The Annotated Luther Series (6 vols.)

by Martin Luther; Timothy J. Wengert; Kirsi I. Stjerna; Paul W. Robinson

and

3 more

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 2015–2017

Overview

In preparation for the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses in 1517—with which he ignited the Reformation—Fortress Press has assembled The Annotated Luther series. It features 75 of Luther’s most essential writings with refreshed translations in six volumes, including The Heidelberg Disputation, Freedom of the Christian, and many more. Top Luther scholars provide commentary on each work, noting historical context, theological background, and textual issues. Elegant and lucid illustrations, timelines, artwork, images, and photos enrich each volume. The series features the collaborative work of more than 40 scholars led by Hans Hillerbrand, Kirsi Stjerna, and Timothy Wengert.

The Annotated Luther series facilitates easy access to Luther and is an excellent resource for anyone who studies the storied reformer. Whether you are a seasoned expert or just beginning to learn about Luther’s ideas, this series brings Luther’s ideas to life in fresh new ways.

Key Features

• Provides annotations and key background information for people, events, and theological issues during the Reformation
• Identifies Scripture references to which Luther alludes, but does not include, in his text
• Includes commentary from top Luther scholars
• Clarifies the historical setting with maps, illustrations, timelines, artwork, images, and photos

Endorsements

“This Annotated Luther series will facilitate easy access to Luther, especially for those who could not do so in the German or Latin. This will be a great resource likely to be translated into many vernacular languages.”

—Kenneth Mtata, The Lutheran World Federation

“The Annotated Luther series represents a finely crafted synthesis between readable primary texts and some of the best secondary scholarship. A superb editorial team, under the leadership of Hillerbrand, Stjerna, and Wengert, has made 75 selections, ranging from major treatises to sermons and letters, and beautifully laid these out in six volumes, together with state-of-the-art analyses and explanatory notes. Luther the theologian, the biblical interpreter, the pastor, the social/political thinker—all are given their due, and the resulting multidimensional portrait combines balance with a newly sharpened focus. In sum, a signal achievement.”

—Denis R. Janz, Loyola University New Orleans

“The Annotated Luther series provides a very welcome resource for meeting Luther again in the contemporary world. With language refreshed for our time, we can see more clearly Luther as a man who is actively grappling with a society undergoing dramatic challenges economically, religiously, and socially. By providing skilled commentary from scholars around the world and from diverse theological perspectives, this work will be of great help for modern Christians seeking to adapt and extend the insights from the Reformation to modern challenges.”

—Maria E. Erling, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg

Product Details

• Title: The Annotated Luther
• Series: The Annotated Luther
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Volumes: 6
• Pages: 3,014
• Christian Group: Lutheran
• Resource Type: Collected Works
• Topic: Lutheran Theology

About Martin Luther

Martin Luther (1483–1546), one of the most significant figures in Western history, was the key figure in the Protestant Reformation. Over the course of his life, Luther was a monk, a priest, a professor of biblical literature, a Reformer, a husband, and a father.

Luther is most noted for his Ninety-Five Theses (1517), in which he argued that indulgences were not acts of penance which could replace true repentance. His refusal to retract all his writings, demanded by Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521, resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.

Luther has been both praised and vilified for what he preached and wrote. Luther’s translation of the Christian Bible into the vernacular greatly influenced the church. His works continue to impact all Christians and animate the movement that bears his name.