The Annotated Luther Series
4/5
()
About this series
Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the church door at Wittenberg in 1517. In the three years that followed, Luther clarified and defended his position in numerous writings. Chief among these are the three treatises written in 1520. In these writings Luther tried to frame his ideas in terms that would be comprehensible not only to the clergy but to people from a wide range of backgrounds. To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation is an attack on the corruption of the church and the abuses of its authority, bringing to light many of the underlying reasons for the Reformation. The second treatise, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, contains Luther's sharp criticism of the sacramental system of the Catholic church. The Freedom of a Christian gives a concise presentation of Luther's position on the doctrine of justification by faith.
This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, Volume 1 and The Annotated Luther series, Volume 3. Each volume in the series contains new introductions, annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther's context and to interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther's writings include updates of Luther's Works, American Edition, or new translations of Luther's German or Latin writings.
Titles in the series (13)
- The Annotated Luther: Church and Sacraments
3
Volume 3 of The Annotated Luther series presents five key writings that focus on Martin Luther’s understanding of the gospel as it relates to church, sacraments, and worship. Included in the volume are: The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520); The German Mass and Order of the Liturgy (1526); That These Words of Christ, “This is my Body,” etc., Still Stand Firm Against the Fanatics (1527); Concerning Rebaptism (1528), and On the Councils and the Church (1539). Luther refused to tolerate a church built on human works, whether it was the pope’s authority or the faith or decision of individual believers. This is the thread that runs through all the texts in this volume: the church and sacraments belong to Christ, who founded and instituted them. Each volume in The Annotated Luther series contains new introductions, as well as annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther’s context and interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther’s writings include updates of Luther’s Works American Edition, or entirely new translations of Luther’s German or Latin writings.
- The Annotated Luther: Pastoral Writings
4
Volume 4 of The Annotated Luther series presents an array of Luther’s writings related to pastoral work. Luther’s famous Invocavit Sermons and other selected sermons show a forthright and lively preacher. Hymn texts reveal Luther’s grasp of hymnody as a tool for conveying and expressing faith. His Small Catechism as well as several pieces on prayer, including his Personal Prayer Book and A Simple Way to Pray, show his engagement in the basic task of teaching the faith. Luther’s prefaces to his own writings contain personal reflections on his reforming work. Also in this volume are his commentary on The Magnificat, selected letters, and shorter pieces that display his pastoral responses to particular situations: Sermon on Preparing to Die, Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague, and Comfort for Women Who Have Had a Miscarriage. Each volume in The Annotated Luther series contains new introductions, annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther’s context and interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther’s writings include updates of Luther’s Works, American Edition or entirely new translations of Luther’s German or Latin writings.
- The Annotated Luther: Christian Life in the World
5
This volume (volume 5) features Luther's writings that intersect church and state, faith and life lived as a follower of Christ. His insights regarding marriage, trade, public education, war and are articulated. His theological and biblical insights also colored the way he spoke of the "Jews" and Turks, as well his admonition to the German peasants in their uprisings against the established powers.
- The Annotated Luther: Word and Faith
Volume 2 of The Annotated Luther series contains a number of the writings categorized under the theme word and faith. Luther was particularly focused on what the word “does” in order to create and sustain faith. Writings in the volume range from the large core documents Bondage of the Will, Against the Heavenly Prophets, The Smalcald Articles, and Large Catechism to Luther’s own Confession of Faith and treatments of Moses, the Gospels, and Two Kinds of Righteousness. In the treatises in this volume, we hear Luther’s understanding of Scripture and theology as he continues his growth as teaching theologian, pastor, biblical exegete, and apologist for the faith. Each volume in The Annotated Luther series contains new introductions, as well as annotations, illustrations, and notes, to help shed light on Luther's context and interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther’s writings include updates of Luther’s Works, American Edition or entirely new translations of Luther’s German or Latin writings.
- The Bondage of the Will, 1525: The Annotated Luther
In autumn 1525, Luther wrote The Bondage of the Will as a response to humanist and theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam’s On Free Will. Luther’s treatise is important on four accounts: First, Luther wanted to show his own humanist education. Second, against Erasmus, who had maintained that the question of free will could not be decided just on the basis of the Bible, Luther stressed the clarity imbedded in Scripture. Third, Luther stressed that his denial of the free will pertained to the issue of salvation, while in other areas of life not relevant for this fundamental existential matter, free will could be acknowledged. Finally, he introduces the distinction of the revealed and the hidden God to make clear that a Christian must focus on God as shown in Jesus Christ rather than speculating about God’s potency in general. Luther’s argument on the matter of the bound and free will poses a challenge and an invitation for constructive contemporary theology. This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, Volume 2. Each volume in the series contains annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther’s context and to interpret his writings for today.
