Prominent Reformation historian Timothy Wengert introduces the basic components of Martin Luther's theology of the Bible and examines Luther's contributions to present-day biblical interpretation. Wengert addresses key points of debate regarding Luther's approach to the Bible that have often been misunderstood, including biblical authority, the distinction between law and gospel, the theology of the cross, and biblical ethics. He argues that Luther, when rightly understood, offers much wisdom to Christians searching for fresh approaches to the interpretation of Scripture. This brief but comprehensive overview is filled with insights on Luther's theology and its significance for contemporary debates on the Bible, particularly the New Perspective on Paul.

The studies in this volume illuminate the thought and life of Philip Melanchthon, one of the most neglected major figures in Reformation history and theology. Melanchthon was one of the most widely published and respected thinkers in his own day, who authored some of the sixteenth-century's most important books on Latin and Greek grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, and history, to say nothing of his theological output, which included the first overview of Protestant theology, the first Protestant commentaries on Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and John. He was also the chief drafter of the Augsburg Confession and wrote its defense, the Apology. These essays, written over the past twenty years, commemorate the 450th anniversary of Melanchthon's death in 2010. The articles provide a wide-ranging picture of Melanchthon's thought and life with topics including his view of free will, approaches to biblical interpretation, his perspective on the church fathers and world history, and comparisons to other important figures of the age, including Calvin, Luther and Erasmus.

This book argues the provocative thesis that Philip Melanchthon, so often pictured as hopelessly caught in the middle between Erasmus and Luther, and more "Erasmian" than Lutheran in his thought, was, at least in his theological methods and views, not Erasmian at all, but in fact sharply opposed to Erasmus. Author Timothy J. Wengert builds his case largely on the basis of Melanchthon's Scholia on the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians, employing the critically important but seldom used second edition of 1528, which was produced in the aftermath of Luther and Erasmus's famous debate over the free will. Wengert also draws on a wide range of other contemporary sources, many of them well known but, as he argues, frequently misunderstood. Throughout this analysis he subjects a wide range of the secondary literature to sharp critical review.
From the vantage point of a relatively narrow exegetical dispute, the book deals with a number of important topics: the complicated and elusive relationships between humanism and the Reformation, Erasmus and Luther, Erasmus and Melanchthon, and Melanchthon and Luther; the theological issues of proper biblical interpretation, of free will, and of divine and human righteousness; and the hotly contested social problem of political order. Human Freedom, Christian Righteousness will be of interest not only to students and scholars of Reformation theology, but to a broader audience of those concerned with Renaissance and Reformation history and literature.

A new translation with expanded introductions and annotations.

As profound as Martin Luther's ideas are, this giant of church history was concerned above all with practical instruction for daily Christian living. Harvesting Martin Luther's Reflections highlights this concern of Luther, mining his thought in key areas of doctrine, ethics, and church practice. Gathering noteworthy contributions by well-known Luther scholars from Europe and the Americas, this book ranges broadly over theological questions about baptism and righteousness, ethical issues like poverty and greed, and pastoral concerns like worship and spirituality. There are even rare discussions of Luther's perspective on marriage and on Islam. As a result, Harvesting Martin Luther's Reflections is both a state-of-the-art discussion of Lutheran themes and an excellent introduction for newcomers to Luther's work.

Sixteen church historians here examine Martin Luther in an uncommon way -- not as Reformer or theologian but as pastor. Luther's work as parish pastor commanded much of his time and energy in Wittenberg. After first introducing the pastoral Luther, including his theology of the cross, these chapters discuss Luther's preaching and use of language (including humor), investigate his teaching ministry in depth, especially in light of the catechism, and explore his views on such things as the role of women, the Virgin Mary, and music. The book finally probes Luther's sentiments on monasticism and secular authority.

