Book Description
Eric Gritsch ties Luther's wit and humor to his sharp polemical exploitation of the absurd or incongruous in service to his Reform. At a deeper level Luther's wit and witticisms reflected his keen appreciation of human frailty and the unknowability of things divine. Luther, Gritsch shows, especially relished humor in his interpretation of the Bible, in his pastoral relationships, and in his encounters with death. Ultimately humor in face of mortality is a gauge of human freedom, a "lightening up" that makes of life a divine comedy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Marty Rocks
I was amazed to find that this incredible theologian was also a great wit. Eric Gritsch has woven a rye story of the human and funny side of Martin Luther. ... Read more

Book Description
This Companion provides an accessible introduction to Martin Luther for students of theology and history and everyone interested in the life, work and thought of the first great Protestant reformer. Historians and theologians present a complete picture of Luther's major writing themes and the ways in which his ideas spread and continue to be important. The Companion is oriented to those with little or no background in Luther studies, as well as teachers and specialists.Download Description
Martin Luther (1483-1546) stands as one of the giant figures in history. His activities, writings, and legacy have had a huge effect on the western world. This Cambridge Companion provides an accessible introduction to Martin Luther for students of theology and history and for others interested in the life, work and thought of the first great Protestant reformer. The book contains eighteen chapters by an international array of major Luther scholars. Historians and theologians join here to present a full picture of Luther's contexts, the major themes in his writings, and the ways in which his ideas spread and have continuing importance today. Each chapter serves as a guide to its topic and provides further reading for additional study. The Companion will assist those with little or no background in Luther studies, while teachers and Luther specialists will find this accessible volume an invaluable aid to their work. ... Read more

Book Description
This definitive analysis of the theology of Martin Luther surveys its development during the crises of Luther's life, then offers a systematic survey by topics. Containing a wealth of quotations from less-known writings by Luther and written in a way that will interest both scholar and novice, Lohse's magisterial volume is the first to evaluate Luther's theology in both ways. Lohse's historical analysis takes up Luther's early exegetical works and then his debates with traditions important to him in the context of the various controversies leading up to his dispute with the Antinomians. The systematic treatment shows how the meaning of ancient Christian doctrines took their place within the central teaching of justification by faith. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Outstanding Overview
Lohse has done the church an invaluable service by providing this overview of Luther's theology.In the first part of the book, the author sets the stage for the remainder of the study with some preliminary chapters delaing with issues such as the historical and theological situation in the early sixteenth century and Martin Luther's early life.

The second part of the book is the most helpful in that it traces the development of Luther's thought historically in the context of his many debates, disputations and conflicts.From his marginal notes in Augustine to his debates with the antinomians, Lohse provides a good understanding of how Luther's thought took its final form.

The third part of the book attempts to approach Luther's theology from a more systematic perspective, dealing with it topically.It is divided into chapters on sola scriptura, reason and faith, sin, justification, the church, etc.Lohse provides some crucial insights into Luther's views on each of these doctrines in this section.The book concludes with a brief appendix on Luther's attitude toward the Jews - an important addition at the close of the twentieth century.

This book should be the standard reference on the theology of Luther for years to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fascinating depth on the issues of the Reformation
This is the second of a trilogy covering Luther's life.(The other volumes are:"Martin Luther: His Road to Reformation," and "Martin Luther:The Preservation of the Church.")This edition takes us from the posting of the 95 Theses, the debate with Eck, the Diet of Worms and the major events of Luther's reformation.One gains great respect for the depth of Luther's insights and his courage in standing up for his understanding of the Gospel.

The author summarizes the content of many writings against/by Luther during this period.Particularly fascinating to me was the exchange between Erasmus' "The Freedom of the Will" and Luther's "On the Bondage of the Will."Two master theologians go at it head to head, describing the heart of the Gospel teaching, and whether we can do anything to merit salvation or whether it is all by God's grace.This is truly "meat" and not "milk" for the seeking reader, with enduring relevance for modern-day Christians.

Thorough, Accurate and Interesting Reading
This definitive bio of Luther in three volumes, is here in the second volume capturing the middles period, 1521-1532.Here the implications of the theological reform were being carried out.

Amazingly, the impact of the freeing of the monasteries and nunneries is immense.From there the liturgical reforms and political with the Phesants War loom large as well.

