Luther's Works

Welcome to Session Six of TLC's Web Bible Study!
By Reverend Jean Lebbert


Session 6 - On the Work of the Third Day

Genesis 1:11 And God said: Let the earth sprout herbage that is green and produces seed, and fruit trees.

Luther starts his expounding on this verse with a delightful metaphor:

"God has built the first parts of the house. It has a most elegant roof, the heaven, though this is not yet fully adorned. Its foundation is the earth. Its walls on every side are the seas. Now He also makes provision for our sustenance, so that the earth brings forth herbs and trees of all kinds."

Luther then claims that "our bodies would have been far more durable if the practice of eating all sorts of food - particularly, however, the consumption of meat - had not been introduced after the Deluge. . .Indeed, it is clear that at the beginning of the world herbs served as food and were created for this use, that they might be food for man."

Martin! It seems to me that you have jumped to two conclusions. First, you assume that the earth's flora were created for humans, that the whole work of creation was just for us. I can't say that I agree. What makes us assume we are the pinnacle of the story of creation? I had a microbiology teacher who gave a lecture on how the microbes would be the last life forms to survive. Far many more microbes live off "herbs and trees" than humans.

Secondly, who's to say that this wasn't just the first course and that it's okay to eat meat? There are FLOWERS that eat insects, insects and birds that eat meat. Have you never seen a meat-eating wasp go at it?

I received a brochure in the mail recently advertising the release of a writing by Emanuel Swedenborg. The work is called Secrets of Heaven. In the first chapter, this late 19th century spiritualist corresponds the six days of creation with six stages of a person's spiritual regeneration. Here is a quote from the brochure.

"Before we regenerate, or achieve a spiritual life, we are in darkness and void, ignorant of the ways of the Lord. In the first stage, we realize that goodness and truth come from the Lord. In the next step, we realize the distinction between our inner and outer being; that is, between our spiritual lives and our secular lives. We begin to seek knowledge of truth and goodness and behave in a devout way. In the fourth stage, this 'faith of the intellect' is replaced by faith of the heart-emotion trumps understanding. In the fifth stage, we start to speak and act from faith, to truly manifest the love of God. Finally, in the last stage, we become spiritual beings."

Swedenborg was the spiritual teacher of Helen Keller - someone who amazes me.

So, I am challenged to wonder how our two creation stories are spiritual instruction. I was never, ever (well, that is before NOW) taught to wander over to that conclusion for consideration.

Back to Luther.

"Here," Luther continues, "the question is raised about the time of the year when the world was created, whether in spring of in fall."

Now, THAT'S not something I was ever, ever challenged to wonder about either!

The footnote in Luther's Works gives explanation of the two opinions, which come from rabbinical exegetes.

The first, Rabbi Joshua, maintained that the world was created in March and cites Exodus 12:2: "The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 'This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.'"

So, apparently Rabbi Joshua (sorry, I don't have a resource to find out anything about this teacher; maybe I'll get a brochure in the mail) was one of the ancient Israelites who reinterpreted an ancient nomadic spring festival to create the memorial of Passover and their deliverance from slavery. The spring month is Nisan. On our calendar, it falls between March and April. In the Exodus passage, there is a reference to hyssop (v. 22); to get a bunch of it, it would have to be springtime. Hyssop was presumed to have magical powers!

In the second opinion in the footnote, a Rabbi Eliezer held the belief that heaven and earth were created in September. Supporting texts include Exodus 23:16 and 34:22, which instruct the "month of ingathering of the harvests", which would be springtime, shall be celebrated at the end of the year. Apparently, this tradition comes from an older agricultural calendar than the spring festival that Rabbi Joshua observes.

By the way, I gleened the details for the previous two paragraphs from the footnote to Exodus 12 in my Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV.

Sure makes me realize that I sure don't know a whole bunch of stuff.

I do know that we reinterpreted ancient spring festival symbols and practices to memorialize Jesus' resurrection and that we did the same with ancient winter solstice practices to celebrate Jesus' birth.

Luther settles the argument by claiming that the text supports both views, "Therefore we declare that it was a miracle of the first world that suddenly all these plants came into existence in such a way that the earth sprouted and the trees bloomed, and suddenly also fruits followed. . .It must be granted that in the first work of creation the Creator speeded up the functions of spring and fall so far as the herbs and the fruits of the trees were concerned."

Next Luther takes up the debate of his day about "when the fruitless or sterile trees were created, likewise the sterile herbs."

Here is a great prelude to use in any argument; it's Luther's. "Although I have no conclusive answer, I shall nevertheless give my opinion."

In short, it is Luther's opinion that all plants were good for food until after the Fall.

Luther concludes his teaching on the third day of creation by returning to his opening metaphor:

"He provided such an attractive dwelling place for the future human being before the human being was created. Thus afterward, when man is created, he finds a ready and equipped home into which he is brought by God and commanded to enjoy all the riches of so splendid a home."

And, of course, Luther punctuates with Christ:

"There is a similar beneficence of God toward us in His spiritual gifts. Before we were brought to faith, Christ, our Redeemer, is above in the Father's house; He prepares mansions so that when we arrive, we may find a heaven furnished with every kind of joy. (John 14:2)."


Well, another delightful session. It has inspired me to want to work slowly through all of those instructions in Exodus and Leviticus someday, to learn a little more about the Jewish calendar. Maybe I'll reread Spong's Liberating the Gospels, in which he lays the Christian lectionary alongside the Jewish lectionary to see how we reinterpreted Jewish practices to memorialize Christ events.

Next time, we will contemplate what Luther thinks about the stars and sun and moon, the lightbulbs of the household.

Until then, eat an herb and give thanks.






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