The Hymns of Martin Luther Set to their original melodies; with an English version

by Martin Luther, Nathan Hale Allen (Editor), Leonard Woolsey Bacon (Editor)

This book will be shipped within one month of being ordered.aThe Hymns of Martin Luther are a collection of important Hymns written by Luther which give insight into the reformation era.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, School, Music

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk, theologian, university professor and church reformer whose ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization.

Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.

Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented.

His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.

Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.

Reviews

[Paul Kurtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even in translation, there was some very enjoyable poetry presented in this work. It made me wish I could read German and get the full effect of these songs lyrics in their original language. There was also some superb theology in these hymns. If you enjoy music, poetry, or theology, I would recommend this book to you.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some very good poetry and good insight into the theology of Martin Luther. I have to say though that I was surprised that I didn’t recognize even one of hymns. And the only thing that I know of that is written by Martin Luther,is “A mightyFortress is our God” and that wasn’t included!

[Ryanne Molinari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful! Loved the background info on each hymn.

[Regitze Xenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Religious texts, not really my thing. Poetry, not really my thing. So why read this? Well, partially because I needed to read something German and some poetry for one of my college courses and this one was good for that, because of its relevance to the time period. I didn't necessarily hate it, but I didn't love it either. One of those duty-reads. 3/5.