All culminates at Augsburg, with the remarkable Confession, weak Confutation, and subsequent Apology to the Augustana.

Brecht certainly is meticulous and careful historian, whose documentation is precise and enormous in its breath and depth.This set will stand the test for years and be of great asset to all those seeking to follow this amazing follower of Christ to the life of the world. ... Read more

Book Description
Throughout history, the Marxist historians of East Germany have condemned Martin Luther as a reactionary and counter-revolutionary, a lackey of the aristocracy who sold out the peasants and helped pave the way for bourgeois capitalism.In this new intellectual biography, Brendler challenges
the earlier interpretation, arguing that Luther's reformation of theology was essential to the subsequent social revolution.His appraisal signifies a fundamental shift in Marxist historiography, not merely because it rehabilitates Luther, but because it assigns a positive role in the development
of constructive social change to the Christian faith and theology.A new translation of a 1983 East German book, Martin Luther represents an important change in the official attitude towards religion in general. ... Read more

Book Description
A foreword by Frank R. Zindler describes the relations of the never-excommunicated Catholic Adolf Hitler with two popes and his comment that "Luther, if he could be with us, would give us his blessing." A reprint of a book written during the last months of the war in Europe, the book discusses Luther the man, his unstable character, his often treacherous actions, his views and teachings on marriage, truth, the state, war, the Jews, the peasants, and Germany. The growth of the unrealistic, positive legend of Luther is examined, with a concluding essay "From Luther to Hitler." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Objective and historically accurate
It seems to me that there are many here who treat Luther as a demi-god. To them Luther could do no wrong because he saved us from the big, bad Catholic Church.

I am tired of people apologizing for Luther's comments, saying that he is being taken "out of context". How do you take it "out of context" when you read that Luther said that we should round the Jews into their synagogues and burn it down? Is there a way that can be taken in a nice way? I have read how the apologists for Luther explain away his quotes, such as when he said we should "sin boldly". It doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Or how can this be taken out of context?

"Christ committed adultery first of all with the woman at the well about whom Saint John tells us. Was not everybody about Him saying: `Whatever has he been doing with her?" Secondly, with Mary Magdalene, and thirdly with the woman taken in adultery whom He dismissed so lightly. Thus even Christ, who was so righteous, must have been guilty of fornication before He died"

How can that statement be taken out of context? How can it be, within the right context, that it is all right to say that our Lord was a fornicator?

The author was not a Catholic. He did not have an axe to grind. He does nothing but quotes from Luther to speak for himself. The quotes are extensive. Even if half of the can be explained away, it still shows a very dark side to Luther.

By contrast, the apologists for Luther are Lutheran or at least Protestant. I would like to see a non-Protestant defend Luther. Then their arguments would carry weight.

Luther was a very complex individual. One minute he could write something very beautiful, the next minute he could write something very ugly. His apologists try to explain away his uqly quotes. His detractors ignore his
beautiful quotes. But the truth is that he was capable of saying both.

Historiographical Accuracy
Any person who has read Wiener's book and taken it at face value needs to read the book written in response to it in its historical context.Gordon Rupp's book, "Martin Luther, Hitler's Cause of Cure:In Reply to Peter F. Wiener," 1945, dismantles Wiener's thesis by:showing his use of quotes out of textual and historical context; his use of English translations of Luther taken third-hand from German-to French-then to English; dependence on secondary sources, and his failure to follow the development of Luther's thought.Luther has been blamed for many of the world's ills, isn't it time the blame be placed on the right sources and writers work for resolution of the problems instead of using Luther as a "whipping boy."

Unlike Wiener and Hitler, Luther did some good in his life
!!!!
Mr. Wiener is playing on people's ignorance of Martin Luther to sell books.

Just looking at the photo on the page is enough to convince any thinking individual that the author has an obvious ax to grind and is willing to try and color the publics rational thought process by any means, especially guilt by association, to effect a negative opinion of Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer whom we owe so much to this day.

Martin Luther was one of the most courageous spirits in human history who at the same time never lost his humanity.When all the world was sucked up into Catholicism's inconsistencies and power, Martin Luther stood alone and said God was not owned by the Catholic Church, thus allowing a freedom that had been denied to Christians for hundreds of years before and enjoyed hundreds of years afterwards, to this day.Perhaps the freedom we now enjoy is enjoyed too recklessly and in vain as evidenced by such books as Wiener's.

