About the Volume This volume brings forth Luther’s sermons on Epistle and Gospel texts from the Festival of the Holy Trinity through the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, plus Luther’s sermons on 1 John 4:16–21, never before translated and previously omitted from the Church Postil. Few other books communicated the Gospel to Luther’s contemporaries so powerfully as Luther’s Church Postil (sermons for the church year). Now for the first time, Luther’s authorized, final edition of the Church Postil, edited originally by Caspar Cruciger for the summer half of the year, is presented here in clear English. In 1535, Luther wrote to a friend, “Concerning the [earlier version of the] postil, you have more respect for it than I do. I would like the whole book to be destroyed. And this is what I am doing: I am entrusting to Dr. Caspar Cruciger the work of re-editing the whole into a new and better form, which would be of benefit to the whole Church everywhere. He is the sort of man, unless love deceives me, who will correspond to Elisha, if I were Elijah (if one may compare small things with great), a man of peace and quiet, to whom I shall commend the church after [I depart] ...” About the Series The 28 planned new volumes are intended to reflect both modern and sixteenth-century interests and to expand the coverage of genres underrepresented in the existing volumes, such as Luther's sermons and disputations. The primary basis for the translation is the comprehensive Weimar edition.
About the Volume This volume brings forth Luther’s sermons on Epistle and Gospel texts from the Festival of the Holy Trinity through the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, plus Luther’s sermons on 1 John 4:16–21, never before translated and previously omitted from the Church Postil. Few other books communicated the Gospel to Luther’s contemporaries so powerfully as Luther’s Church Postil (sermons for the church year). Now for the first time, Luther’s authorized, final edition of the Church Postil, edited originally by Caspar Cruciger for the summer half of the year, is presented here in clear English. In 1535, Luther wrote to a friend, “Concerning the [earlier version of the] postil, you have more respect for it than I do. I would like the whole book to be destroyed. And this is what I am doing: I am entrusting to Dr. Caspar Cruciger the work of re-editing the whole into a new and better form, which would be of benefit to the whole Church everywhere. He is the sort of man, unless love deceives me, who will correspond to Elisha, if I were Elijah (if one may compare small things with great), a man of peace and quiet, to whom I shall commend the church after [I depart] ...” About the Series The 28 planned new volumes are intended to reflect both modern and sixteenth-century interests and to expand the coverage of genres underrepresented in the existing volumes, such as Luther's sermons and disputations. The primary basis for the translation is the comprehensive Weimar edition.
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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