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Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer
The sixteenth-century German friar whose public conflict with the medieval Roman Church triggered the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther was neither an unblemished saint nor a single-minded religious zealot according to this provocative new biography by Scott Hendrix. The author presents Luther as a man of his time: a highly educated scholar and teacher and a gifted yet flawed human being driven by an optimistic yet ultimately unrealized vision of “true religion.”
This bold, insightful account of the life of Martin Luther provides a new perspective on one of the most important religious figures in history, focusing on Luther’s entire life, his personal relationships and political motivations, rather than on his theology alone. Relying on the latest research and quoting extensively from Luther’s correspondence, Hendrix paints a richly detailed portrait of an extraordinary man who, while devout and courageous, had a dark side as well. No recent biography in English explores as fully the life and work of Martin Luther long before and far beyond the controversial posting of his 95 Theses in 1517, an event that will soon be celebrated as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
This bold, insightful account of the life of Martin Luther provides a new perspective on one of the most important religious figures in history, focusing on Luther’s entire life, his personal relationships and political motivations, rather than on his theology alone. Relying on the latest research and quoting extensively from Luther’s correspondence, Hendrix paints a richly detailed portrait of an extraordinary man who, while devout and courageous, had a dark side as well. No recent biography in English explores as fully the life and work of Martin Luther long before and far beyond the controversial posting of his 95 Theses in 1517, an event that will soon be celebrated as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published November 24, 2015
About the author
Scott H. Hendrix
17 books1 followerScott H. Hendrix is James Hastings Nichols Professor of Reformation History and Doctrine at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 4, 2016
What a task it must be to write a biography of Martin Luther. The man wrote over 55 volumes (and growing). Further, the historiogaphy is deep (500 years) and wide (Luther and the Reformation, Luther and the German nation, Luther and the Nazis, Luther and liberation theology, Luther and . . .) Besides that, what new can be said about Luther that wasn't possibly covered in Brecht's authoritative 3 volume account? What could be more gripping than Bainton's? What could be a more fascinating study in biographic history than Oberman?
Hendrix has sought to write a biography that not only captures the essence of Luther the man in an accessible one-volume account, as well as integrate the latest research in Luther studies. It's a noble task, and I think that Hendrix has largely accomplished his goal. That being the case, for whatever reason, I had the hardest time getting "locked in" to his narrative. Maybe it's the incorporation of the latest Luther research that acts as a narratival speed bump for the reader. I don't know. What I do know is that I was helped fill in some gaps in my understanding of Luther, and learned some fascinating anecdotes and facts, but came away largely feeling a underwhelmed.
I think if someone were to read *one* biography of Luther it should probably be Bainton's. However, Hendrix ought not be cast away completely. It will certainly act as a helpful source for the student of Luther. Just maybe not the only biography of Luther you should read.
Hendrix has sought to write a biography that not only captures the essence of Luther the man in an accessible one-volume account, as well as integrate the latest research in Luther studies. It's a noble task, and I think that Hendrix has largely accomplished his goal. That being the case, for whatever reason, I had the hardest time getting "locked in" to his narrative. Maybe it's the incorporation of the latest Luther research that acts as a narratival speed bump for the reader. I don't know. What I do know is that I was helped fill in some gaps in my understanding of Luther, and learned some fascinating anecdotes and facts, but came away largely feeling a underwhelmed.
I think if someone were to read *one* biography of Luther it should probably be Bainton's. However, Hendrix ought not be cast away completely. It will certainly act as a helpful source for the student of Luther. Just maybe not the only biography of Luther you should read.
January 22, 2016
The road to 'true religion'...
It's nearly 500 years since Martin Luther kicked off the Reformation by criticising the practices of the Roman Catholic church and refusing to accept the Pope as the sole arbiter of the meaning of the Bible. What started as a fairly straightforward dispute over the sale of indulgences grew into a theological war that first split the church and then splintered the Reformers themselves into different factions, arguing over some pretty esoteric points of interpretation of the gospels.
Scott H. Hendrix is Emeritus Professor of Reformation History, Princeton Theological Seminary, and tells us in the preface that he struggled during his teaching years to find a full and well-researched but readable biography of Luther to recommend to his students, so decided to write one. Unusually, the problem for Luther biographers is one of too much, rather than too little, information, making the biographer's task one of deciding what is true and relevant. Although this isn't the chunkiest biography in the world, its 290 pages plus notes give a thorough account both of Luther's personal life, at least as much as is known about it, and of the various steps that led him from monk to leader of the Reformation. He explains the main points of Luther's theological insights clearly enough for this atheist to understand, including the finer points where differences of interpretation arose amongst the Reformers. Hendrix also gives enough information about the prevailing political situation in Germany and further afield to put the Reformation into its historical context, particularly in explaining the level of protection Luther and his colleagues gained from the need of the Emperor to keep the various reformed Princes onside.
The book is in a fairly straightforward linear style, starting with a quick run through of what little is known about Luther's early years, and then going into more depth once he became associated with the Reformers. Hendrix makes it clear that, though Luther is the one whose name became best known both at the time and to later generations, he worked closely with colleagues at all stages, and that much of what is attributed to Luther, such as the translation of the Bible into German, was in part a collaborative effort involving various scholars and theologians, a fact that Luther himself emphasised. However, Luther became the figurehead of the movement, and to a large degree the arbiter of the direction the early Reformation would take.
I am in my usual position of not being able to speak to the accuracy of the facts or of Hendrix's interpretation of them, but the book is clearly well researched and it's obvious that Hendrix knows his subject inside out. He takes a fairly neutral stance on Luther – at least it feels that way – being willing to give both praise and criticism.
Luther comes over as a man who genuinely believed that he was doing the work of God and who worked hard all his life to bring people to 'true religion'. Of course, like all these people who think they are God's chosen, he appeared to become more arrogant and self-satisfied as time went on, and made it clear that he believed that anyone who took a different approach was being influenced by Satan, a figure that to him was as real and nearly as powerful as God himself. In fact, in his later years, Hendrix gives the impression that Luther felt that Satan was out to get him – either true, or a real sign that he was letting his opinion of his own importance get a little out of control.
Luther also appears to have been what could be described as either pragmatic or hypocritical, depending on one's viewpoint, changing direction on occasion to fit the prevailing political situation. For example, although against bigamy, he would cheerfully make an exception and find ways to justify it theologically when one of his powerful backers decided two wives were better than one. Apparently he also felt that it would be better if Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn bigamously rather than divorcing Katherine of Aragorn. (One wonders if he would have felt Henry should also marry Jane, Anne, Catherine and Katherine simultaneously – that would have made for some fun dinner parties.) Luther's views on violence were subject to similar changes over the years depending on who wanted to be violent to whom.
Hendrix also discusses Luther's anti-semitism, but puts it into the context of the times when anti-semitism was almost universal in Europe. Luther advocated the burning of synagogues, but Hendrix clarifies that he did not call for the killing of Jews. Hence, Hendrix dismisses the Nazis' later adoption of Luther as some kind of justification for their actions in the Holocaust, but it seems this has left a lasting stain on Luther, possibly even more in modern Germany than elsewhere.
