Pieper, Francis. Christian Dogmatics: Volume 1. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1968.
Chapter B15, “The Authority of Scripture and the Confessions”
The Lutheran Confessions are also called “symbols.” Pieper asks how the confessions and the Scriptures interact. Lutherans have normally not set the confessions alongside Scripture as a second norm. Yet the way in which ministers assent to the confessions is significant. Pieper details two ways of subscribing to the confessions, the quia and the quatenus. Under a quia subscription (“because”), the individual agrees to the confessions because they reflect Scripture accurately. This, Pieper says, is the appropriate view. The quatenus (“so far as”) subscription allows selective rejection of parts of the confessions.
Pieper details various ways in which a quatenus pledge may appear.
1) The confessions are essentially correct about chief doctrines. This allows the subscriber to pick and choose what level of accuracy is meant, as well as what the chief doctrines are.
2) The confessions are binding if they speak to an actual doctrinal dispute, but not otherwise.
3) The confessions are accurate when interpreted correctly. This allows the interpreter to change the meaning at will.
4) We follow the spirit of the confessions.
A quia pledge talks only about the doctrinal matters, not subsidiary discussion. Pieper supports this wholeheartedly.
Chapter B16, “Holy Scripture and Exegesis”
Pieper bases his understanding of exegesis on the fact that Christian doctrine is laid out in passages which are entirely clear in meaning. Yet there is an important place for the trained exegete, someone who is a specialist in biblical interpretation. The exegete has a primary task of leading people back to Scripture. This is what Luther said his work was. In every generation we need people who can know and do four things.
1) trust Scripture as God’s Word
2) know that Scripture is clear
3) urge people to turn to the Bible
4) uncover wrong interpretation
Pieper speaks in detail of the practices of modern exegetes who go about their work unwisely. For instance, he talks about attempts to explain clear passages by using unclear ones, or to let theological preconceptions override the clear meaning of passages from the Bible. The responsible exegete starts with the clear passages and uses them to explore those which are less clear.