This book combines a rich description of the (Lutheran) Formula of Concord (1577) with experiences in today's Lutheran parishes to demonstrate how confessional texts may still come to life in modern Christian congregations. Timothy Wengert takes the Formula of Concord, traditionally used as ammunition in doctrinal disagreements, back to its historical home, the local congregation, giving pastors, students, and theologians a glimpse into the original debates over each article. The most up-to-date English commentary on the Formula of Concord, A Formula for Parish Practice provides helpful, concise descriptions of key theological debates and a unique weaving of historical and textual commentary with modern Lutheran experience. Covering the entire Formula of Concord the book includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

With great clarity and insight, James M. Estes illuminates Luther's call to secular authorities to help with the reform of the church in this important 1520 treatise. Starting with the Ninety-Five Theses in 1517, Luther's appeals for reform had been addressed to the ecclesiastical hierarchy, whose divinely imposed responsibility for such things he took for granted. By the early months of 1520, however, Luther had come to the conclusion that nothing could be expected from Rome but intransigent opposition to reform of any sort. It was only at this point that he began to write of the need for secular rulers to intervene with measures that would clear the way for ecclesiastical reform. Concerned that Christendom was going to ruin, Luther argued that with such an emergency looming, anyone who was able to do so should help in whatever way possible. 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.

Today's Protestant churches are often rent by disagreement and dissent over the office of bishop, the roles of the ordained, and myriad forms of lay ministry. Timothy Wengert's new work overturns many of the "pious myths" about these matters to probe the core conviction of Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and the early Reform about public ministry. Theirs was an original vision of Christian ministry, revolutionary for its time. It jettisoned the lay/clerical distinction and brought "new authority and purpose to the public office in Christ's church," says Wengert. After resurrecting that initial context, Wengert traces the diminution and distortion of this foundational vision through the centuries. He shows that many of the modern fights over public ministry are simply wrong-headed, and he then draws striking and helpful conclusions about the rich assets and forms of service in the single public office of ministry today.

Justification by faith alone defined teaching in Evangelical churches of the sixteenth century. In 1550 the former reformer of Nuremberg, Andreas Osiander (1498-1552), as a new professor of theology at the University of Koenigsberg in East Prussia, advocated a divergent understanding of that doctrine, arguing that a Christian's righteousness consisted of the indwelling of Christ's divine nature. In the ensuing years, almost all other Evangelical churches and theologians in German-speaking lands rejected his position. In this book Timothy J. Wengert studies their objections to Osiander's theology in detail, offering a theological perspective on the process of confessionalization among Lutherans in the period after Martin Luther's death in 1546 and before publication of the Book of Concord in 1580. Reactions against Osiander represented a singular literary event in the development of Evangelical churches in central Europe, with over 100 tracts for and against Osiander's position being published between 1551 and 1559. The lines between so-called "genuine" followers of Luther and backers of Philip Melanchthon disappeared, as nearly all Lutheran theologians joined in the attack. Timothy J. Wengert, after providing an outline of Osiander's position in an initial chapter, focuses on his opponents' published responses. Not only does he provide a detailed chronology for these tracts, he also looks at the various theological themes struck by their authors. Separate chapters pay special attention to the contributions of Gnesio-Lutherans (Joachim Moerlin, Matthias Flacius and Nicholas Gallus), to the very different approaches to the dispute pursued by Johannes Brenz and Philip Melanchthon, especially after Osiander's death, and to the struggle over Martin Luther's writings and their authority. Philip Melanchthon's contributions, especially a speech from 1551 and his 1556 commentary on Romans, are also examined.