Hendrix writes clearly and well, making the book very accessible to the non-academic reader. He rarely left me in a position of needing to look elsewhere for explanation of terms or ideas and while there are the usual notes at the back of the book, I was happily able to ignore them – always my desire when reading history and biography. Hendrix made one decision that really grated on me and that I'm baffled to understand – he decided to anglicise all the names. Thus Johann and Johannes become John, he drops the 'von' from von Staupitz, etc. I can't accept that these names are hard for any reader and see no benefit in me now having no idea of the real names of many of the major players. It seems to me a hideous example of 'dumbing down' and is the main reason why I can only rate the book as four stars. Otherwise, this is a very good biography that sheds a lot of light on Luther without engulfing the casual reader in unnecessary information overload.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Yale University Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
It's nearly 500 years since Martin Luther kicked off the Reformation by criticising the practices of the Roman Catholic church and refusing to accept the Pope as the sole arbiter of the meaning of the Bible. What started as a fairly straightforward dispute over the sale of indulgences grew into a theological war that first split the church and then splintered the Reformers themselves into different factions, arguing over some pretty esoteric points of interpretation of the gospels.
Scott H. Hendrix is Emeritus Professor of Reformation History, Princeton Theological Seminary, and tells us in the preface that he struggled during his teaching years to find a full and well-researched but readable biography of Luther to recommend to his students, so decided to write one. Unusually, the problem for Luther biographers is one of too much, rather than too little, information, making the biographer's task one of deciding what is true and relevant. Although this isn't the chunkiest biography in the world, its 290 pages plus notes give a thorough account both of Luther's personal life, at least as much as is known about it, and of the various steps that led him from monk to leader of the Reformation. He explains the main points of Luther's theological insights clearly enough for this atheist to understand, including the finer points where differences of interpretation arose amongst the Reformers. Hendrix also gives enough information about the prevailing political situation in Germany and further afield to put the Reformation into its historical context, particularly in explaining the level of protection Luther and his colleagues gained from the need of the Emperor to keep the various reformed Princes onside.
The book is in a fairly straightforward linear style, starting with a quick run through of what little is known about Luther's early years, and then going into more depth once he became associated with the Reformers. Hendrix makes it clear that, though Luther is the one whose name became best known both at the time and to later generations, he worked closely with colleagues at all stages, and that much of what is attributed to Luther, such as the translation of the Bible into German, was in part a collaborative effort involving various scholars and theologians, a fact that Luther himself emphasised. However, Luther became the figurehead of the movement, and to a large degree the arbiter of the direction the early Reformation would take.
I am in my usual position of not being able to speak to the accuracy of the facts or of Hendrix's interpretation of them, but the book is clearly well researched and it's obvious that Hendrix knows his subject inside out. He takes a fairly neutral stance on Luther – at least it feels that way – being willing to give both praise and criticism.
Luther comes over as a man who genuinely believed that he was doing the work of God and who worked hard all his life to bring people to 'true religion'. Of course, like all these people who think they are God's chosen, he appeared to become more arrogant and self-satisfied as time went on, and made it clear that he believed that anyone who took a different approach was being influenced by Satan, a figure that to him was as real and nearly as powerful as God himself. In fact, in his later years, Hendrix gives the impression that Luther felt that Satan was out to get him – either true, or a real sign that he was letting his opinion of his own importance get a little out of control.
Luther also appears to have been what could be described as either pragmatic or hypocritical, depending on one's viewpoint, changing direction on occasion to fit the prevailing political situation. For example, although against bigamy, he would cheerfully make an exception and find ways to justify it theologically when one of his powerful backers decided two wives were better than one. Apparently he also felt that it would be better if Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn bigamously rather than divorcing Katherine of Aragorn. (One wonders if he would have felt Henry should also marry Jane, Anne, Catherine and Katherine simultaneously – that would have made for some fun dinner parties.) Luther's views on violence were subject to similar changes over the years depending on who wanted to be violent to whom.
Hendrix also discusses Luther's anti-semitism, but puts it into the context of the times when anti-semitism was almost universal in Europe. Luther advocated the burning of synagogues, but Hendrix clarifies that he did not call for the killing of Jews. Hence, Hendrix dismisses the Nazis' later adoption of Luther as some kind of justification for their actions in the Holocaust, but it seems this has left a lasting stain on Luther, possibly even more in modern Germany than elsewhere.
Hendrix writes clearly and well, making the book very accessible to the non-academic reader. He rarely left me in a position of needing to look elsewhere for explanation of terms or ideas and while there are the usual notes at the back of the book, I was happily able to ignore them – always my desire when reading history and biography. Hendrix made one decision that really grated on me and that I'm baffled to understand – he decided to anglicise all the names. Thus Johann and Johannes become John, he drops the 'von' from von Staupitz, etc. I can't accept that these names are hard for any reader and see no benefit in me now having no idea of the real names of many of the major players. It seems to me a hideous example of 'dumbing down' and is the main reason why I can only rate the book as four stars. Otherwise, this is a very good biography that sheds a lot of light on Luther without engulfing the casual reader in unnecessary information overload.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Yale University Press.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
November 4, 2018
Most people associate the name ‘Martin Luther’ to the well-known leader of American civil rights movement – Martin Luther King Jr, who had made the memorable ‘I have a dream’ speech that awakened blacks in America. The American owes his name to another reformer who had lived in sixteenth century Germany. It was a dangerous period to propose reforms, especially to confront papal authority, as Giordano Bruno learned with his brutal death at the stake fifty years before and Galileo did fifty years later, but with less remarkable consequences. Martin Luther stood up against the degeneration and corruption in ecclesiastical circles and held the papacy responsible for the rout. He preached reforms of a kind the society was looking for. It was the so-called idea whose time had come. Luther’s theories withstood tribulations and his devoted followers stuck to their beliefs in the face of great privations. Unknown to Luther, the schism he produced in Roman Catholicism was long-lasting and turned out to be a milestone in world history. It engendered the Protestant faction of Christianity that went on to conquer Britain and America. This book is a biography of the great German reformer. Scott H. Hendrix is a James Hastings Nichols Professor of Reformation history and Doctrine at Princeton Theological Seminary and an ordained minister. He has authored another book on similar topics and serves on the editorial committees of religious journals.
Hendrix takes enough pains to explain the significance of Luther and his ideology. The man is to be best understood not as a reformer of the church, but as a reformer of religion who strove to replace bad religion with a faith that valued freedom and justice instead of narrow orthodoxy and moralism. Luther came at a time when faith was giving way to mechanical action to placate the divinity. Instead of taking their sins earnestly, being contrite and then receiving forgiveness, people were ordered to perform routine rounds of penance, alms-giving, fasting, saying the rosary, or making a pilgrimage. It was the sixth century Rule of St. Benedict that made good works tools of the spiritual craft. By Luther’s day, it had become well entrenched. The church found a new way of amassing wealth by selling indulgences for a price. Indulgence is not remission of sin; that is guaranteed by belief in Christ’s sacrifice. This was only a relaxation of the penalty. In 1506, the cornerstone of St. Peter’s Basilica was laid in Vatican. Pope Julius II authorized an indulgence to finance its construction. In exchange for a contribution to the building fund, the papal indulgence offered forgiveness of future sins and release of loved ones from purgatory. Luther firmly believed that salvation came by faith alone and not by works.