It is absolutely asinine to try to link Martin Luther to the holocaust and Hitler.

Martin Luther in truth was the spiritual ancestor of nearly e-v-e-r-y-one today.Hitler distorted so many truths and perverted every good thing he could, falsified so much and smeared so many, I don't see how you can blame the victims of such mischaracterizations or use them as a scapegoat.

Even the Bible has been used for evil.I don't see how any one can blame Martin Luther if Hitler found something in Martin Luther's writings to pervert. But that is the book game these days---try and smear someone's good name in order to sell books.

After a while those who are truly interested in the truth will understand what a grave injustice Weiner has tried to do to a person who has done so much for humanity, even still today, while others like Wiener are only interested in destroying for destructions sake which leads you to ask the question, "Is Hitler Wiener's ancestor?"

Controversy comes in small packages
"Hitler's spiritual ancestor" is a short book that tackles some very large questions.The author Peter Wiener wrote the book towards the end of World War II and was a Christian of German origin. The huge questions that he tackles include: "How could the German people allow Hitler to lead them into a war that was so brutal, destructive and remorseless?", "Who was Martin Luther...really?" and "What part did Martin Luther's teachings play in the horrific genocide of the second world war?". Although the author doesn't answer all these questions completely (then again who could?), he brings up some excellent points and allows the reader to "see for themselves".

This work does not portray Luther as the "Great Reformer" that many theologians remember him as. The author does an excellent job of portraying Luther with 'warts and all' and he does this by using Luther's own writings against him. He argues that Luther set the scene for the bloodiest genocide in human history. His teachings, and his philosophy were instrumental in paving the way for a German nation filled with people that had a warped idea of Christianity and humanity. In fact the author portrays it as a "pseudo-political German religion" that puts the nation first and Jesus second. After hundreds of years of being indoctrinated by Luther and his unbelievable theology, it is no wonder that the people of Germany were so easily able to accept Hitler and his maniacal, nationalistic ideas of ethnic cleansing. ... Read more

Book Description
As profound as Martin Luther's ideas are, this giant of church history was concerned above all with practical instruction for daily Christian living. Harvesting Martin Luther's Reflections highlights this concern of Luther, mining his thought in key areas of doctrine, ethics, and church practice. Gathering noteworthy contributions by well-known Luther scholars from Europe and the Americas, this book ranges broadly over theological questions about baptism and righteousness, ethical issues like poverty and greed, and pastoral concerns like worship and spirituality. There are even rare discussions of Luther's perspective on marriage and on Islam. As a result, Harvesting Martin Luther's Reflections is both a state-of-the-art discussion of Lutheran themes and an excellent introduction for newcomers to Luther's work.Contributors:Carl Axel Aurelius Karlfried Froehlich Scott Hendrix Helmar Junghans Robert Kolb Dietrich Korsch Carter Lindberg Gregory J. Miller Ricardo Willy Rieth Gerhard Sauter Johannes Schwanke David C. Steinmetz Mark D. Tranvik Timothy J. Wengert ... Read more

Amazon.com
Martin Luther: The Christian Between God and Death is an empathic, critical, and beautifully written account of the life of one of the most important figures in Western history. Marius's primary goal is to describe the inner life of Martin Luther--specifically, to describe the way Luther's near-obsessive fear of death drove him to search for a gospel that would convince him that God offered real hope for everlasting life. Marius argues that Luther's failure to find the answers he sought was a primary cause of the Reformation--and that it led him to demonize whoever he believed had taken shortcuts to find those answers. Marius defends his arguments with close readings of Luther's voluminous writings and with ample documentation of the political movements during which the Reformation occurred.

