Baker Academic 500th Anniversary of the Reformation Collection (6 vols.)

by Volker Leppin; Robert Kolb; Brian C. Brewer; Mark C. Mattes; Kenneth J. Collins

and

2 more

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2016–2017

Overview

500 years ago on October 31, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. In Luther’s own words, he was “captive to the Word of God,” and this mindset compelled him in his opposition to the teachings of the Roman Catholic leaders. His willingness to step forward was the impetus for a change that revolutionized the church.

The six books in this collection explore Luther’s theology and background, covering topics as varied as Lutheran vs Protestant doctrine, Luther’s Catholic roots, Luther’s sacramental theology, Luther’s interpretation of the Bible, and Protestant vs. Catholic theology. The insights you gain from this 500th Reformation Anniversary collection will be immeasurable, whether for ministry or personal Bible study.

Key Features

• Explores various aspects of Luther’s theology
• Includes comparisons of Protestant, Lutheran, and Catholic theology
• Provides fresh insight on Luther’s background

Product Details

• Title: Baker Academic 500th Anniversary of the Reformation Collection
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Volumes: 6
• Pages: 1,909
• Resource Type: Monographs
• Topic: Reformation; Luther

Between Wittenberg and Geneva: Lutheran and Reformed Theology in Conversation

• Authors: Robert Kolb and Carl R. Trueman
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 266

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At the 500th anniversary of the Wittenberg Reformation, two highly regarded scholars compare and contrast the history and theological positions of the Reformed and Lutheran traditions. The authors tackle nine theological topics significant for the life of the church that remain a source of division between the two traditions. The book helps readers evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Reformed and Lutheran approaches to presenting the biblical message and invites honest, irenic, and open dialogue within the Protestant family.

Lutheran theologian Robert Kolb and Reformed theologian Carl Trueman offer robust confessional approaches to classical theological loci, seeking to ground faith in the scriptural truth of the Word. Eschewing the polemics of earlier centuries and embodying the best in civility and integrity, each thinker shows the marked similarities and differences between their two traditions. This book invites both Lutheran and Reformed theologians and pastors to a greater appreciation, awareness, and understanding of each other’s traditions and in this way to become more fluent in each other’s milieu and more gracious toward each other. This is a needed book.

—Mark Mattes, Grand View University

This book is a must-read. Historically grounded, self-critical, and convinced that his confession best summarizes biblical teaching, each author engages in something quite unique and important—talking to each other. In the process, the authors exhibit not only key differences but also the shared legacy that is often overlooked in our nonconfessional age.

—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

Robert Kolb (PhD, University of Wisconsin) is Mission Professor of Systematic Theology Emeritus at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including The Genius of Luther’s Theology, Luther and the Stories of God, Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith, and The Christian Faith: A Lutheran Exposition. Kolb is also coeditor of The Book of Concord (2000 translation). He has lectured at more than forty educational institutions on five continents and at many ecclesiastical gatherings. Since 1996 he has been Gastdozent at the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel, Germany.

Carl R. Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is Paul Woolley Professor of Church History and chair of the department at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. For the 2017-2018 academic year, he is serving as the William E. Simon Visiting Fellow in Religion and Public Life in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. He has written more than a dozen books, including Grace Alone—Salvation as a Gift of God, The Creedal Imperative, and Luther’s Legacy: Salvation and the English Reformers, 1525-1556.

Martin Luther: A Late Medieval Life

• Author: Volker Leppin
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 152

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This brief, insightful biography of Martin Luther strips away the myths surrounding the Reformer to offer a more nuanced account of his life and ministry. Coinciding with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, this accessible yet robustly historical and theological work highlights the medieval background of Luther’s life in contrast to contemporary legends. Internationally respected church historian Volker Leppin explores the Catholic roots of Lutheran thought and locates Luther’s life in the unfolding history of 16th-century Europe. Foreword by Timothy J. Wengert.

Instead of pursuing proofs to unambiguously time the moment of Luther’s ‘breakthrough’ with the Scriptures and the turning point for his theology, Dr. Leppin invites his readers to observe the maturation process in the Reformer’s theological orientation. Fed by the influences from Staupitz and mysticism, Paul and Augustine, Luther positioned himself against the dominant university theology of the day. His aspirations unfold from his deeply formative experiences as a late medieval monk, his biblical scholarship, and his passion to preach the gospel. This succinct, richly detailed, biographical account offers a historian’s argument against retroactively applying a script to a theological journey characterized by human encounters, personal sorrows and joys, and spiritual discoveries and ambitions.

—Kirsi Stjerna, professor of Lutheran history and theology (chair), Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, California Lutheran University; Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California

Volker Leppin is not only a leading Luther expert but also a talented storyteller. He presents the dramatic turns of the Reformer’s life, highlighting both the context of late medieval piety and the new discoveries of the Wittenberg circle. While Luther appears as professor and theologian, Leppin shows him also as publicist and prophet, educator and (almost) bishop, husband and father.