Propagating an idea was easy enough even in the sixteenth century, but standing up to it in the face of violent persecution is quite another thing. The book introduces the novel ways in which the reformer made his voice heard. Luther compiled a list of points called ‘Ninety-five Theses’ questioning the power and efficacy of indulgences and sent them to Archbishop Albert of Mainz. Some historians say he pinned them on the door of the church in Wittenberg. The printing press with movable type was an invention that was put to good use. Many copies were made and circulated in the popular movement that neither the church nor civil authorities were able to stop. Luther justified his actions before Emperor Charles V, but was overruled and outlawed as heretic by the Edict of Worms in 1521. He was saved from arrest by the skin of his teeth, when the ruler of Wittenberg, Elector Frederick of Saxony, implored Charles not to publish the edict in Wittenberg where Luther was residing. Martin Luther was a scholar in the Latin language, but widely used German, his mother tongue, for disseminating his ideas. This was immensely popular and contributed to the mass appeal of his ideology. “I find my God in the German language”, he thundered and published devotional and instructional tracts. At the same time, he continued to use Latin for correspondence with other scholars and church authorities.
We are familiar with the coercive measures forced on Galileo Galilei for his belief that the earth moved around the sun. This was contrary to a theological dogma that postulated the exact opposite. Galileo was forced to recant upon threat of excommunication and probable death by torture. This happened almost a century after Luther’s successful defying of the pope. How did Luther manage to wriggle out of the papal net? Unfortunately for us, Hendrix is silent on this point and does not make it a topic of observation. It is left for the readers to make their own conclusions from the hints thrown here and there in the narrative. First of all, Galileo happened to live in Pisa, Italy, which was very close to Rome where papal writ was law. But his long tentacles reached Germany as well in the past. John Hus and his followers, who were known as the ‘Bohemian heretics’, denied the divine origin of papal authority and was burned to death in 1415 through a decision taken at the Council of Constance. By Luther’s time, German city states had earned much power through trade and a strong wind of nationalism was blowing over them which shook papal authority to the core. Martin Luther was a torch-bearer of German nationalism. The Holy Roman Empire was also reluctant to invite the wrath of German states by going against Luther, who was emboldened by the wavering of the imperial administration. He openly defied the pope, burnt papal Bulls and called him antichrist with impunity. The pope gritted his teeth, but let matters rest at that. The Ottoman Muslim invasions of Hungary and Austria in the 1520s also played a part. The Christian forces could not have afforded to alienate German military power in their united fight against the Turkish sultan. The Peace of Nuremberg of 1532 was announced as a ceasefire between the Christian factions.
The reforms put forward by Luther lasted long and deep. Not only on the birth of Protestantism, its impact had caused renovation to gradually embrace the Catholic Church too. The Reformation prompted priests, monks, nuns and bishops to renounce their vow of celibacy. Marriage was not simply allowed, but in fact encouraged for all those not having the mental stamina for abstention. Even in their case, abstention was not touted as a virtue. On the side of religious practices, it did away with private masses, withholding wine from the laity during communion, praying to saints, venerating their relics and visiting their shrines and monastic vows. Luther himself married a former nun and had many children with her. He was a prolific writer and polemicist who knew where to bridle up ideology and let loose pragmatism. When the ruler Philip of Hesse contracted a second marriage while the first wife was still alive, he requested Luther, who was also his spiritual preceptor, to condone the bigamy. Luther quietly acquiesced to this strange request, observing, no doubt, that the ruler was quite free to take the woman as a concubine in case marriage was not permitted. He also asked his consent to be kept confidential. Luther’s works are also fed from a powerful source of anti-Semitism which was successfully employed four centuries later by the Nazis for their sectarian propaganda.
This book assumes prior familiarity with Martin Luther, Protestantism, and European history of the sixteenth century. It is not for those who want to know, for the first time, who Luther was or what he has done. It points out the flows in some established concepts on Reformation rather than explaining it to novices. It sports a diary-like appearance with precise dates given even for trivial incidents. This hinders smooth reading of the book as does its extremely small print. A good point to note is that it has turned its back to unnecessary discourses on the finer points of religious fundamentals on which the two sides differed.
The book is recommended.
Hendrix takes enough pains to explain the significance of Luther and his ideology. The man is to be best understood not as a reformer of the church, but as a reformer of religion who strove to replace bad religion with a faith that valued freedom and justice instead of narrow orthodoxy and moralism. Luther came at a time when faith was giving way to mechanical action to placate the divinity. Instead of taking their sins earnestly, being contrite and then receiving forgiveness, people were ordered to perform routine rounds of penance, alms-giving, fasting, saying the rosary, or making a pilgrimage. It was the sixth century Rule of St. Benedict that made good works tools of the spiritual craft. By Luther’s day, it had become well entrenched. The church found a new way of amassing wealth by selling indulgences for a price. Indulgence is not remission of sin; that is guaranteed by belief in Christ’s sacrifice. This was only a relaxation of the penalty. In 1506, the cornerstone of St. Peter’s Basilica was laid in Vatican. Pope Julius II authorized an indulgence to finance its construction. In exchange for a contribution to the building fund, the papal indulgence offered forgiveness of future sins and release of loved ones from purgatory. Luther firmly believed that salvation came by faith alone and not by works.
Propagating an idea was easy enough even in the sixteenth century, but standing up to it in the face of violent persecution is quite another thing. The book introduces the novel ways in which the reformer made his voice heard. Luther compiled a list of points called ‘Ninety-five Theses’ questioning the power and efficacy of indulgences and sent them to Archbishop Albert of Mainz. Some historians say he pinned them on the door of the church in Wittenberg. The printing press with movable type was an invention that was put to good use. Many copies were made and circulated in the popular movement that neither the church nor civil authorities were able to stop. Luther justified his actions before Emperor Charles V, but was overruled and outlawed as heretic by the Edict of Worms in 1521. He was saved from arrest by the skin of his teeth, when the ruler of Wittenberg, Elector Frederick of Saxony, implored Charles not to publish the edict in Wittenberg where Luther was residing. Martin Luther was a scholar in the Latin language, but widely used German, his mother tongue, for disseminating his ideas. This was immensely popular and contributed to the mass appeal of his ideology. “I find my God in the German language”, he thundered and published devotional and instructional tracts. At the same time, he continued to use Latin for correspondence with other scholars and church authorities.
We are familiar with the coercive measures forced on Galileo Galilei for his belief that the earth moved around the sun. This was contrary to a theological dogma that postulated the exact opposite. Galileo was forced to recant upon threat of excommunication and probable death by torture. This happened almost a century after Luther’s successful defying of the pope. How did Luther manage to wriggle out of the papal net? Unfortunately for us, Hendrix is silent on this point and does not make it a topic of observation. It is left for the readers to make their own conclusions from the hints thrown here and there in the narrative. First of all, Galileo happened to live in Pisa, Italy, which was very close to Rome where papal writ was law. But his long tentacles reached Germany as well in the past. John Hus and his followers, who were known as the ‘Bohemian heretics’, denied the divine origin of papal authority and was burned to death in 1415 through a decision taken at the Council of Constance. By Luther’s time, German city states had earned much power through trade and a strong wind of nationalism was blowing over them which shook papal authority to the core. Martin Luther was a torch-bearer of German nationalism. The Holy Roman Empire was also reluctant to invite the wrath of German states by going against Luther, who was emboldened by the wavering of the imperial administration. He openly defied the pope, burnt papal Bulls and called him antichrist with impunity. The pope gritted his teeth, but let matters rest at that. The Ottoman Muslim invasions of Hungary and Austria in the 1520s also played a part. The Christian forces could not have afforded to alienate German military power in their united fight against the Turkish sultan. The Peace of Nuremberg of 1532 was announced as a ceasefire between the Christian factions.
