Concordia Electronic Theological Library: Collection 7 (7 vols.)

In this classic reissue of the English translation of Morphologie des Luthertums, German theologian Werner Elert (1885–1954) looks at the writings of Martin Luther, investigating Luther’s spatial concept of heaven; his definition of “the right hand of God” and “catholicity”; the reformer’s thoughts on math, science, philosophy, and theology, and more.

Volume 1 is an exhaustive, scholarly study of the age of Lutheran orthodoxy, the period from 1577 to 1713, in which Lutheran doctrine was developed, systematized, and defended by theologians such as Melanchthon, Chemnitz, Gerhard, Calov, Quenstedt, and other.

Volume 2 discusses classical contributions to two major articles of faith: the doctrine of God and the doctrine of creation. The author presents a thorough analysis, drawing from the works of dominant theologians of the period from 1577 to 1713, including Chemnitz, Selnecker, Mentzer, Gerhard, Quenstedt, and Hollaz. Because of his focus on doctrine and methodology, Preus is able to give a fair picture of classical Lutheran theology as a whole.

These books have been the basis for dialogue on all aspects of Christian theology, ministry, and church life between Catholics and Lutherans for centuries. This is the first English translation of Chemnitz’s work, which became the standard Lutheran answer to the claims of Rome as set forth at Trent.