Martin Luther: Rebel in an Age of Upheaval

by Heinz Schilling, Rona Johnston Gordon (Translator)

No other German has shaped the history of early-modern Europe more than Martin Luther.

In this comprehensive and balanced biography we see Luther as a rebel, but not as a lone hero; as a soldier in a mighty struggle for the universal reform of Christianity and its role in the world. The foundation of Protestantism changed the religious landscape of Europe, and subsequently the world, but the author chooses to show Luther not simply as a reformer, but as an individual.

In his study of the Wittenberg monk, Heinz Schilling - one of Germany's leading social and political historians - gives the reader a rounded view of a difficult, contradictory character, who changed the world by virtue of his immense will.

Genres: Biography, History, Religion, Christianity, Biography Memoir, Theology, Nonfiction

576 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Until his retirement in 2010 Heinz Schilling was Professor of Early Modern History at the Humboldt University, Berlin. His main areas of research are in early modern European history, including studies in religion, politics, migration studies, foreign policy, and social and cultural history.

Reviews

[Jonathan Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newly translated into English from the 2013 German edition and rendered on paper in the smudgiest ink money can buy, this monumental biography by Heinz Schilling is an absolutely welcome addition to scholarship, particularly in this 500th anniversary year of the Reformation (2017). Schilling is not, by trade, a theological or ecclesiastical historian; his focus has largely been on political and social history, and that shows, where he spends less time tracing the nuances of Luther's theology and more time on his interaction with social and political forces, and the texture of his life and character.

Personally, I learned a great deal, especially regarding Luther's involvement in university reform efforts at the same time he was beginning to involve himself in the indulgence controversy. This book ably situates Luther; gives a real glimpse of his approaches to art and music (apparently he was a very accomplished lute player); the operation of his household; his self-conception as a prophet (which was quite fascinating); his literary output (averaging five pages per day, for some years); and his character, in which his frequent harsh prickliness could be outweighed by his face-to-face conviviality.

An excellent work for the present year and beyond.

[Michael Huang]

Martin Luther (ne Luder) is supposed to go into the law and safeguard his family's middle class status. But he followed his heart (because of a lightening strike) and entered St. Augustine's Monastery. After being ordained he began studying theology. He's also influenced by the order's desire to reform the Catholic church and in particular the issue of selling indulgence.

The effort of reform, of course, got nowhere. Through constant meditation of the bible passages, he wanted to avoid blind adherence to the teachings of the Pope. And thanks to the printing press, Luther had many copies of his "theses" posted on many church doors. What follows is perhaps familiar to the student of history: the church initially ignores these reformist; then they try to silence Luther; and finally they excommunicated him. Luther on the other hand mounted a media blitz with more pamphlets etc. and truly rocked the ship. The Holy Roman Emperor got involved (and through some interesting 16th century congressional oversight) and tried to extradite Luther to Rome. Amid the mounting tension between the two opposing sides, his supporter even kidnapped him for safety, creating almost a martyr out of him.

The offshoot of what is a religious argument is far-reaching. There is knights against electors and peasants against the nobility. When the dust is settled, there are sweeping changes in the land. Priests were no longer considered sacred; those loyal to Rome were replaced by Lutherans; and their position in the social hierarchy was taken by merchants and artisans. The nobility were in full control and got more independence from the Church. Many principalities and towns sympathetic to Luther submitted a "protestation" to the Diet (imperial congress) against the renewal of the ban of Luther, hence the name "protestants".

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was kind of tough book to rate.

Schilling gets partway behind the 8-ball in the prologue, when he repeats as fact the “Here I stand” legend — and legend it is — from Worms. He states it again when the time comes to discuss Worms in more detail. I was ready to 4-star and no higher for that reason. At the same time, he clearly rejects stuff clearly considered legend, like the story of throwing the inkwell at the devil. Elsewhere, he tries to split the difference on Oct. 31, 1517, claiming that Luther or somebody had a copy of the 95 affixed somewhere, but not the door, at the Castle Church, while ignoring what Luther may have done in the days before that to speed their dissemination.

He further behind, tho not as egregiously, when in the first section, he seems to indicate a certain chunk of educated people besides Columbus weren’t sure the world was round. I’m sure he doesn’t directly claim that of the Portuguese court, but it was a bit verstimmeled here. In reality, after the Spanish rejected him the first time, the Portuguese rejected him because they knew his distance estimates were off. I’m not sure if Eratosthenes’ guesstimates of the Earth’s size had come back to light yet, but I have no doubt that by the 1480s, Portugal had sailed far enough south in nearly a straight line that they knew Ptolemy was off.

But, he also has some very good stuff. His framing of two main, important issues, led me to be ready to given him the benefit of the doubt on the above and five-star him.

Here’s some lesser things I either learned or had refreshed for me that aren’t mentioned in the two other major Luther bios of the last 40 years that I’ve read in the last year, namely, Oberman and Roper.