The reforms put forward by Luther lasted long and deep. Not only on the birth of Protestantism, its impact had caused renovation to gradually embrace the Catholic Church too. The Reformation prompted priests, monks, nuns and bishops to renounce their vow of celibacy. Marriage was not simply allowed, but in fact encouraged for all those not having the mental stamina for abstention. Even in their case, abstention was not touted as a virtue. On the side of religious practices, it did away with private masses, withholding wine from the laity during communion, praying to saints, venerating their relics and visiting their shrines and monastic vows. Luther himself married a former nun and had many children with her. He was a prolific writer and polemicist who knew where to bridle up ideology and let loose pragmatism. When the ruler Philip of Hesse contracted a second marriage while the first wife was still alive, he requested Luther, who was also his spiritual preceptor, to condone the bigamy. Luther quietly acquiesced to this strange request, observing, no doubt, that the ruler was quite free to take the woman as a concubine in case marriage was not permitted. He also asked his consent to be kept confidential. Luther’s works are also fed from a powerful source of anti-Semitism which was successfully employed four centuries later by the Nazis for their sectarian propaganda.
This book assumes prior familiarity with Martin Luther, Protestantism, and European history of the sixteenth century. It is not for those who want to know, for the first time, who Luther was or what he has done. It points out the flows in some established concepts on Reformation rather than explaining it to novices. It sports a diary-like appearance with precise dates given even for trivial incidents. This hinders smooth reading of the book as does its extremely small print. A good point to note is that it has turned its back to unnecessary discourses on the finer points of religious fundamentals on which the two sides differed.
The book is recommended.
August 14, 2023
An excellent, academic biography of Martin Luther. The book was detailed, provided a great deal of background for both Luther’s actions and the world in which he worked, as well as shared his inner and outer life. I feel like I know Luther the man better after reading this book. While it does not have the drama and action of Roland Bainton’s biography of Luther, it has more detail and, most likely, more accuracy. One gripe from old eyes: Yale University Press, could you really not spring for 12 point font? I needed a magnifying glass for this one.
February 11, 2026
Bust.
For a tale focusing on the interpretations of scripture, a writer really has to bring his A game to keep the reader with him. Unfortunately, for as much as I wanted to know everything about Luther, I just wasn't enjoying my time here enough. Read 60%.
For a tale focusing on the interpretations of scripture, a writer really has to bring his A game to keep the reader with him. Unfortunately, for as much as I wanted to know everything about Luther, I just wasn't enjoying my time here enough. Read 60%.
April 6, 2017
"Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer" is an apt biography to read as we approach the Reformation's 500th anniversary this October. Scott H. Hendrix provides readers with a very detailed account of Martin Luther that draws upon the latest scholarly research and investigation. Hendrix clears away a lot of the tradition and apocryphal stories that are associated with Luther (e.g. by the time the 95 Theses were released, Luther was no lowly monk but already a capable administrator) and provides a balanced, contextual portrait of the man as his life and teachings spread across Europe. For instance, contra Karen Armstrong, Hendrix insists Luther highly valued women and did not despise sexuality (after all, one of the Reformation's advances was allowing clergy to (re)marry!). Hendrix is also attentive to the various friends and fellow Reformers who helped shape early Protestant doctrines and practice and promulgate them, such as Philip Melanchthon and Johannes Bugenhagen.
As a previous reviewer has commented, while very detailed for a one-volume biography, this book is not as riveting as other famous and popular biographies, particularly Roland Bainton's classic "Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther" (though personally, Hendrix's is the ONLY Luther biography I have read). Overall though, this is a thorough and informing account of Martin Luther's life and work.
As a previous reviewer has commented, while very detailed for a one-volume biography, this book is not as riveting as other famous and popular biographies, particularly Roland Bainton's classic "Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther" (though personally, Hendrix's is the ONLY Luther biography I have read). Overall though, this is a thorough and informing account of Martin Luther's life and work.
September 8, 2020
It's a comprehensive biography that covers not only Luther's life but also the political dynamics that took place during the Protestant Reformation. Because Hendrix includes so much information, the narratival flow suffered a bit, but the book is a great examination of Luther's life.
December 12, 2017
Good treatment of subject , life and thought.
October 28, 2025
Beautifully thorough.
March 10, 2025
This is a great piece of scholarship that looks at Luther's personal life and relationships in relation to his theological development and the Reformation. Hendrix does a wonderful job of organizing the information and bringing in context around everything. It is an interesting perspective that is well worth the read.
June 23, 2016
Had to drop this when my renewal ran out (New Book). It was a loaner, and my home library just got a copy. Back to it! (6/3)
Finally! Reading this one in between all the others; read a chapter, or half, then get to the "good" one. I'm glad I read about his life; growing up with a Catholic education through 12th grade gave me a pretty skewed impression of the whole reformation. He wasn't exactly demonized, but extremely deluded (by SATAN!) would be an apt description. Depended on the nun or priest, really. The fact of the abuses were somewhat admitted, but indulgences were still a pretty hot item into the '60s & '70s in the Church of those days. Not to the point of buying and selling, but - getting 300 days off your time in Purgatory for saying a certain set of prayers, or doing an act of devotion? What is the basis for making these things up? I can now see his point in developing the 95 Theses, having read other books about the era, but he and his movement slid back into the same "led astray by Satan" mindset when arguing with or about the Roman church. And it wasn't all that much later that the various Protestant sects began killing each other, too. What a waste...
Finally! Reading this one in between all the others; read a chapter, or half, then get to the "good" one. I'm glad I read about his life; growing up with a Catholic education through 12th grade gave me a pretty skewed impression of the whole reformation. He wasn't exactly demonized, but extremely deluded (by SATAN!) would be an apt description. Depended on the nun or priest, really. The fact of the abuses were somewhat admitted, but indulgences were still a pretty hot item into the '60s & '70s in the Church of those days. Not to the point of buying and selling, but - getting 300 days off your time in Purgatory for saying a certain set of prayers, or doing an act of devotion? What is the basis for making these things up? I can now see his point in developing the 95 Theses, having read other books about the era, but he and his movement slid back into the same "led astray by Satan" mindset when arguing with or about the Roman church. And it wasn't all that much later that the various Protestant sects began killing each other, too. What a waste...
March 24, 2026
Scott H. Hendrix, late Professor Emeritus of Reformation History and Doctrine at Princeton Theological Seminary, writes in his 2015 Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer, “My reason for attempting the unattainable is simple … I could not find a biography that satisfied me” (xi). After earning his doctorate at the University of Tübingen in Germany and becoming a Lutheran pastor, Hendrix spent decades researching and publishing on Luther and the reformation, establishing himself as one of the field’s foremost scholars. Despite the abundance of biographies on the German reformer—and doubtless aware that many more would soon appear with the 500th anniversary of Luther’s Ninety-five Theses approaching—Hendrix remained unsatisfied and undertook the ambitious task of writing his own.