The book's broad scope gives it an appealing quality of honestly grappling with the fullest possible understanding of Luther's situation as a man of the middle ages, even if Marius's ultimate verdict on Luther and his legacy is quite harsh. Marius claims that Luther's angry denunciations of Catholics, Jews, and other Protestants exacerbated the disastrous nationalist movements and religious schisms that determined the subsequent course of European history. "Luther's temperament was his tragedy," Marius writes. "He was an absolutist, demanding certainty in a dark and conflict-ridden world where nothing is finally sure and mystery abounds against a gloom that may ultimately be driven by fate, the impersonal chain of accidents that takes us where we would not go because our destiny is to be the people we are, and so we have no choice but tragedy." --Michael Joseph GrossBook Description

Few figures in history have defined their time as dramatically as Martin Luther. And few books have captured the spirit of such a figure as truly as this robust and eloquent life of Luther. A highly regarded historian and biographer and a gifted novelist and playwright, Richard Marius gives us a dazzling portrait of the German reformer--his inner compulsions, his struggle with himself and his God, the gestation of his theology, his relations with contemporaries, and his responses to opponents. Focusing in particular on the productive years 1516-1525, Marius' detailed account of Luther's writings yields a rich picture of the development of Luther's thought on the great questions that came to define the Reformation.

Marius follows Luther from his birth in Saxony in 1483, during the reign of Frederick III, through his schooling in Erfurt, his flight to an Augustinian monastery and ordination to the outbreak of his revolt against Rome in 1517, the Wittenberg years, his progress to Worms, his exile in the Wartburg, and his triumphant return to Wittenberg. Throughout, Marius pauses to acquaint us with pertinent issues: the question of authority in the church, the theology of penance, the timing of Luther's "Reformation breakthrough," the German peasantry in 1525, Müntzer's revolutionaries, the whys and hows of Luther's attack on Erasmus.

In this personal, occasionally irreverent, always humane reconstruction, Luther emerges as a skeptic who hated skepticism and whose titanic wrestling with the dilemma of the desire for faith and the omnipresence of doubt and fear became an augury for the development of the modern religious consciousness of the West. In all of this, he also represents tragedy, with the goodness of his works overmatched by their calamitous effects on religion and society.

Customer Reviews (23)

Do youknow yourChristian history-the Legacy of Martin Luther......
I have not read this book.I see it has many bad reviews--by those who feel Luther was a "Good" man, a "Good" Christian, A Hero even, somehow they feel this writer is slamming him.What I find disturbing is this... It appears 90% of all Christians today who call themselves Protestants have NO inkling to what damage this Man, this leader, this Revolutionary, has brought upon man since This Reformation. The simple POWER and damage of HIS WORDS, His BELIEFS, His GREAT influence -have done thru out History... PLEASE visit a few Holocaust Museums, look up the one in Florida on the net, type in "On Jews & their Lies" written by this wonderful man, Martin Luther, read his quotes for yourself.Do a search on His quotes on "REASON" also while you are at it. He is an Embarrasment to the Faith of Christianity.Even the Luthern Church gave an Official Apology (in the 1990's) for this book/pamphlet written 3 yrs before his death, How HIS Influence, his Legacy, his words set the stage for what Hitler did to millions of Jews. Hitler did ALL Of the things listed in Martin Luthers "dirty little book"- what some call it.Christians should be standing against this man and His legacy. And questioning every singe idea, or belief that came from him.The man did NOT have the "Fruits".

Fine Intellectual Overview of Luther's Seminal Works. Buy It.
`Martin Luther' by historian, novelist, and playwright Richard Marius is a finely crafted intellectual biography of the central figure behind the 16th century split in Western Christendom that became known as the Reformation.

One of the first impressions I get from reading this book is the shock of seeing opposing religious groups' warring against and executing `heretics', the easy term for people who don't agree with them; corruption and sexual misconduct in the Roman church; near empty Evangelical churches and poorly paid pastors; conservative Christian factions battling for local political control; and religious indifference among the great mass of less well educated. This is a sketch of the state of affairs at the apex of the `Age of Faith', decades before Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler turned the rational world on its ear by upsetting the world view of Medieval terracentric cosmology.

For this perspective alone this book is a great contribution to an educated person's intellectual point of view, but the book offers much, much more. But before I get too far, let me be clear about what it does not cover.

First, it does not cover all of Luther's life. In fact, the last chapter ends in 1525 with Luther's debate over freedom of the will with Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, with the publication of Luther's `On the Slavery of the Will', his response to Erasmus' much shorter `Discourse on Free Will'. This is almost 20 years before Luther passes away in 1545. This is an appropriate stopping point, as Luther and many of his interpreters regard this as his most important work, along with the catechism. Marius does not agree that this is Luther's most important work, and makes a very good case for why this is not so in his narrative of the twelve years between his mature theological works (especially on Paul's letters to the Romans and Galatians, and on the Psalms) and the publication of `On Slavery of the Will'. Luther's translation of the Bible into German, with comments, and the pamphlets `The Freedom of a Christian' and `Babylonian Captivity of the Church' are more seminal, and far more important than the '95 Theses' which was really just the little pebble which got the great snowball of the Reformation started.

