Protestant reformer Martin Luther wrote many revolutionary works in his lifetime (the 95 Theses being the most influential), but he also preached hundreds of sermons in churches and universities. This collection gathers eight of them into a convenient source with an index for easy reference. Luther's classic image in the Christian church makes him a relevant and familiar choice for allusion. Much as Shakespeare's did for literature, Luther's phrases, such as "sola scriptura" (scripture alone), "sola fide," (faith alone), and "law and gospel," entered mainstream religious language. Luther preaches here on many topics, including "The Parable of the Sower," "Enemies of the Cross of Christ," and "Of the Office of Preaching." This last message is particularly relevant to modern pastors or those who share the message of good news as it gives suggestions and warning about preaching. And this advice, coming from the mouth of one of Christian history's most important figures, should surely be heeded.
Abby Zwart
CCEL Staff Writer
This edition features an artistic cover, a new promotional introduction, an index of scripture references, links for scripture references to the appropriate passages, and a hierarchical table of contents which makes it possible to navigate to any part of the book with a minimum of page turns.
Martin Luther changed the course of Western civilization by initiating the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesmen with his 95 Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms meeting in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.
Luther taught that salvation is a free gift of God and received only by grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin, not from good works. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.
His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.
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