New German book on Luther

I just finished reading Luther, der Ketzer : Rom und die Reformation. The author has done a lot of research in the Vatican archives, so he was able to quote bothsides of the contraversies. He spends a lot of time on the political and cultural differences that separated Germany and Italy, and how these made the two sides unable to even look for unity in theological matters.

This isn't a book for people whose German isn't solid. I found it took a lot of effort, even without the Luther quotes. Those are in FNHD, just as Luther wrote them, and although they got easier as I got used to 'Bapst' for 'Papst', your dictionary won't help here if you get bogged down.

I found this a great way to start this Reformation year. Next up is Trent : what happened at the council.

I also intend to read The unintended Reformation this year. I hope other books will come along as well.

I read the Trent book about a year ago and found it very informative and well worth reading.

It's been on my shelf for about a year and a half, but this year I really will get to it.

Just finished Trent, and yes, it is excellent. It confirmed the impression from the Luther book that things were in rather a mess. With so many conflicting interests, and such large cultural differences, the wonder is that there wasn't more fragmentation.

I'm finding The Unintended Reformation to be a scary read at this time. Gregory's thesis is that the competing truth claims about God in the Reformation period have had a lasting effect on all aspects of our culture. Religious truth claims have been bracketed as personal, subjective and unprovable, while scientific truth claims are the only ones that are objective, provable, and generally accepted.

He goes further, in showing that only the religious truth claims give a basis for answering the big life questions, including those of morality.

My fear is that the current culture is throwing away the scientific truth claims, and contending that these, too, are subjective and unprovable, but at the same time lifting minority religious truth claims to absolutes.

I have grave doubts about the viability of any life answers that depend on ignoring climate change, but making the life of a foetus more valuable than that of its mother.

My next book in this area will probably be Staat und Kirche

Die fremde Reformation : Luthers mystische Wurzeln

Whereas The book I mentioned in >1 MarthaJeanne: based a lot of the impetus towards refornation on the German - Italian cultural and political gap, Leppin looks at scholasticism vs mysticism in late medieval theology as the difference that became politicized during the 16th century.

I'm finding that as I learn more about Luther, I am liking him, both as a person and as a theologian, much less.

Books in the TBR line include

Staat und Kirche
Was müsste Luther heute sagen
Erlöste und Verdammte
Mit Feuereifer und Herzenslust
The Voices of Morebath

I'll be looking out for more books written in English. I'd like to end up with a dozen books on the Reformation this year. Those plus the catalogue to the current Luther exhibit at Wien Museum make 10.

Looking at that TBR list I read "The Voices of Morebath" about 10 years ago.An excellent book and quite an eye-opener. Realized what a part the church and parish house played in the life of the villagers and the great deal of mutual support. Especially to aged, poor, and ill. It seemed the church made the village and surroundings into a community and also provided opportunities for recreation. Very different from school history lessons in Methodist Industrial Lancashire where we were led to believe that ordinary people were crying out for release from the exactions of the Roman Church.

I went to the exhibit at Wien Museum today. I do wish the people who design these things would refrain from putting texts in black letters on dark red backgrounds up high on walls in underlit rooms. Or maybe you aren't supposed to read them.

Came home with the catalogue and a self published book about women and the reformation.

Brennen für den Glauben
Frauen und Reformation : Ein Blick auf Frauen, Geschichte, Reformation

Also Luther socks for both my husband and me. "Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders." Even if current historians doubt not only the story of him nailing up his theses on the church door, and of ever saying this.

Mit Feuereifer und Herzenslust is excellent. (See my review.)

Makes me wish I read German.

I might as well include Der göttliche Plan here. This is a long (855 pages) historical novel taking place in 1590-1620. It takes place mostly in and around Vienna, but also in Ireland, Rome, Prag, and Olomouc. A lot of it has to do with the differences between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire. It's a good book, but I think an English language publisher would have taken the various narrative strands apart and made a trilogy out of it.

Two important characters in the book, Kaiser Matthias and his chanceller Cardinal Khlesl, had portraits in the exhibit.

Not part of my reformation reading, but somehow related is Die neue Einheitsübersetzung entdecken. Both the Catholics and the Protestants have just brought out new versions of their main Bible translations into German. This is a short account of the changes in the Catholic translation from the 1980 version to the 2016 version. Very interesting.

I bought a Lutherbibel 2017 today, but have not bought a copy of the new Einheitsübersetzung. The typeface is just too small for my eyes. There is a large print coming, but the price will be prohibitive. The Luther Bibel is just that little bit clearer. (My husband does not agree that it is legible.)