Second, it makes no pretense at covering all of Luther's published works, which occupy 55 large volumes in the standard English translation and even more volumes in the German edition of his translated Latin and German works. In fact, the author claims that most Lutheran scholars don't even pretend to have read his complete output.

What is much more important is the perspective Marius does give on Luther and his movement. On the positive side of the Reformation, one must dig to imagine any greater or more important intellectual conversation than the one between Luther, Erasmus, and Thomas More of England. The battle of these intellects is made more monumental by the fact that it is based almost entirely on reason, arguments over the role of tradition, and the interpretation of writings from 1400 years ago. Marius makes it clear that after the initial outrage on the sale of indulgences, the conflict within a very few years centered on the value of tradition and the witness to faith by the Saints over the years (argued by the Roman church) against the total reliance on the original scriptures (argued by Luther). And, it was important to base one's beliefs not only on the original scriptures, but to focus on the life and teachings of Jesus and his most important apostle, Paul.

One of the ironies behind the controversy between Luther and Erasmus is that the latter writer was a much deeper scholar into the philology and interpretation of the ancient Greek and Hebrew texts. In fact, Luther relied heavily on Erasmus' commentaries on the original texts in doing his German translation of scriptures. So, with Erasmus and Luther, we have the embryo of modern Bible scholarship that does not weigh every word and every work in the scripture equally. Luther, for example, clearly did not like James' letter because he felt that unlike Paul, it does not give enough importance to faith and grace rather than on `good works'. This selective interpretation of the scriptures was also a powerful argument against the literal interpretations of the scriptures by Zwingli and Calvin. But, we also discover that Luther and Calvin were really not that far apart on the central doctrine of predestination and the illusion of free will.

The most important thing I take from this book is Luther's dismissal of reason, especially Aristotle's logic in reaching the ultimate truth in Christian doctrine, and his stressing the fact that the ultimate acts of faith and grace are based on the mystery of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, death, resurrection, and `dual' nature as both human and divine. And, the only real evidence we have of this is in the scriptures (especially the gospel of John and Paul's letters). The irony of this position is that Luther relies on reason to sustain this position and destroy the edifice of Roman tradition. A second important lesson I take from this book is the fact that after discarding four of the seven Roman sacraments (and reducing penance to a private act), Luther essentially creates a new sacrament out of the sermon, the interpretation of the scripture to the layman, the `priesthood of all believers'. The downside of this shift from Roman practice is that while Roman churches are open all week, Lutheran churches are locked down except for Sunday morning and even then, interest wanes if the pastor does not illuminate the scripture.

While I feel the need to read a second Luther biography to learn of the political side of the Reformation, I truly admire Marius' service to us in laying out the intellectual narrative and foundations of Luther's Reformation.

poor writing and slanderous
the writer, a Harvard Professor, displays an accute amateurish tone throughout the book. Unsuccessfully tries to diminish Luther's accomplishments and genius with improbable assumptions and irrelevant speculation. It's a weak biography and flawed historical account. If the poor quality of this book is indicative of the intellectual level at Harvard, I would say that they have serious problems. In fact, what is their great reputation all about?

5 points in academic writing...3 points for general public
I noticed that a few of the other reviwers here aren't in favor of the book. I think I can sort of feel for them because Maurius, generally speaking, is critical on Luther. For some people who were raised up with the notion of Luther being the ultimate good guy hero figure, this book might not be well suited for them. There are other excellent books out there that they might like such as one by Heiko Oberman.

What Richard Marius has done is a kin to taking a complicated machine apart and trying to analyze it item by item. One of the chief parts and items Marius looks at in this book is death. Just as the title suggest, "The Christian Between Life and Death" the author is trying to examine Luther's stance on death and how it shaped the reformer's theology.

