Luther: A Guide for the Perplexed
Overview
This is an upper-level introduction to the German Reformer Martin Luther, who by his thought and action was a key pioneer in the Reformation movement. Martin Luther was one of the most influential and important figures of the second millennium. His break with Rome and the development of separate Evangelical churches affected not just the religious life of Europe, but also social and political landscapes as well. More books have been written about Luther than nearly any other historical figure. Despite all these books, Luther remains an enigmatic figure. This book proposes to examine a number of key moments in Luther's life and fundamental theological positions that remain perplexing to most students. This book will also present an introduction to the primary sources available to a student and important secondary works that ought to be consulted.
Top Highlights
“A second commonality among many late medieval Christians was a belief that they were living in the very last days before Christ returned in final judgment.” (Page 7)
“The church at the dawn of the sixteenth century is a perplexing institution because it was so full of contradictions.” (Page 4)
“God will, of course, notice this striving and look on it with kindness. This was called congruent merit. Congruent in this sense comes from the Latin and roughly means ‘to accept.’ Thus, God looks at this striving and accepts it as a good and commendable thing. Because God finds this work admirable, God adds a gift of grace that allows one to deepen one’s commitment to God and to righteous living. This gift is called condign merit. Condign comes from Latin and means, ‘with worth.’ God has added his worth to humanity’s actions and salvation has been achieved. Luther will reject both Aquinas and Biel on this point.” (Page 16)
“ What was at stake was the degree to which the human will played a role in that process of salvation.” (Page 87)
“Luther’s frustration and anger with Jews was primarily a reaction to their rejection of his call to conversion. He believed that because he had stripped away centuries of false teachings that had encrusted the Gospel, Jews would flock to Christianity. They did not. In his frustration, then, he did fail to take seriously his theology and did not remain consistent with what he wrote to George Spalatin in 1514 that the conversion of Jews, ‘will be a work of God alone operating from within and not a work of man working—or rather playing—from without.’” (Page 168)
- Author: David M. Whitford
- Series: Guides for the Perplexed
- Publisher: T&T Clark
- Publication Date: 2011
- Pages: 192