Last time, we looked at a comment Luther makes in his preface to the 1535 Galatians commentary. Below, as he warms up for the commentary itself, he explains why he is commenting on Galatians again, since he had already done so in 1519. Significantly, the reason is not...
Martin Luther
From Faith to Faith: Exitus-Reditus in Luther’s Galatians Preface
Martin Luther begins the preface to his 1535 Galatians commentary by saying, more or less, "Wow, I cannot BELIEVE how verbose I was in the lectures that form the basis for this commentary. Like, way over the top; SOMEBODY SHUT ME UP!" Maybe they've been heavily...
“Brought to Heel by Pen Alone”: Beza’s Poem for St. Martin’s Day
St. Philip's Day was two days ago, and I posted a translation of Theodore Beza's poem in honor of Melanchthon. Today, St. Martin's Day, I give you another--a poem by Beza on Martin Luther. (It is worth noting in passing that Beza was one of the most accomplished...
Bucer to Bullinger (9): On a Council
Below is the rest of the section on the possibility of a council from Martin Bucer's 1535 letter to Bullinger and Leo Jud. The new material begins with "If the Lord has accomplished such things...". Bucer on a Council Concerning a council: A long time ago, under the...
“Our Dear Lord Still Changes Water into Wine”: Luther on the Estate of Marriage
The appointed Gospel reading for this past Sunday was John 2:1-11, on the wedding at Cana. It is remarkable that Christ chose to work his first miracle at the celebration of a wedding, thus honoring and dignifying marriage and the domestic estate. The high calling of,...
The Philosophical Absurdity of the Incarnation: Luther, Augustine, and Auden
In Martin Luther's Disputation concerning the Passage: "The Word Was Made Flesh" (1539) we find the following thesis (2): In theologia verum est, verbum esse carnem factum, in philosophia simpliciter impossibile et absurdum.In theology it is true that the Word was...
Pure Christ, One Hundred Proof: Another Poem on Luther for Reformation Day
Reformation Day was yesterday, so for this week's "Melanchthon Monday" we have another poem on Luther by Melanchthon. This one is an epitaph, only two lines long. Melanchthon also wrote both a Greek and a Latin version; I have translated the Latin. I have taken a...
The Woke Non-Gospel at the Chappelle Netflix Protests
“Repent” or “do penance”?
Martin Luther and Tax: A Protestant Perspective on Redistributive Taxation
The redistributive grammar of Luther;s theology of the Lord’s Supper underlie his vision for poor relief.
Inhabiting the Places of Promise: Martin Luther’s Teaching on the Three Institutions
A focus on Luther’s “two kingdoms” theology often neglects his views on the “three estates” of church, household, and state.