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Book Details
Abstract
A concise, critical study of Martin Luther and his impact on the modern world. The book covers Luther’s life, work as a reformer, theological development, and long-term influence. The book is extensively based on the writings of Martin Luther and draws connections between his life and teachings and the modern day world. Intended for use by students, the book assumes no initial familiarity with Luther and would be ideal for any interested person who wants to get to know Martin Luther; one of the key figures in European history.
Rob Sorensen teaches world history and western civilization at The Bear Creek School in Redmond Washington. He has studied history and theology at Western Washington University, Abilene Christian University, and Salve Regina University.
The book traces Luther’s career from his humble origins through his conflicts with pope and emperor, and his initiating the split between Protestants and Catholics. Based on the most recent scholarship, and drawing heavily upon Luther’s own writings, 'Martin Luther and the German Reformation' provides a picture of Luther that is historically faithful without being needlessly scholarly. Intended for use by students, it assumes no initial familiarity with Luther and is accessible to non-scholars. It would be ideal for any interested person who wants to get to know Martin Luther; one of the key figures in European history.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Matter | i | ||
| Half Title | i | ||
| Series | ii | ||
| Title | iii | ||
| Copyright | iv | ||
| Contents | v | ||
| Definition of Key Terms | ix | ||
| Chapters | 1 | ||
| Introduction | 1 | ||
| Chapter 1: Context | 5 | ||
| 1.1 The Late Medieval Church | 6 | ||
| 1.2 Crises of the Late Middle Ages | 8 | ||
| 1.2.1 Famine, plague and revolt | 8 | ||
| 1.2.2 Church schism | 9 | ||
| 1.2.3 Early reform movements | 10 | ||
| 1.2.4 The impact of humanism | 11 | ||
| 1.3 The Holy Roman Empire | 12 | ||
| Chapter 2: Luther’s Early Life | 13 | ||
| 2.1 Family and Early Childhood | 13 | ||
| 2.1.1 Young man Luther | 14 | ||
| 2.2 Early Education | 15 | ||
| 2.3 Nominalism | 16 | ||
| 2.4 Monk and Professor | 17 | ||
| 2.5 Justification by Faith | 19 | ||
| Chapter 3: The Accidental Reformer | 23 | ||
| 3.1 The Indulgence Controversy | 23 | ||
| 3.1.1 What is an indulgence? | 23 | ||
| 3.1.2 Tetzel’s plenary indulgence | 24 | ||
| 3.1.3 Did Luther actually post the 95 Theses? | 26 | ||
| 3.1.4 Power politics | 26 | ||
| 3.2 The Heidelberg Disputation | 30 | ||
| 3.3 Friends in High Places | 31 | ||
| 3.4 The Leipzig Debate | 34 | ||
| 3.5 1520: The Decisive Year | 36 | ||
| 3.5.1 Excommunication | 36 | ||
| 3.5.2 Political support for Luther | 37 | ||
| 3.5.3 The key writings of 1520 | 38 | ||
| 3.6 The Diet of Worms | 42 | ||
| Chapter 4: Conflict and Reform | 45 | ||
| 4.1 A Year of Exile | 45 | ||
| 4.1.1 The Wartburg | 45 | ||
| 4.1.2 The Bible in German | 47 | ||
| 4.1.3 Radicalization of the reform movement | 48 | ||
| 4.1.4 Return from exile | 50 | ||
| 4.2 The Peasants’ War | 52 | ||
| 4.3 Zwingli and the Conflict over the Eucharist | 55 | ||
| 4.4 Erasmus and the Bondage of the Will | 57 | ||
| 4.5 The Augsburg Confession | 60 | ||
| Chapter 5: A New Way to Be a Christian | 65 | ||
| 5.1 Basic Themes in Luther’s Theology | 65 | ||
| 5.1.1 Justification by faith alone | 65 | ||
| 5.1.2 The authority of scripture | 67 | ||
| 5.1.3 The priesthood of all believers | 69 | ||
| 5.1.4 The sacraments | 70 | ||
| 5.1.5 Two kingdoms | 71 | ||
| 5.2 Marriage and Domestic Life | 72 | ||
| 5.3 The Development of the Lutheran Church | 75 | ||
| 5.4 Music | 77 | ||
| Chapter 6: The Final Years | 79 | ||
| 6.1 Home Life | 79 | ||
| 6.2 Physical and Emotional Illnesses | 81 | ||
| 6.3 Polemics and Controversies | 82 | ||
| 6.3.1 Islam and the Turks | 83 | ||
| 6.3.2 The question of the Jews | 84 | ||
| 6.3.3 Philip of Hesse and bigamy | 86 | ||
| 6.4 The End | 87 | ||
| Chapter 7: The World Luther Made | 91 | ||
| 7.1 Long-Term Impacts | 91 | ||
| 7.1.1 The spread of Lutheranism | 91 | ||
| 7.1.2 The growth of individualism | 93 | ||
| 7.1.3 Nationalism and politics | 94 | ||
| 7.1.4 Social welfare and education | 97 | ||
| 7.1.5 Women and the family | 99 | ||
| 7.2 Questions about Luther’s Legacy | 101 | ||
| 7.2.1 Antinomianism—does human behavior matter at all? | 102 | ||
| 7.2.2 Why was Luther successful? | 104 | ||
| 7.2.3 How “Lutheran” was Luther? | 105 | ||
| 7.3 Concluding Thoughts | 107 | ||
| Back Matter | 109 | ||
| For Further Study | 109 | ||
| Notes | 111 | ||
| Introduction | 111 | ||
| Chapter 1. Context | 111 | ||
| Chapter 2. Luther’s Early Life | 111 | ||
| Chapter 3. The Accidental Reformer | 112 | ||
| Chapter 5. A New Way to Be a Christian | 113 | ||
| Chapter 6. The Final Years | 114 | ||
| Chapter 7. The World Luther Made | 115 | ||
| Bibliography | 117 | ||
| Index | 121 |