from seeing God.” —Cato…