Hendrix identifies a persistent gap in Luther biographies: “We cannot tell the story of his life separately from that of the early reformation, but neither can we allow the reformation to overwhelm the person. Histories of the reformation say a lot about what Luther did but very little about who he was” (x). Hendrix therefore argues that understanding Luther requires a fuller portrait that captures the complexities of his character: “The reformation was started not by a heroic robot but by a dynamic human being leading a vigorous life. . . . Luther was neither a hero nor a villain, but a human being with both merits and faults” (x–xi). For Hendrix, a faithful account of Luther cannot focus solely on his theology; it must also attend to the relational, political, and personal dimensions of his life.
Hendrix divides Luther’s life into two parts: “before and after he became a reformer” (xiii). The first part, “Pathways to Reform,” traces Luther’s early life (1483/4–1521), while the second, “Pursuit of a Vision,” examines his later years (1522–1546). Hendrix justifies this division by arguing that although “Luther proposed many reforms” before 1521, it was in that year that he “states for the first time his calling to oversee the remaking of medieval religion according to his vision of what Christianity should be” (xiii). Accordingly, the more expansive second half of the book follows Luther as he came to see himself as a reformer of the church.
From the outset, Hendrix resists the anachronistic tendency to psychologize Luther’s actions. He rejects, for example, a psychoanalytic interpretation that attributes Luther’s defiance of the pope to a dysfunctional family life that bred resentment and ambivalence toward his parents, particularly his father. Instead, Hendrix situates Luther’s relationship with his parents within its historical and cultural context and offers a more nuanced account of Luther’s conflict with his father over his monastic turn (16–17). This careful attention to historical context characterizes Hendrix’s treatment of Luther throughout the biography.
Another strength of the book is Hendrix’s willingness to challenge commonly accepted Luther lore. He questions, for example, the well-known story that a single thunderstorm drove Luther to become a monk (33). Hendrix also revises the familiar image of Luther as merely “a troubled monk who quivered in his sandals,” portraying him instead as both “a skillful young scholar” and “a conscientious Augustinian friar” (39–40). Likewise, he rejects the picture of Luther as “an isolated hero” who suddenly arrived at a “reformation discovery,” instead highlighting the network of influential relational connections that shaped his spiritual and intellectual development (32–33). Throughout these early chapters, Hendrix also emphasizes the gradual nature of Luther’s theological evolution toward a more Augustinian understanding of grace, without pinpointing a specific moment of breakthrough (52).
A central theme in Hendrix’s narrative is what he calls “the essence of [Luther’s] reforming agenda,” namely, complete reliance on Christ (68). As Luther himself explains, “I teach that people should put their trust in nothing but Jesus Christ alone, not in their prayers, merits, or their own good deeds” (qtd. in 68). Hendrix identifies Luther’s stay at the Wartburg in 1521 as a decisive moment in the development of this understanding. During this period, Luther began to more fully articulate the implications of gospel freedom: “Christ ... granted me so much liberty that … I am subject to no one but him alone” (qtd. in 114). He later summarized this freedom in a simple maxim: “Do not make what is free into a must” (qtd. in 129). According to Hendrix, it was this Wartburg experience—not the Ninety-five Theses or the Diet of Worms—that marked the true turning point in Luther’s life, the moment “where he adopted a new identity and a new purpose that he believed to have come from God” (115). Hendrix’s interpretation thus places the Wartburg at the center of Luther’s emerging self-understanding as a religious reformer.
As the narrative progresses, Hendrix situates Luther firmly within the context of his own time without excusing some of his most troubling failures. In discussing Luther’s anti-Jewish writings, he describes Luther as “a prisoner of his age and its prejudices,” who was “infected with the anti-Jewish virus that had … permeated late medieval Europe” (276). At the same time, Hendrix avoids anachronistically equating Luther’s views with those of later Nazis, noting that Luther “never advocated exterminating the Jews or physically harming them” (276). Yet he also rejects Luther’s attempt to frame his recommendations—including the burning of synagogues and the social exclusion of Jews—as a form of “sharp mercy” (qtd. in 276). Even in Luther’s own day, some of his contemporaries regarded his rhetoric toward Jews and other opponents as crude (276). Hendrix also notes Luther’s tolerance toward bigamy in at least two cases (240, 259–260).
Despite the book’s many strengths, Hendrix’s discussion of Luther’s relationship to the medieval mystical tradition is underdeveloped. Although he acknowledges the influence of figures such as Bernard of Clairvaux, Jean Gerson, John Tauler, the anonymous author of A German Theology, and Luther’s confessor John Staupitz, Hendrix maintains that “Luther cannot accurately be called a mystical theologian,” even if “elements of mystical theology appear in his writings” (72). He argues that Luther’s mature understanding of union with Christ by faith “was not a rapturous experience of losing oneself to the degree that medieval mystics described,” but rather a union that “empowered believers to look outward instead of inward” (72). Yet Hendrix himself notes Luther’s remarkable praise of A German Theology: “no book except the Bible and St. Augustine has come to my attention from which I have learned more about God, Christ, man, and all things” (WA 1:378.21–23; LW 31:75). That text, however, describes a radical inward union with God as “a true inward life” in which “God himself becomes the person in such a fashion that there is nothing that is not God or things of God” (chapter 55). Given Luther’s clear admiration for A German Theology, it is highly plausible that he shared aspects of this mystical outlook. Hendrix’s treatment of Luther’s relationship to medieval mysticism would therefore benefit from greater nuance.
Scott Hendrix has rendered a valuable service to readers interested in Luther’s life, both newcomers and specialists. His portrait of the visionary reformer is refreshingly free of unnecessary jargon, making the book highly readable while remaining a serious work of scholarship. Hendrix ultimately succeeds at his stated aim of refusing to let the reformation overwhelm Luther’s person or reduce him to a mythic hero. Instead, he allows Luther to emerge as a complex yet compelling historical figure, a man determined to let nothing and no one stand in the way of the gospel’s radical freedom.
November 11, 2017
A good overview of Luther's life and work. Hendrix emphasizes the personal side of Luther and his support network of relationships, as opposed to being a "lone crusader."A *** may be unfair to an author who has done tons of research in primary documents, but somewhere between that and **** seems appropriate.
On occasion, Hendrix had me scratching my head. For instance, he says, "Behind Luther's defense was a view of the reformation that differs completely from the conventional modern perspective. The reformation was not a denominational split in which Protestant churches left the same Roman Catholic Church that had existed from the beginning of Christianity." Wait, what? Is he implying that conventional historians think that the Catholic church was the same in 100 A.D. as in 1500 A.D.? That seems a stretch. While I understand that modern historians might not see the Reformation the way that Luther did, neither do most see it the way his Catholic opponents did either.
The latter part of the book is an absolute treasure trove regarding issues such as marriage, Christians and war, tax-exempt status of clergy, sanctity of all human life, etc.