—Risto Saarinen, University of Helsinki

Volker Leppin (PhD, University of Heidelberg) is professor of church history at the University of Tübingen and is widely regarded as the leading German historian of the late medieval period. He has served as scientific director of the Ecumenical Working Group of Protestant and Catholic Theologians since 2008 and as a member of the executive board of the Protestant Federation Württemberg since 2012. Leppin received the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg Foundation Prize, the Hanns-Lilje Prize of the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen, and the Gerhard Hess Prize from the German Research Foundation.

Martin Luther and the Enduring Word of God: The Wittenberg School and Its Scripture-Centered Proclamation

• Author: Robert Kolb
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 525

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The Reformation revolutionized church life through its new appreciation for God’s presence working through the Bible. Coinciding with the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, this volume by world-class scholar Robert Kolb explains how Luther’s approach to the Bible drew his colleagues and contemporary followers into a Scripture-centered practice of theology and pastoral leadership. Kolb examines the entire school of interpretation launched by Luther, showing how Luther’s students continued the study and spread of God’s Word in subsequent generations. Filled with fresh insights and cutting-edge research, this major statement provides historical grounding for contemporary debates about the Bible. Professors and students of the Reformation and church history will value this work. It will also appeal to pastors, scholars, interested laity, and all readers interested in the history of biblical interpretation.

While Luther rightly dominates Lutheranism as the single most important theological leader of the movement, he neither emerged from a vacuum nor operated as a Reformer in isolation. Instead, he was part of the vibrant intellectual ferment of his time, particularly as that was instantiated in the University of Wittenberg. Drawing on a lifetime of study not only of Luther himself but also of the Wittenberg School of which Luther was a part, Robert Kolb here offers a superb contextual analysis of Luther’s biblical exegesis and theology both in his own day and as they were subsequently developed by his students. For those interested in the history of exegesis, the thought of Martin Luther, and the formation of post-Luther Lutheranism, this book is a treat.

—Carl R. Trueman, Paul Woolley Professor of Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary

This is a masterful account of the exegesis, preaching, and teaching of the first Lutherans. Kolb presents a large cast of Wittenberg theologians working to further Lutheran theology and Christian faith through a variety of written resources. This book breaks important new ground in the history of transmitting the faith.

—Anna Marie Johnson, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Robert Kolb (PhD, University of Wisconsin) is Mission Professor of Systematic Theology Emeritus at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including The Genius of Luther’s Theology, Luther and the Stories of God, Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith, and The Christian Faith: A Lutheran Exposition. Kolb is also coeditor of The Book of Concord (2000 translation). He has lectured at more than forty educational institutions on five continents and at many ecclesiastical gatherings. Since 1996 he has been Gastdozent at the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule in Oberursel, Germany.

Martin Luther and the Seven Sacraments: A Contemporary Protestant Reappraisal

• Author: Brian C. Brewer
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 271

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This introduction to Martin Luther’s sacramental theology addresses a central question in the life of the church and in ecumenical dialogue. Although Luther famously reduced the sacraments from seven to two (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), he didn’t completely dismiss the others. Instead, he positively recast them as practices in the church. This book explores the medieval church’s understanding of the seven sacraments and the Protestant rationale for keeping or eliminating each sacrament. It also explores implications for contemporary theology and worship, helping Protestants imagine ways of reclaiming lost benefits of the seven sacraments.

The later medieval Western church’s narrow scholastic definition of the term ‘sacrament’ and its selection of seven rituals of the church for this nomenclature were problematic for the scriptural renaissance of the sixteenth century. In this study Brian Brewer presents a thorough and balanced study of Luther’s contribution to the debate and offers scholars of sacramental and historical theology a most useful, authoritative work. This book will be crucial reading for scholars and students alike.

—Bryan D. Spinks, Bishop F. Percy Goddard Professor of Liturgical Studies and Pastoral Theology, Yale Divinity School and Yale Institute of Sacred Music

With characteristic robustness, Martin Luther dismissed all but two of the seven sacraments of the medieval church. Yet Luther valued the spiritual support that people received from the ceremonies associated with penance, confirmation, marriage, ordination, and even extreme unction. He devised ways of capturing the beneficial purpose of each rite while insisting on the absolute priority of faith as the way of salvation. In Martin Luther and the Seven Sacraments, Brian Brewer reviews Luther’s teaching in this field, compares it with the opinions of subsequent reformers, and recommends methods of reviving the legitimate purposes of the seven sacraments in Protestantism today. This book is a model of the use of historical theology as a resource for the contemporary church.

—David Bebbington, professor of history, University of Stirling, Scotland; distinguished visiting professor of history, Baylor University

Brian C. Brewer (PhD, Drew University) is associate professor of Christian theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University, in Waco, Texas. He is a seasoned pastor and the author or editor of several books.

Martin Luther’s Theology of Beauty: A Reappraisal

• Author: Mark C. Mattes
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 240

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Many contemporary theologians seek to retrieve the concept of beauty as a way for people to encounter God. In this volume, one of today’s leading Lutheran theologians argues that while Martin Luther’s view of beauty has often been ignored or underappreciated, it has much to contribute to that quest.