He also shows how the many paradox ideas that Luther championed were simply too difficult for the half literate population of Germany to understand. There was simply not of enough education around at the time for people to understand. The two concept of Law and Gospel, and the relations of these two, that he preached so much was hard over the years - was simply beyond the grasp of many poor folks of his time. The result was a lot of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and a lot of terrible bloodshed. As you try to read the text and leave out your own personal bias, you sort of sympathize for Erasmus who at first was sympathetic to Luther, but later becomes the reformer's greatest enemy.
Considering the fact that the author is a university theology professor, he probably knows a lot about religious wars and bloodshed all in the name of religion - the result, his inclination is with the Erasmus.

As you probably know, Luther made a few sermons at the end of his life that were quite harsh on the Jews. Marius does a pretty good job on examing this topic. Though it would have been interesting if he could have expanded on this a little bit more.

So what didn't I like about the book?

It was a little bit too harsh. It's like someone writing a book about a US President and concentrating a lot of the text on the bad things that president did.

Ok, I admit my comparison with a US President is a little far fetched, but I hope you get what I'm trying to get at. We need to know both the good and the bad of these people. We can't just go running around thinking this President was a saint. And we can't go running around thinking he was a demon. He was a human being both good and bad. This President had to make tough choices and there were a lot of serious reprecussions because of it.

Marius could have written a lot on the negative qualities of Luther, and also have written a lot of the positives as well.

But it was slightly bias to towards the negative side - and that's what ruins a good enertaining read. This book is not your hero's tale that leaves you feeling tall after you put it down.

No. It's more or less written with academic's microscope.

This book might be good for let say, a graduate level university course, but it's might not be too good for someone looking for a good story about their favorite hero.

Biased account still shows Luther's greatness and talent
As noted by some of the other reviewers, Marius's work is severely biased against Luther.Marius seems to blame Luther for the chaos of the last 500 years, starting with the wars that followed Luther's death.In my opinion, he seems to forget the chaos that has always surrounded our history.

In spite of his disapproval of Luther, he is not a liar and through his views of Luther's actions and ideas I was still able to see Luther as an extraordinary man of great talent.In some ways, Marius was even more complementary of Luther than other authors I have read.

If you are religiously inclined and are looking for a general work on Luther I would suggest instead Roland Bainton's Here I Stand or even the more recent work Luther the Reformer by Kittelson. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Introduction to Luther's Works
My only complaint is that "Bondage of the Will" should have been included instead of "On Christian Freedom".The footnotes do well explaining obscure terminology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Rare Book on the Smalcald Articles
This is an excellent (and rare) exploration of the Smalcald Articles of the Lutheran Confessions.The author makes the case that these articles offer key insight into the mind of Luther because Luther thought his deathmight be imminent and the Smalcald Articles reveal what was most importantto him.For example, Luther's thoughts on the Lord's Supper indicate thathe was not close to the Reformed camp on communion but remained convincedof the "Real Presence" doctrine to the end.Mr. Russell deservescredit for an interesting work on this key neglected Lutheran Confessionaldocument.