Die in diesem Band versammelten Beitrage nehmen den in Labin (Kroatien) geborenen Matthias Flacius Illyricus unter vier Schwerpunkten in den Blick. Der erste widmet sich Flacius als Wanderer zwischen den Welten, der sich in verschiedenen stadtischen und territorialen, politischen und konfessionellen Zusammenhangen zu behaupten hatte. Im Zentrum steht die Frage danach, welchen Einfluss die jeweiligen kulturellen und sozialen Kontexte auf seine geistige und theologische Entwicklung ausubten, welche Exilserfahrung er machte und wie sich dies auf seine Einstellung zu Heimat und Heimatlosigkeit auswirkte. Der zweite Schwerpunkt beleuchtet Flacius als Kampfer fur die Wahrheit. Die Beitrage versuchen sein Ringen um die theologische Wahrheit als Strukturelement seines Denkens herauszuarbeiten. Dies konnte durchaus konfessionell ubergreifende Relevanz erhalten, wie sie sich zum Beispiel in Flacius grossen historischen und hermeneutischen Werken zeigt. Dabei wird deutlich, dass man Flacius nicht auf den Streittheologen und stets polarisierenden Gelehrten des strengen Luthertums reduzieren kann. Vielmehr ruckt in den Vordergrund, wie Flacius Eintreten fur die Wahrheit zugleich ein leitendes Element fur sein Geschichtsverstandnis und die Art seiner Geschichtsschreibung wurde, fur das Konzept der Zeugenschaft und fur eine spezifische Hermeneutik. Der dritte Schwerpunkt widmet sich Flacius in seinen Netzwerken. Hier werden bisher kaum beachtete Korrespondenzen mit anderen Gelehrten betrachtet. Es geht um die Kontakte des Flacius in die Schweiz und nach Italien, sowie um die Gelehrtenkorrespondenzen nach Polen und Ostpreussen als Beispiele aus einem viel breiteren europaischen Korrespondenznetzwerk. Der vierte Zugang hat die Rezeption und von Flacius ausgehende gruppenbildende Wirkungen zum Gegenstand. Dabei ruckt OEsterreich als Ort von Asyl und Exil in den Blick, an den sich die Flacianer, das heisst die Anhanger und engagierten Verfechter des Erbsundenverstandnisses des Flacius, nach zahlreichen Ausweisungen aus dem Reich zuruckzogen. Aber auch das Erbe der Flacianer in anderen europaischen Raumen mit Schwerpunkt Slowenien und Kroatien ist zu beachten. Ob es zu der Auspragung eines Flacianismus im Sinne einer Konfession mit Bekenntnischarakter und konfessionsspezifischen Elementen kam, wird ebenso diskutiert wie die Flacius-Biographik des 19. Jahrhunderts.

"I have never learned so much about Melanchthon in such a short time as I have from Wengert's essays here includedI recommend most heartily, sincerely, and joyfully this volume to students of the Reformation, students of the history of the Church more broadly, students of the German Reformation, students of Melanchthon, and general readers looking for a volume from which they might learn a great deal about one of the Reformation's 'shadow' figures." -- Jim West, Quartz Hill School of Theology English summary: These twelve essays by international scholars investigate Melanchthon's theological activities as teacher, confessor of the faith, and defender of his doctrine and ecclesiastical policies as they developed within the context of his service of society and church. In the past quarter century Melanchthon researchers have scrutinized older, mostly negative, interpretations of the Preceptor Germaniae. The editors present in this volume precisely focused appraisals of Master Philip in his role as theologian at the university and in the service of his own prince and others. By carefully placing his use of Aristotle, his understanding of the nature of training for pastoral ministry, his biblical exegesis in context, by analyzing four of his attempts to formulate Wittenberg teaching in public confession, by assessing how his own writings took on normative character for the church, and by tracing his thinking on the free will and the Lord's Supper in the midst of controversy, these authors offer carefully etched portraits of Melanchthon as Preceptor ecclesiae. This volume contributes to the expansion of our understanding of Melanchthon as key figure in the Wittenberg Reformation and the currents of controversy that have long surrounded the interpretation of his contributions. German description: These twelve essays by international scholars investigate Melanchthon's theological activities as teacher, confessor of the faith, and defender of his doctrine and ecclesiastical policies as they developed within the context of his service of society and church. In the past quarter century Melanchthon researchers have scrutinized older, mostly negative, interpretations of the Preceptor Germaniae. The editors present in this volume precisely focused appraisals of Master Philip in his role as theologian at the university and in the service of his own prince and others. By carefully placing his use of Aristotle, his understanding of the nature of training for pastoral ministry, his biblical exegesis in context, by analyzing four of his attempts to formulate Wittenberg teaching in public confession, by assessing how his own writings took on normative character for the church, and by tracing his thinking on the free will and the Lord's Supper in the midst of controversy, these authors offer carefully etched portraits of Melanchthon as Preceptor ecclesiae. This volume contributes to the expansion of our understanding of Melanchthon as key figure in the Wittenberg Reformation and the currents of controversy that have long surrounded the interpretation of his contributions.