Martin Luther “set the work of biblical theology in a wholly new direction” (3), calling for the Bible to be freed from the binding interpretations of the church. Hearers and readers of this text must allow the Bible, as the revelation of God, to speak with its own voice. The 17th century Enlightenment in Europe continued Luther’s challenge to the church’s authority while also undermining the Bible itself as authority for the church. Reason became the arbiter of truth. Claiming this modern understanding