Excellent introduction to the Smalcald Articles
Of the various confessional documents contained in the Book of Concord, the Smalcald Articles has been the most neglected in scholarly studies. William Russell, campus pastor at North Dakota State University, offers the first book-length study of the SA available in English. Russell's central thesis is that the SA represents Luther at his most essential.Russell provides ample evidence, both from internal and external sources, that Luther considered the SA to be an extremely important statement of his theology. Luther wrote this document at a time when he was convinced that his death was near. He was having severe problems with kidney stones and apparently also had experienced heart attacks. Elector John Frederick, who ordered the preparation of this document, was also aware of Luther's poor health and wrote: "It will be highly necessary for Dr. Mar-tin to prepare his basis and opinion with the divine scriptures, indicating all the articles upon which he has written, preached and taught. He should do this for the sake of the council, but also in view of his final departure from this world to the almighty judg-ment of God. He should indicate what he thinks, maintains, and where he remains in order not to offend the divine majesty-the points we must maintain without regard to body or possessions, peace or conflict" (p. 36-37). The Elector was anxious to have something for the church council that was ex-pected to be held in Mantua in 1537. As we know, a church council did not meet until the year 1545, in Trent, and lasted until 1564. As far as Luther himself was concerned, the council was fast approaching and the Lutherans needed something to take with them, upon which they could stand, and from which they could argue their case be-fore the Pope and the Roman Catholic theologians. Luther therefore prepared this document for a meeting of the German estates in the city of Smalcald that was held in February of 1537. In light of the above, it is interesting to note that the SA was not adopted by the various German estates that had gathered in Smalcald. Russell offers three reasons why this was so. First, Luther's health prevented him from attending the meeting and thus he was unable to present the document himself. Russell speculates that had Luther at-tended, the articles would have been discussed. Second, Elector John Frederick consid-ered the SA to be a theological statement, not a statement of political rulers, as was the AC which was presented to the Emperor at the meeting of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire in 1530. Third, Russell feels that since the Smalcald gathering decided not to attend a church council, they did not consider the SA necessary to take up. However, Luther it seems was totally unaware that his articles had not been adopted, for in 1538 he was still operating under the incorrect assumption that the SA had been formally adopted by the political states in Smalcald. Russell sides with Friedrich Bente who as-serts in his historical introduction that the SA was adopted de facto since the majority of the theologians gathered at Smalcald did subscribe to the SA, and the SA did reflect the views of the majority of the political rulers at Smalcald. The SA was not actually published until the Spring of 1538 after Luther had prepared a longer preface, and made some changes to the text proper. It was incorporated into the 1563 Brunswick Corpus Doctrinae, and then later made a part of the Book of Concord in 1580. Russell provides an ongoing dialogue with Volz's and Ulbrich's Urkunden und Aktenstücke zur Geschichte von Martin Luthers Schmalkaldischen Artikeln and in many respects this book is a reaction, both in agreement and disagreement, to this work. The footnotes reveal that Russell has engaged in a thorough study of pertinent secondary sources, impressing the reader with Russell's desire to anchor his comments within the stream of scholarship on the various issues that are raised in the SA. He walks through the SA, noting the key theological concepts Luther raises and providing appropriate references from secondary sources that illuminate the points he is making. Russell's discussion of Luther's assertion in the SA that the pope is the anti-Christ is objective, and therefore useful. Russell refrains from grinding an ecumenical ax at this point, and thus permits Luther's position on this matter to stand without intrusive editorial commentary. Russell disagrees with the commonly expressed view that the SA merely reflects Luther in a pugnacious mood. Of course, the state of Lu-ther's health can be used to support the position that his polemical tone in the SA is not to be taken too seriously. Russell however states that even if the harsh remarks made by Luther about the pope do reflect some personal emotional frustrations with the progress of the German Reformation, simply to dismiss Luther's comments about the pope as anti-Christ "risks missing what Luther (and those closest to him) thought to be the main issue at stake in their efforts to reform the church. For Luther, the gos-pel of the forgiveness of sin by grace alone, apart from works of the law, is the distinc-tive feature of the Christian proclamation. Any theology (be it Roman Catholic, Ana-baptist, Reformed, or Evangelical) that violated this sine qua non of the church's mes-sage was open to the charge of being labeled by Luther as "anti-Christian" (p. 95). Russell is careful to observe that Luther's discussion on the Lord's Supper was purposefully concrete. Luther's realistic description that "the bread and wine in the supper are the true body and blood of Christ" was controversial (p. 104). By doing this, Luther moved a step beyond the language of the Wittenberg Concord of 1536, an agreement that had been signed by representatives from both southern and northern Germany. Russell indicates that the WC was meant to be a compromise statement, noting that the WC was "rather ambiguous at the very point it was supposed to clarify" (p. 105). Luther purposefully avoids the slippery word "with" when discussing the bread/wine and body/blood connection in the Lord's Supper, choosing instead to re-main with the much stronger copulative verb "is" - our Lord's language. Luther's wording apparently did not please Melanchthon, who was afraid that this matter would cause controversy at Smalcald. He went so far as to recommend that the estates pledge themselves to "the Augsburg Confession and the Wittenberg Concord" (p. 106). We see here a clear foreshadowing of Melanchthon's later compromising position on the Lord's Supper, which took full form only after Luther's death. In light of the impending ecumenical agreements between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a number of Reformed churches, Luther's position in the SA are all more relevant to our present day and age. Will Luther have the last word in the largest Lu-theran church in America on the subject of our Lord's presence in the eucharistic bread wine, or will Melanchthon and his heirs? Russell's book is actually quite brief, with the text proper taking up only 116 pages. The rest of the book is devoted to three appendices. Appendix A is Russell's translation of the Smalcald Articles. This reviewer is given to understand that Russell's translation, with editorial modifications, will be used in the new Book of Concord translation now in progress. Appendix B is a list of names and terms from the age of the Lutheran Reformation. Appendix C is a topical index to Luther's Works and Lu-theran Confessional writings, indicating where an interested reader might find other Luther documents on a wide range of theological topics. In light of the fact that this book is the only one in English devoted to the SA, one hesitates to be critical. But it needs to be said that the book is somewhat disjointed and repetitive. Key themes and concepts are repeated within a short amount of space. This is probably due in part to the genesis of the book as a series of lectures to students at Luther Northwestern Seminary as part of a regular gathering called, "Friends of the Lutheran Confessions." It is unclear if this book is ... Read more

