"This is a wonderful anthology. Its texts not only span the whole of Luther's reforming career, but also cover the theological, political, and social issues that mattered most to him and his age. Best of all, the original integrity of the texts remains perceptible, even when abridged. This valuable collection will be a great teaching tool and also a most useful resource for anyone interested in Luther or the Protestant Reformation." —Carlos Eire, Yale University, author of Reformations: The Early Modern World, 1450-1650 (Yale University Press) CONTENTS: Thematic Table of Contents General Introduction
- Preface to the Complete Edition of the Latin Writings (1545)
- Disputation on the Power of Indulgences (The Ninety-Five Theses) (1517)
- Sermon on Indulgence and Grace (1518)
- Disputation Held at Heidelberg (1518)
- To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation (1520)
- The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520)
- On the Freedom of a Christian (1520)
- Preface to the New Testament (1522)
- Preface to the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans (1522)
- On Married Life (1522)
- On Secular Authority: To What Extent It Must Be Obeyed (1523)
- That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew (1523)
- Against the Heavenly Prophets Concerning Images and the Sacrament (1525)
- Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants (1525)
- The Bondage of the Will (1525)
- The German Mass and Order of Divine Service (1526)
- How Christians Should Regard Moses (1527)
- Concerning Rebaptism (1528)
- Hymns (pre-1529)
- On the War against the Turks (1529)
- The Small Catechism (1529)
- Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (1535)
- The Schmalkald Articles (1537)
- Letter to Landgrave Philipp of Hesse (1539)
- On the Jews and Their Lies (1543) Suggestions for Further Reading Index
Author
Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk, theologian, university professor and church reformer whose ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization. Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church. Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented. His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism. Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.