Brennen für den Glauben The catalogue is a lot more satisfactory than the exhibition itself.

I also found it interesting to read more about some of the characters in the novel mentioned in >11 MarthaJeanne:.

>7 PossMan: Just finished The voices of Morebath. A very good book. I had at one point wondered how all the changes had been paid for. Very easy for London to say that every church must have this and get rid of that. Not so easy to actually do at the same time as taxes are being raised.

I recently watched a DVD about Katharine von Bora (Luther's wife). Glad I wasn't married to him!

>14 MarthaJeanne:: Glad you liked it. After I get rid of things I sometimes realize I should have kept them. I sure some churches felt like that when Mary took over, But I suspect that often they suddenly "found" things that had been hidden.

At some point during the past few weeks I also read The Reformation : a very short introduction

Medieval Christianity : a new history is sort of a prologue. It's very good, heavy, of course, but still quite readable.

I am about to start Reformations : the Early Modern World, 1450-1650 as part of my reading for this year of recognizing the many reformations of 500 years ago. I agree with you, MarthaJeanne, that the more I read about Luther, the less I am liking him.

>17 MarthaJeanne: Thanks for the recommendation. I just added Medieval Christianity: A New History to my wishlist. The blurb from Amazon sounds interesting.

Definitely worth reading.

Frauen und Reformation : Ein Blick auf Frauen, Geschichte, Reformation

I'm glad the museum had this. (>8 MarthaJeanne:) It's not something I would otherwise likely have run into. Self-publishing (and printing...) sometimes has quite good results. It is only a start towards knowing more about women in the reformation, but there are some good stories, and might give someone a starting point for further research.

Related fiction - Kinder des Ungehorsams Quite a good novel about Katharine, but Martin is a background figure.

Was müsste Luther heute sagen?
A modern German Roman Catholic (and former Jesuit) politician compares the church 500 years ago and today and tries to find hope for closing the gap between the churches. Interesting.

I'm counting this, so that makes 10.

Puritanism : a very short introduction
A somewhat later development. This book covers both England and New England.

Kirche, Kunst und Kanzel The Reformation also affected church architecture and decoration. This book only talks about Germany, but I learned a lot that helps me understand churches I have known elsewhere as well.

Frauen der Reformationszeit: gelehrt, mutig und glaubensfest
This is a good collection of short biographies of women who actively took part in the Reformation in Germany.

Reformation : die 95 wichtigsten Fragen
I did manage to finish this, but between small print and academic language I found it heavy going.

The Reformation is over. Protestants won. So why are we still here?
Stanley Hauerwas October 27

...I also remain a Protestant because I have the conviction that the ongoing change that the church needs means some of us must be Protestant to keep Catholics honest about their claim to the title of the one true Catholic Church. The Reformation may be coming to an end, but reform in the church is never-ending, requiring some to stand outside looking in.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-reformation-is-over-protestants-won-s...

BuchWIEN today. I 'only' came home with 8 books. There was one book that claimed to include all the most impotant Luther writings for lay readers, and I would have bought it, but the print was very small, and the introductions to each piece were tinier yet. I told the woman at the Stand that it was a 'Zumutung' and that I would not buy it, although I would have gladly paid a higher price for it if it were legible. She actually agreed with me and thanked me for pointing it out!

Instead, I ended up with Luthers kleine Teufeleien, which is small volume of sound bites.

>31 MarthaJeanne: Read that. It was a waste of money.

>29 margd:

You said "reform in the church is never-ending, requiring some to stand outside looking in."

How true that is.

Can anybody explain to me why >33 jwfarq: was flagged so heavily? Surely he's allowed to ask for an off-thread way of contacting someone? It's allowed on one's profile page.

Because he is advertising his book. That is not allowed anywhere on LT.

>35 MarthaJeanne:

Has he edited his post? I don't see any mention of his book. I have counter-flagged.

The title of his book is still there.

>37 MarthaJeanne:
The title of JW's book is not written in post 33.

>37 MarthaJeanne:
The theology of the Cross (Latin: Theologia Crucis) or staurology (from Greek stauros: cross, and -logy: "the study of") is a term coined by the theologian Martin Luther to refer to theology that posits the cross as the only source of knowledge concerning who God is and how God saves. (from WIKIPEDIA)

>39 jwfarq:

Yes, I checked the list of your books on your profile and I didn't see the title of any of your listed books in >33 jwfarq:.

>39 jwfarq:
Thank you johnthefireman