- The Annotated Luther: The Interpretation of Scripture: The Interpretation of Scripture
6
This volume features Martin Luther the exegete and Bible teacher. His vast exegetical writings and lectures on Scripture are introduced through important examples from both the Old and New Testaments. Included in the volume is his brief treatise "On Translating" and his prefaces to both the Old and New Testaments, to key sections of Scripture (Psalter, Prophets), and to select books such as Genesis, Isaiah, Daniel, Romans, and Galatians. The content is rounded out by examples from his lectures and sermons on specific texts, including such examples as Genesis 1:26-2:3; Psalms 51 and 118; Isaiah 53; John 1:14; Romans 3:20-27; and 1 Corinthians 15:16-23, 51-57. Each volume in The Annotated Luther series contains new introductions, annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther‘s context and interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther‘s writings include updates of Luther‘s Works (American edition) or entirely new translations of Luther‘s German or Latin writings.
- The Annotated Luther: The Roots of Reform
Volume 1 of The Annotated Luther series contains writings that defined the roots of reform set in motion by Martin Luther, beginning with the 95 Theses (1517) through The Freedom of a Christian (1520). Included are treatises, letters, and sermons written from 1517–1520, which set the framework for key themes in all of Luther’s later works. Also included are documents that reveal Luther’s earliest confrontations with Rome and his defense of views and perspectives that led to his excommunication by Leo X in 1520. These documents display a Luther grounded in late medieval theology and its peculiar issues, trained in the latest humanist methods of the Renaissance, and, most especially, showing sensitivity toward the pastoral consequences for theological positions and church practice. Each volume in The Annotated Luther series contains new introductions, as well as annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther's context and interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther’s writings include updates of Luther’s Works, American Edition or entirely new translations of Luther’s German or Latin writings.
- Treatise on Good Works, 1520: The Annotated Luther
In sermons and pamphlets, Luther and his colleagues claimed that salvation came by faith alone and not by works. Although the better-known pamphlets of 1520—To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Concerning the Improvement of the Christian Estate, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and The Freedom of a Christian— would also appear, Timothy J. Wengert shows how Luther’s Treatise on Good Works fulfilled Luther’s own prediction that it would be one of the clearest and most accessible introductions to Luther’s reforming work and theology. Luther’s main goal was to commend a new, down-to-earth piety to all Christians. This piety was new, because at its center was a radically different meaning of good works that would transform the way believers practiced their faith. This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, Volume 1. Each volume in the series contains new introductions, annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther’s context and to interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther’s writings include updates of Luther’s Works, American Edition, or new translations of Luther’s German or Latin writings.
- The Freedom of a Christian, 1520: The Annotated Luther
Timothy J. Wengert skillfully provides a clear understanding of the historical context from which the treatise The Freedom of a Christian and his accompanying Letter to Pope Leo X arose. As controversy concerning his writings grew, Luther was instructed to write a reconciliation-minded letter to Pope Leo X (1475–1521). To this letter he appended a nonpolemical tract describing the heart of his beliefs, The Freedom of a Christian. Luther’s Latin version added an introduction and a lengthy appendix not found in the German edition. The two editions arose out of the different audiences for them: the one addressed to theologians, clerics, and church leaders (for whom Latin was the common language), and one addressed to the German-speaking public, which included the nobility, townsfolk, many from the lesser clergy, and others who could read (or have Luther’s writings read to them). This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, Volume 1. Each volume in the series contains new introductions, annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther’s context and to interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther’s writings include updates of Luther’s Works, American Edition, or new translations of Luther’s German or Latin writings.
- The Large Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther, 1529: The Annotated Luther
With great detail, Kirsi I. Stjerna introduces and annotates Luther’s Large Catechism, which the reformer offered as a radical reorientation in the matters of theology and spirituality. After diagnosing what appeared to him as his church’s failures to provide proper spiritual care, Luther set out to offer a new compass for religious life. The sweeping reforms he proposed took root primarily through preaching and education as people embraced the new vision and transmitted it to their children. He believed all Christian people—laity and clergy—needed a guide to comprehend the basic biblical, creedal, and sacramental teachings. The order with which Luther proceeds in the Large Catechism is deliberate, with a distinct theological rationale; the Commandments express God’s expectations; the Creed proclaims God’s promise; the Lord’s Prayer translates law and gospel into a personal discourse with God; and the sacraments offer tangible expressions of God’s grace and signs to lean on in faith.