In lieu of a bona fide full review, here are some thought-provoking quotes from Luther and the author:
"Elevating clergy to the rank of cardinal was lucrative business for the papacy. On July 1, 1517, pope Leo X reportedly received between 300,000 ducats and 500,000 ducats from the creation of thirty-one cardinals." 91
Luther: “You will find plenty of Christians—and indeed the greater part of them—who are worse in their secret unbelief than any Jew, heathen, Turk, or heretic. A heathen is just as much a person—God's good creation—as St. Peter, and St. Lucy, not to speak of slack and spurious Christians." 140
". . .Luther did not anticipate how many Protestants would ignore his claim that the ultimate importance of reading the Bible was to encounter the gospel. In 1537, he listed the following means by which the gospel provided guidance and help: preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper, confessing sin and receiving forgiveness, and the mutual consolation of believers. Strikingly absent was reading the Bible . . .Instead of finding freedom through the good news contained in the Bible, some readers would end up enslaving themselves verse by verse to a paper pope. " P228
"Luther . . .described the right attitude that Christians going to war should adopt. First, they should rely on God's power and not their own; second, Christians should not assume they alone were righteous and the enemy utterly unrighteous; third, Christians should by no means seek honor, land, and booty but only the glory of God and the defense of those for whom they fight. Those instructions Luther had put down in a book titled Whether Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved." p235
"Already in 1533 Melanchthon estimated that he [Melanchthon?] had written over 600 briefs for marital disputes." p237
Robert Barnes, on Henry VIII: “My king is not the guardian of religion; he is the religion.” p248
"Civil statues threatened bigamists with severe punishment, but Philip [of Hesse] tried to turn that in his favor by pointing out an incongruity that put him on God's side: What God permits (bigamy) the law forbids, and what God forbids (whoring) is winked at by the law." p259
“'Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.' (John 14:23) That saying, said Luther, described the true church because it ruled out the possibility that Jesus meant to establish an earthly kingdom or the Roman institution governed by popes, cardinals, and bishops. The true church, therefore, must consist of evangelical communities.. . For believers to keep God's word, however, it had to be proclaimed to them. Therefore, said Luther, the words of Jesus also meant: 'My church is where my word is preached purely and is unadulterated and kept,'” 261
“Behind Luther's defense was a view of the reformation that differs completely from the conventional modern perspective. The reformation was not a denominational split in which Protestant churches left the same Roman Catholic Church that had existed from the beginning of Christianity. Instead, Protestants (mainly Lutherans in Luther's view) preserved true Christianity and the true church had always existed even though the Roman hierarchy, popes and bishops, betrayed it and defected, as it were, to a false church of heretics and the devil." 268
"You can be a bogus sinner and have Christ for a fictitious savior. Instead, get used to the fact that Christ is a genuine savior and that you are a real sinner."--letter to Spalatin 270
"If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners"--
[Luther's testament of 1541] "circumvented the provision of Saxon law that prohibited a spouse from inheriting any property other than her dowry and personal belongings. . . .Luther gave three reasons for the gift: because Katharina was a faithful and pious wife, who at all times held him dear and gave birth to and reared their children; she would be able to pay off debts that were left after Luther died; and most of all, so that Katharina would not have to depend financially on the children but instead be honored and respected by them as God commanded. A mother was the best guardian for children, Luther added, and he was confident that, if she remarried, Katharina would still share everything with them. Luther named Elector John Frederick the protector and administrator of the gift"... 272-3
"Although Luther was exempted from the [Turkish] tax [of 1542], he decided to pay his share."273
On occasion, Hendrix had me scratching my head. For instance, he says, "Behind Luther's defense was a view of the reformation that differs completely from the conventional modern perspective. The reformation was not a denominational split in which Protestant churches left the same Roman Catholic Church that had existed from the beginning of Christianity." Wait, what? Is he implying that conventional historians think that the Catholic church was the same in 100 A.D. as in 1500 A.D.? That seems a stretch. While I understand that modern historians might not see the Reformation the way that Luther did, neither do most see it the way his Catholic opponents did either.
The latter part of the book is an absolute treasure trove regarding issues such as marriage, Christians and war, tax-exempt status of clergy, sanctity of all human life, etc.
In lieu of a bona fide full review, here are some thought-provoking quotes from Luther and the author:
"Elevating clergy to the rank of cardinal was lucrative business for the papacy. On July 1, 1517, pope Leo X reportedly received between 300,000 ducats and 500,000 ducats from the creation of thirty-one cardinals." 91
Luther: “You will find plenty of Christians—and indeed the greater part of them—who are worse in their secret unbelief than any Jew, heathen, Turk, or heretic. A heathen is just as much a person—God's good creation—as St. Peter, and St. Lucy, not to speak of slack and spurious Christians." 140
". . .Luther did not anticipate how many Protestants would ignore his claim that the ultimate importance of reading the Bible was to encounter the gospel. In 1537, he listed the following means by which the gospel provided guidance and help: preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper, confessing sin and receiving forgiveness, and the mutual consolation of believers. Strikingly absent was reading the Bible . . .Instead of finding freedom through the good news contained in the Bible, some readers would end up enslaving themselves verse by verse to a paper pope. " P228
"Luther . . .described the right attitude that Christians going to war should adopt. First, they should rely on God's power and not their own; second, Christians should not assume they alone were righteous and the enemy utterly unrighteous; third, Christians should by no means seek honor, land, and booty but only the glory of God and the defense of those for whom they fight. Those instructions Luther had put down in a book titled Whether Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved." p235
"Already in 1533 Melanchthon estimated that he [Melanchthon?] had written over 600 briefs for marital disputes." p237
Robert Barnes, on Henry VIII: “My king is not the guardian of religion; he is the religion.” p248
"Civil statues threatened bigamists with severe punishment, but Philip [of Hesse] tried to turn that in his favor by pointing out an incongruity that put him on God's side: What God permits (bigamy) the law forbids, and what God forbids (whoring) is winked at by the law." p259
“'Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.' (John 14:23) That saying, said Luther, described the true church because it ruled out the possibility that Jesus meant to establish an earthly kingdom or the Roman institution governed by popes, cardinals, and bishops. The true church, therefore, must consist of evangelical communities.. . For believers to keep God's word, however, it had to be proclaimed to them. Therefore, said Luther, the words of Jesus also meant: 'My church is where my word is preached purely and is unadulterated and kept,'” 261
“Behind Luther's defense was a view of the reformation that differs completely from the conventional modern perspective. The reformation was not a denominational split in which Protestant churches left the same Roman Catholic Church that had existed from the beginning of Christianity. Instead, Protestants (mainly Lutherans in Luther's view) preserved true Christianity and the true church had always existed even though the Roman hierarchy, popes and bishops, betrayed it and defected, as it were, to a false church of heretics and the devil." 268
"You can be a bogus sinner and have Christ for a fictitious savior. Instead, get used to the fact that Christ is a genuine savior and that you are a real sinner."--letter to Spalatin 270
"If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners"--
[Luther's testament of 1541] "circumvented the provision of Saxon law that prohibited a spouse from inheriting any property other than her dowry and personal belongings. . . .Luther gave three reasons for the gift: because Katharina was a faithful and pious wife, who at all times held him dear and gave birth to and reared their children; she would be able to pay off debts that were left after Luther died; and most of all, so that Katharina would not have to depend financially on the children but instead be honored and respected by them as God commanded. A mother was the best guardian for children, Luther added, and he was confident that, if she remarried, Katharina would still share everything with them. Luther named Elector John Frederick the protector and administrator of the gift"... 272-3
"Although Luther was exempted from the [Turkish] tax [of 1542], he decided to pay his share."273
March 25, 2017
This book is an excellent read: covers the man, his times, his faith and his trials. Not a light read, but an approachable read that is informative in the 500 Anniversary Year of the Reformation. It gives a particularly good understanding of the views of other reformers who differed from Luther's religious views and of the views of the Roman Catholic Church as it existed at the time. It also offered insights into the role the government played in the reformation of religion in Europe, including the perils Europe faced from the Ottoman Empire.