Book Description
Martin Luther's radical actions in 16th-century Germany sparked off the dramatic process of the European Reformation. After a visit to Rome as a young monk, he began to deeply question the practices of the Catholic Church. He set in place a chain of events, which divided the church and brought about the Protestant Reformation. Famously appearing before the secular authorities at the 'Diet of Worms' in 1521 to defend his dissident beliefs, Luther worked throughout his life to further the reformation movement.
But were Luther's motivations as clear-cut as they might seem? Was he merely self-obsessed and egotistical rather than a guiding prophet of god? This important new biography portrays Luther, his concerns and his achievements with clarity and verve, and provides a comprehensive introduction for those seeking to understand the roots of the continuing discords in modern Christianity. Volently prejudiced yet inspiring, Luther is presented here with unflinching candor and honesty. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Treasure!
What a buy this is! Five stars and counting, I say.This is a great anthology.Buyer, you cannot go wrong.The binding is excellent, so too the paper and the print.This print is 9.5.

If you want a treasure chest of great ideas on God and theology and the Bible is general from one who saturated himself with the Word, this is it.

Splendid Reference Work from the Reformer
This one-volume reference used to be in three, smaller volumes.So yes,the size of this text, at times, can be unwieldy, but what a trove ofquotations!Luther was a master of theology and Plass's selections show abroad range of the subjects he wrote about and preached on.This volume isdefinitely worth the investment for anyone who may need an applicablequotation or desires to delve into Luther's thoughts.

Excellent Reference Tool
This anthology of Martin Luther's writings, sermons, and teachings is an excellent tool for any Christian to use as a devotional guide or a reference book.It provides easy access to the thoughts, beliefs, and ideas of Luther in a user-friendly format, and is not overly cumbersome.It deserves a prominent spon in every Christian's library ... Read more

Book Description
And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us.

From "A Mighty Fortress is Our God"

Across the centuries, these words from the pen of Martin Luther testify mightily of the courage and faith of their author.God's grace transformed him from a fearful monk in anguish about his soul's salvation into a giant of the Faith who shook Europe by declaring boldly once again the words of the apostle Paul: "The just shall live by faith."

Luther's story was never better told than by Swiss historian Jean Henri Merle d'Aubigné.The liveliness of Merle's style, his extensive and remarkable use of original quotations, and the rich biographical color of his work make it enjoyable to read.More than that, Merle's evangelical fervor, his commitment to biblical truth, and his fundamental sympathy with the spirit of the Reformation strike a responsive chord in the heart of the Christian. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Impressive captivation of the workings of providence
I was initially reserved in my approach to the book 'cos I thought it would be boring and would contain too much theology.
I was proven wrong. I could see the interplay of man and God in shaping our history and now fully understand that indeed "He works all things after the counsel of his own will". I was taken with the literary style that I could not put it down desiring to find out what would happen next to Luther. It is awesome to know that Omniscience wields Omnipotence to achieve the counsel of the Omnipresent God.

Excellent, readable, interesting like all D'Aubigne's works
I have read this book under separate title, and D'Aubigne presents in it a wonderful picture of Luther the man, from the perspective of an author who knows Luther's Lord.Much more readable than Bainton's work, and with atouch of the older style of writing that has now been lost.

More detail than I had ever known about Luther (pt 1)
This is a very good book about Martin Luther. Before I read this book, Idid not know whathe wrote his theses about, but now I know he wrote it tocondemn the evil sale of indulgences. ... Read more