- The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, 1520: The Annotated Luther
In his The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, Martin Luther set forth a reconsideration of the sacramental Christian life that centered on the word. His thesis is that the papacy had distorted the sacraments with its own traditions and regulations, transforming them into a system of control and coercion. The evangelical liberty of the sacramental promises had been replaced by a papal absolutism which, like a feudal lordship, claimed its own jurisdictional liberties and privileges over the totality of Christian life through a sacramental system that spanned birth to death. Yet Luther does not replace one tyranny for another; his argument for a return to the biblical understanding of the sacraments is moderated by a consideration of traditions and external practices in relation to their effects on the individual conscience and faith. This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, Volume 3. Each volume in the series contains new introductions, annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther’s context and interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther’s writings include updates of Luther’s Works, American Edition, or entirely new translations of Luther’s German or Latin writings.
- Little Prayer Book, 1522, and A Simple Way to Pray, 1535: The Annotated Luther
This volume offers two of Martin Luther’s writings on prayer, excerpted from The Annotated Luther, volume 4. In Little Prayer Book (1522), Luther seeks to reform the theology and practice of prayer in clear and understandable language for all people. In A Simple Way to Pray (1535), Luther offers readers insights into his own prayer life and organizes his comments around the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. Each Annotated Luther volume contains new introductions, annotations, and illustrations to illuminate Luther’s context and to interpret his writings for today.
- Three Treatises: The Annotated Luther
Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the church door at Wittenberg in 1517. In the three years that followed, Luther clarified and defended his position in numerous writings. Chief among these are the three treatises written in 1520. In these writings Luther tried to frame his ideas in terms that would be comprehensible not only to the clergy but to people from a wide range of backgrounds. To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation is an attack on the corruption of the church and the abuses of its authority, bringing to light many of the underlying reasons for the Reformation. The second treatise, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, contains Luther's sharp criticism of the sacramental system of the Catholic church. The Freedom of a Christian gives a concise presentation of Luther's position on the doctrine of justification by faith. This volume is excerpted from The Annotated Luther series, Volume 1 and The Annotated Luther series, Volume 3. Each volume in the series contains new introductions, annotations, illustrations, and notes to help shed light on Luther's context and to interpret his writings for today. The translations of Luther's writings include updates of Luther's Works, American Edition, or new translations of Luther's German or Latin writings.
Read more from Martin Luther
Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMartin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses and Selected Sermons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMartin Luther's Commentary on Galatians Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Luther's Commentary on Genesis: Critical and Devotional Remarks on the Creation, the Sin and the Flood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bondage of the Will Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Works of Martin Luther Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Freedom of the Christian Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Commentary on Genesis (Complete Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelections from the Table Talk of Martin Luther Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Christian Liberty Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Babylonian Captivity of the Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings95 Theses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Martin Luther's Small Catechism, translated by R. Smith Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Commentary on Galatians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEpistle Sermons of Martin Luther: Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost Lectures & Sermons from Trinity Sunday to Advent Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Small and Large Catechisms of Martin Luther Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Treatise on Christian Liberty: On the Freedom of a Christian Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 95 Theses: Or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCommentary on Genesis, Vol. II Luther on Sin and the Flood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ninety-Five Theses: Disputation on the Power of Indulgences Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Works of Martin Luther With Introductions and Notes (Volume II) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bondage of the Will Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorks of Martin Luther With Introductions and Notes (Volume I) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarvard Classics: All 71 Volumes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Annotated Luther
Related ebooks
To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, 1520: The Annotated Luther Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Annotated Luther: The Interpretation of Scripture: The Interpretation of Scripture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Annotated Luther: Christian Life in the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Annotated Luther: The Roots of Reform Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTreatise on Good Works, 1520: The Annotated Luther Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Annotated Luther: Pastoral Writings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Annotated Luther: Church and Sacraments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Annotated Luther: Word and Faith Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Small Catechism,1529: The Annotated Luther Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Genius of Luther's Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Large Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther, 1529: The Annotated Luther Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Self-Giving Love: The Book of Philippians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCentripetal Worship: The Evangelical Heart of Lutheran Worship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Luther's Wittenberg World: The Reformer's Family, Friends, Followers, and Foes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLuther's Outlaw God: Sacraments and God's Attack on the Promise Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Protestant Spiritual Traditions, Volume Two Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Pledge of Love: Balthasar Hubmaier and Anabaptist Sacramentalism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLuther for Armchair Theologians Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dominus Mortis: Martin Luther on the Incorruptibility of God in Christ Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPromising Faith for a Ruptured Age: An English-Speaking Appreciation of Oswald Bayer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLuther's Theology of the Cross: Christ in Luther’s Sermons on John Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Oxford Movement; Twelve Years, 1833-1845 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRemembering the Reformation: Martin Luther and Catholic Theology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Exposition of the Apostles' Creed Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Brief Introduction to Martin Luther Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMartin Luther's Small Catechism, translated by R. Smith Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Time for Confessing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWholly Citizens: God's Two Realms and Christian Engagement with the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holy Bible (World English Bible, Easy Navigation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Annotated Luther
43 ratings0 reviews