June 19, 2018
The content of the book was good in that it showed a very strong man with equally many character flaws including a temper and stubbornness. It related the decades long struggles he had against other religious and civil institutions and the Reformation he started was barely underway when he died. I rated it lower because the book was a hard read and felt like slogging through details at times. Overall, it was a fairly thorough overview of his life, family and work.
March 11, 2018
What an interesting man! This book was well written and details the life and death of Martin Luther. Before and after Christianity is how he is recounted.
Enjoyable read and he did a lot to help others find their faith, but some of this dragged for me; reason for 4 stars not 5.
Enjoyable read and he did a lot to help others find their faith, but some of this dragged for me; reason for 4 stars not 5.
October 11, 2017
The book's strength is that it provides more material about Luther's childhood, education, and monkhood prior to the definitive event of the Reformation.
December 27, 2017
Clear and direct. Hendrix has an excellent approach that at the very least restores the Father of the Reformation to his rightful place.
February 15, 2018
This book was very well written and full of reference.
May 24, 2020
Although very insightful, I had to labor through this on as it tended to drag on tediously on some of the context.
January 19, 2017
For me, a remarkable read ... not only for the ease with which it's written, but for it's breadth of reporting - here is Luther's life, in much detail - personal and professional, family and friends, faith and fear, hope and health, living and dying.
Hendrix paints an honest portrait ... Luther was a man of many skills and foibles ... his wisdom and compassion were profound, and so was his anxiety and anger.
While there's much we must and should celebrate in Luther's contributions, we have to be mindful, as well, of his horrible antisemitism ... tragic enough, for sure, but mitigated a bit by the fact that Luther was a child of his age, and white advocating the burning of synagogues, Luther did not advocate killing as others did; a small concession, though, that hardly mitigates Luther's contribution to German antisemitism. Sadly, the tragedy is compounded by the fact that Luther, so well educated and brilliant, didn't have the depth of understanding to counter the themes of Medieval antisemitism. He surely wasn't the worst, but he could have been so much better.
Yet, it would be our own tragedy to get lost in Luther's foibles and forget his incredible courage and contribution - to free the gospel from the encrustations of indulgences, private masses, private confession and the enumeration of sins, prayers to the saints, the papacy and its luxury, monasteries and their harsh rule, and celibacy, all of which obscured the gospel and upped the level of spiritual anxiety in the people, and it was, of course, the people for whom Luther had so much concern - that they be able to see the gospel in its simplicity and its beauty and come to trust the God of love, and the love of God, for their life and their future.
In all ways, Luther's struggle remains our struggle, too - the people, that they might have life, and have it abundantly. And anything that constricts the flow of life to all equally is the Enemy!
Though Luther's preoccupation with heaven is no longer ours, his fight is surely ours - to clear away every obstacle to wholeness of life, and here is where Luther and Martin Luther King, Jr. are in correspondence. King himself noted, in his letter from the Birmingham Prison, his own reliance upon many crusaders and reformers, including Luther.
Had a man of leaser temperament attempted to challenge the Pope and the Emperor, collapse would have soon come to the effort. But it was Luther's stubbornness and his vision that compelled him to keep on keeping on, no matter how great the distress or dangerous the threats.
A mighty fortress is our God ... is a truth, a reality, a love, a hope, a dream, that we can sing with joy forever.
Hendrix paints an honest portrait ... Luther was a man of many skills and foibles ... his wisdom and compassion were profound, and so was his anxiety and anger.
While there's much we must and should celebrate in Luther's contributions, we have to be mindful, as well, of his horrible antisemitism ... tragic enough, for sure, but mitigated a bit by the fact that Luther was a child of his age, and white advocating the burning of synagogues, Luther did not advocate killing as others did; a small concession, though, that hardly mitigates Luther's contribution to German antisemitism. Sadly, the tragedy is compounded by the fact that Luther, so well educated and brilliant, didn't have the depth of understanding to counter the themes of Medieval antisemitism. He surely wasn't the worst, but he could have been so much better.
Yet, it would be our own tragedy to get lost in Luther's foibles and forget his incredible courage and contribution - to free the gospel from the encrustations of indulgences, private masses, private confession and the enumeration of sins, prayers to the saints, the papacy and its luxury, monasteries and their harsh rule, and celibacy, all of which obscured the gospel and upped the level of spiritual anxiety in the people, and it was, of course, the people for whom Luther had so much concern - that they be able to see the gospel in its simplicity and its beauty and come to trust the God of love, and the love of God, for their life and their future.
In all ways, Luther's struggle remains our struggle, too - the people, that they might have life, and have it abundantly. And anything that constricts the flow of life to all equally is the Enemy!
Though Luther's preoccupation with heaven is no longer ours, his fight is surely ours - to clear away every obstacle to wholeness of life, and here is where Luther and Martin Luther King, Jr. are in correspondence. King himself noted, in his letter from the Birmingham Prison, his own reliance upon many crusaders and reformers, including Luther.
Had a man of leaser temperament attempted to challenge the Pope and the Emperor, collapse would have soon come to the effort. But it was Luther's stubbornness and his vision that compelled him to keep on keeping on, no matter how great the distress or dangerous the threats.
A mighty fortress is our God ... is a truth, a reality, a love, a hope, a dream, that we can sing with joy forever.
August 3, 2016
Next year (2017) sees the five-hundredth anniversary of the Luther's publication of his 95 theses against papal indulgences and the kick-starting of the Protestant Reformation. Expect, therefore, a lot of Martin Luther biographies to be churned out over the next 18 months or so. Quick out of the blocks is Martin Hendrix's biography of the Reformer. Whether it turns out to be the best of the crop remains to be seen. It will, however, probably be the shortest, weighing in at a mere 290 pages. Somewhere along the line, for the true Luther fanatic, I expect a 1000-pager to be hit the shelves.
Short biographies are always to be welcomed. It's far too easy to lose the force of a life in the midst of the available detail - personal and background. We know more about Martin Luther than most other men of his time because he wrote so much and so many of his letters have been preserved. He was after all, Germany's equivalent to the apostle Paul. Hendrix does a good job in distilling the essentials of Luther's life so that the reader is kept interested and the book moves on. He has no truck with attempts to psychoanalyse Luther by exploring his relationships with his father, which is quite a relief. However, the filleting undertaking by Hendrix at times seems a little too thorough. This is, I think, a biography for someone who already knows a fair amount about Luther. Famous episodes (the lightning storm, the tower experience) are barely touched upon, and often only for the purposes of dissolving myth. A little more narrative background could have helped from time to time.
I also found some important background information and analysis lacking. Why did the Elector Frederick shelter Luther and not bow to Imperial pressure to hand him over? What was the Elector's stake in the Reformation. Perhaps we don't really know. If so, it would have been nice to have been told. Here the indexing lets us down. A search for Frederick in the index leads the reader to only a few salient moments, whereas other references to him (including the first) are omitted entirely. This isn't really good enough for an academic biography.
That notwithstanding, this is a good biography that gives us a helpful picture of one of the most influential men in European history without feeling the need to give us the whole picture of the Reformation or of early-modern Germany.