This groundbreaking book is the first extensive study on Luther’s theological aesthetics. Contrary to the common misconception that Luther rejected beauty as a theological essential, Mark Mattes shows that the concept of beauty is actually a crucial theme for Luther’s paradoxical understanding of justification by grace alone through faith alone. Christ “without form or comeliness” is God’s gift of mercy to troubled sinners, so Christ is beautiful in God’s estimation. Likewise, Christ is desirable for sinners seeking relief and liberation from the law’s unrelenting accusations and from the enslavement of sin, death, and the devil.

The new birth alters the human senses, opening them to discern and appreciate beauty as God has implanted it in the world. Mattes shows that Luther affirms music and visual imagery as human expressions of beauty and discusses the implications of Luther’s aesthetics for music, art, and the contemplative life. The author explains that, for Luther, the cross is the lens through which the beauty of God is refracted into the world. Mattes also puts Luther’s view of beauty in opposition to some key contemporary theologians.

Mark Mattes has given us an intriguing and richly textured study of beauty in Luther’s theology, an undervalued topic that Mattes treats with skill and perception. In the crucified Christ, salvation is given to those who believe; thus, Christ is beautiful, and believers can celebrate this ‘gospel beauty’ through the ways God grants mercy in worship: preaching and the sacraments. Christ has absorbed the ugliness of sin, enabling believers to feel at home in the world and to celebrate creation’s beauty. This splendid study will deepen understandings of Luther and open new appreciations for the fullness of Jesus Christ as ‘the fulcrum through which life, and most specifically truth, goodness, and beauty, are to be understood.’

—Donald K. McKim, editor of The Cambridge Companion to Martin Luther and author of Moments with Martin Luther: 95 Daily Devotions

Claiming that Luther’s work has not only ‘existential’ depth but also ‘cosmic’ and ‘eschatological’ breadth, Mark Mattes brings to the fore the centrality of beauty in Luther’s theology. Providing a careful and clear reading of Luther’s work that situates it within its historical context and in relation to contemporary discussions, Mattes argues that, for Luther, God’s proper work—mercy—is beautiful indeed. Timely and incisive, this book charts a distinctive path that opens up fresh appropriations of Luther’s work in our time.

—Lois Malcolm, professor of systematic theology, Luther Seminary

Mark C. Mattes (PhD, University of Chicago) is professor of philosophy and religion at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. He previously served parishes in Illinois and Wisconsin. Mattes has authored, edited, or translated a number of books and is an associate editor of the Dictionary of Luther and the Lutheran Traditions. He also serves as associate editor for Lutheran Quarterly and as a contributing editor for Logia: A Journal of Lutheran Theology.

Roman but Not Catholic: What Remains at Stake 500 Years after the Reformation

• Authors: Kenneth J. Collins and Jerry L. Walls
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 455

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This book offers a clearly written, informative, and fair critique of Roman Catholicism in defense of the catholic faith. Two leading evangelical thinkers in church history and philosophy summarize the major points of contention between Protestants and Catholics, honestly acknowledging real differences while conveying mutual respect and charity. The authors address key historical, theological, and philosophical issues as they consider what remains at stake 500 years after the Reformation. They also present a hopeful way forward for future ecumenical relations, showing how Protestants and Catholics can participate in a common witness to the world.

‘Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.’ The poet Yeats probably did not have the Roman Catholic Church in mind, but Collins and Walls do, and they make a vigorous case here for why Rome should not insist on being the exclusive center of the catholic church. Roman centricity deconstructs true catholicity by suggesting that Orthodox and Protestant churches are deficient; it similarly undermines canonicity (i.e., biblical authority) insofar as sola scriptura is virtually displaced by sola Roma. Collins and Walls remind us that what continues to divide Christians 500 years after the Reformation are not simply disagreements over doctrine or the authority and interpretation of Scripture, but differences over the nature of the church and the meaning of catholicity.

—Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

The thesis of Roman but Not Catholic is that ‘the Church of Rome is not sufficiently catholic,’ and authors Collins and Walls support that admittedly ironic claim irenically but stringently. This is a book every Protestant who feels some pull toward Rome must read before converting. It should also be read by every Protestant who knows a fellow Protestant moving toward Rome.

—Roger E. Olson, Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theology and Ethics, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University

Kenneth J. Collins (PhD, Drew University) is professor of historical theology and Wesley studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He has authored or edited over a dozen books, including Exploring Christian Spirituality. Collins is also an internationally known Wesley scholar who has written four books on the subject.

Jerry L. Walls (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is professor of philosophy and scholar in residence at Houston Baptist University in Houston, Texas. He has written for Christianity Today, First Things, and the Christian Century and has appeared on NPR’s Talk of the Nation and in the documentary film Hellbound. Walls is the author of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory and is the coauthor of Why I Am Not a Calvinist and the Christianity Today Book Award Winner Good God: The Theistic Foundations of Morality.