Short biographies are always to be welcomed. It's far too easy to lose the force of a life in the midst of the available detail - personal and background. We know more about Martin Luther than most other men of his time because he wrote so much and so many of his letters have been preserved. He was after all, Germany's equivalent to the apostle Paul. Hendrix does a good job in distilling the essentials of Luther's life so that the reader is kept interested and the book moves on. He has no truck with attempts to psychoanalyse Luther by exploring his relationships with his father, which is quite a relief. However, the filleting undertaking by Hendrix at times seems a little too thorough. This is, I think, a biography for someone who already knows a fair amount about Luther. Famous episodes (the lightning storm, the tower experience) are barely touched upon, and often only for the purposes of dissolving myth. A little more narrative background could have helped from time to time.
I also found some important background information and analysis lacking. Why did the Elector Frederick shelter Luther and not bow to Imperial pressure to hand him over? What was the Elector's stake in the Reformation. Perhaps we don't really know. If so, it would have been nice to have been told. Here the indexing lets us down. A search for Frederick in the index leads the reader to only a few salient moments, whereas other references to him (including the first) are omitted entirely. This isn't really good enough for an academic biography.
That notwithstanding, this is a good biography that gives us a helpful picture of one of the most influential men in European history without feeling the need to give us the whole picture of the Reformation or of early-modern Germany.
July 6, 2016
Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer who birthed the Lutheran churches that survive into our modern times, was and still is a figure of controversy. His books were burned, but his ideas the Christian faith spread beyond the borders of Saxony and informs many of the doctrines of modern churches in the Protestant tradition today. He wrote caustically about Jews and Catholics (to say the least), yet oversaw the translation of both the Old and New Testaments into vernacular German, which would inspire other translations of the Bible such as the King James Version. As the 500th anniversary of Luther's posting of his 95 Theses quickly approaches, this book could not come at a more timely moment. Mr. Hendrix does an excellent job at making Martin Luther's life and works accessible to modern readers while keeping it all within the context of Luther's era. He shows how Luther never wanted to create a separate church from Rome, but saw that he had no choice after his interrogation at Worms. And his church, which would spread throughout much of Germany and somewhat beyond during his life, was always a fragile project. Mr. Hendrix deftly guides the reader not just through Luther's theological arguments, but also through the politics and networks of brilliant scholars and priests Luther formed in Wittenberg that allowed the Lutheran church to survive and, later, thrive.
Still, this is not a perfect biography. His choice of starting his narrative with Luther's death is odd as is his choice to wait until the last two chapters to discuss Luther's anti-semitic writings. Indeed, though Mr. Hendrix gives a good explanation for these writings, it is hardly satisfactory. Perhaps if Mr. Hendrix had spread Luther's evolving views about Jews throughout the second half of this book, it might have added greater context to the darkest stain on Luther's reputation.
Martin Luther was brilliant and principled, stubborn and irascible. This book does a fine job of assessing Luther's life and work and making it all understandable to the modern reader. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the great reformer.
Still, this is not a perfect biography. His choice of starting his narrative with Luther's death is odd as is his choice to wait until the last two chapters to discuss Luther's anti-semitic writings. Indeed, though Mr. Hendrix gives a good explanation for these writings, it is hardly satisfactory. Perhaps if Mr. Hendrix had spread Luther's evolving views about Jews throughout the second half of this book, it might have added greater context to the darkest stain on Luther's reputation.
Martin Luther was brilliant and principled, stubborn and irascible. This book does a fine job of assessing Luther's life and work and making it all understandable to the modern reader. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the great reformer.
January 20, 2016
Stimulating new biography on Luther. The author Hendrix, explains the corrupt church practices Luther wanted to reform in the church. Primarily indulgences - clergy selling forgiveness to sinners and pocketing the coin. This corrupt practice enriched those clergy who sold indulgences and was sanctioned by the papacy. Luther was not trying to divide the church, he desired to bring it back to basics.
For me the most interesting themes were learning about the competing influences between the Holy Roman Emperor, the German princes or "Electors" that served as a royal check on the emperors power, the office of the Pope and the papal supporters. Keep in mind that the papacy was a much stronger political/economic figure during the middle ages and reneisance. Popes were essentially kings networked to the royal houses, a treasury, the ability to raise taxes and armies. As such by the 16th century it had become quite corrupt. Luther and other reformers fought against the perceived excesses. Hendrix described throughout what aspects of Luther's writings angered popes throughout his life.
Also noteworthy were the other Christian dissenters who either competed with Luther or courted for his camp's approval. There were other reformer groups - some who went further than Luther. Luther often chose to write against them as well as his Catholic detractors. Alliances were formed tenuosly at the behest of the princes who had accepted the reformation and feared Catholic reprisials.
Hendrix provides much depth without being long-winded. His well researched bio employed letters, sermons, pamphlets, books and commentaries written by Luther and his contemporaries. I recommend this to anyone interested in events of the early reformation, Luther's life, and the politics of Europe.
For me the most interesting themes were learning about the competing influences between the Holy Roman Emperor, the German princes or "Electors" that served as a royal check on the emperors power, the office of the Pope and the papal supporters. Keep in mind that the papacy was a much stronger political/economic figure during the middle ages and reneisance. Popes were essentially kings networked to the royal houses, a treasury, the ability to raise taxes and armies. As such by the 16th century it had become quite corrupt. Luther and other reformers fought against the perceived excesses. Hendrix described throughout what aspects of Luther's writings angered popes throughout his life.
Also noteworthy were the other Christian dissenters who either competed with Luther or courted for his camp's approval. There were other reformer groups - some who went further than Luther. Luther often chose to write against them as well as his Catholic detractors. Alliances were formed tenuosly at the behest of the princes who had accepted the reformation and feared Catholic reprisials.
Hendrix provides much depth without being long-winded. His well researched bio employed letters, sermons, pamphlets, books and commentaries written by Luther and his contemporaries. I recommend this to anyone interested in events of the early reformation, Luther's life, and the politics of Europe.
October 4, 2016
On the verge of the 500th Anniversary of Luther's Theses, it would be a good time to re-study the life of the man who helped spark the Reformation. Interestingly, Luther still hoped for an internal reform of the Roman Catholic Church as late as 1530. While this wouldn't have stopped other reformers like Zwingli, it could have changed European history and avoided numerous wars if Rome had been willing to reassess itself.
November 28, 2016
Another Luther book worth reading
If you know a bit of history but don't know much about the Reformation or Martin Luther, this is the book for you. Hendrix is fair and offers insight into what made Luther so influential without glossing over his faults.
If you know a bit of history but don't know much about the Reformation or Martin Luther, this is the book for you. Hendrix is fair and offers insight into what made Luther so influential without glossing over his faults.
July 24, 2022
I think it is one of the better biographies I've read. It is hard to contribute to the crowded shelves of biographies about Luther, but this one does. A good, rounded picture. Strong on emphasizing the human limitations and personal frustrations of the Reformer, bringing out his crankiness.
September 27, 2016
Pretty interesting. A different view of Luther than I'd had previously. More human. He made mistakes; he misread people; he changed his views and mind and stand on issues.
October 7, 2016
One of the best biographies I have encountered about Luther. Recommended reading.
January 5, 2017
Very informative biography of Martin Luther. Pleasant style, many quotations from primary sources. To be placed among the best on the topic.
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