He early on the number and variety of vernacular translations of the bible long before Luther. Notes many of them were lay driven, like with the Waldensians, which has issues for Luther’s “priesthood of all believers” not being quite in line with the Predigeramt, which then gave him room to smash down lay-led Anabaptists. (That said, Schilling does touch a bit on Luther backtracking from his true “priesthood of all believers.”)

Notes the family name of Luder and how Luther, pulling a humanism, Graecizied it to Luther based on Eleutherios. He had “tried on” Eleutherios as a new, humanist surname, but soon let it go again.

Luther the hypocrite? Twenty years after supporting bigamy for Philip of Hesse, accuses Spalatin of supporting incest by OKing a widowered pastor to marry his dead wife’s stepmom. (Apparently our Old Testament scholar hadn’t read up on levirate marriage and other things, nor did he recognize how Rome’s ever tighter rules on marriage had led to the incipience of something like the “nuclear family.”)

He notes Charles did not officially send a copy of the post-Worms Imperial bann to Elector Frederick, therefore it never had the force of law inside of Electoral Saxony. This, in turn, is why Luther went halfway to Augsburg in 1530. He went to the southern border of Electoral Saxon land.

Better than Oberman or Roper on Luther vis a vis the Reformed, though not by much on the Sacrament. Still no depth, nor whether Luther ever had an answer for Karlstadt on Greek grammar. Does note that in Germany, or maybe Europe-wide, Lutherans and Reformed came to an agreement in 1973 in Leuenberg, Switzerland. (LCMS doesn't discuss this! Nor, seemingly, does the ELCA in detail. It led to a United Protestant Church in France and was 13 years in the making. It covered other doctrinal issues as well, and led to a fellowship of Lutheran, Reformed, and Prussian Union type churches in much of Europe, which also included … Waldensians! Besides the Eucharist, other areas of discussion and eventual agreement included Christology [remember the old “the finite is not capable of the infinite”?], predestination and justification. European, including British, Methodist churches joined in 1997)

Doesn't father-figure psychoanalyze Luther, unlike Roper does at times (but not all the time by any means). Simply portrays him as obstinent, and increasingly so with age, and not just due to torments of aging. Says this was the case after Worms onward.

That said, per the subtitle of “Rebel in a Time of Upheaval,” Schilling nailed Luther’s psychology quite well. Per a Sherman T. Potter comment on a M*A*S*H episode, he was just a stubborn Missouri mule and got more that way the older he got, especially from the Peasants’ Revolt on. It’s why he addressed Zwingli and other Reformed at Marburg and elsewhere with as much vituperation as he addressed at popes.

That said, Schilling doesn’t extrapolate this to its conclusion.

Luther essentially as an individual acted just like he said the popes and councils he deplored acted: As though being infallible.

Spoiling for a fight with Erasmus yet biding his time?

Schilling is definitely good on Lutheranism emerging as a territorial church vis-a-vis the various Calivinisms that sought, rather, to take over the state, or the Separatist types who sought to be separate. This relates to one of two main issues he gets better than Roper or Oberman, or maybe somewhat to both.

Schilling, as a professor of early modern history, rather than one of theology, is good at Luther’s Sitz im Leben, the actual transition to early modernity. At times, he contrasts the Luther of the 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th and 500th birthdays, at least as celebrated in Germany states in the first three cases, united Germany in the fourth and East and West Germany in the fifth, vs. the reality of Luther’s stance on economics and other things. He ties some of this to the development of Lutheranism vs. Calvinism.

The other item that he was good on, and stressed a lot in the second half of the book, was Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms.

Well, at first. He was great about talking about Luther on the two kingdoms on paper, but NOT as this played out, or mis-played out, in reality.

In other words, there’s a WHOPPER of a misfire on Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms vs Luther’s reality, namely in his comments about Jews and Turks. Luther’s comments about the Jews are well-known, including his willingness to invoke the power of the state against them. And, that’s highly contradictory to his professed doctrine. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/...

And, a lesser failure, IMO, of claiming Luther showed his two-kingdoms theology by leaving war against the Turks in the secular hand. If Luther had not peddled every Christian PR line about Muslims, would he necessarily have called for the Imperial state to wage war against the Ottomans primarily because they were Muslim, not because they were a threat to the Empire? After all, Francis I of France made an alliance with them.

Then claims that Luther’s focus re the Jews was only a religious anti-Judaism but later admits Luther talked about Jewish blood at the end of his life. Related: Jewish occupational stereotypes, if not about “blood,” are about culture and not religion.

Schilling tries to defend himself here as writing a historical presentation, not a critical history. To me, it comes off as an apologia, in its theological and related use, as in a 1531 Lutheran foundational work, rather than a historical presentation.

So, three bottom lines:

1. This is a more uneven four-star than Roper for sure and maybe than Oberman.
2. Of the three, Roper is best. She’s arguably a 4.5 star, but still leaves enough off the table to not get the bump. The two gents don’t cross 4.0 stars.
3. The back of my mind wonders if Schilling is a member of the “free” Lutheran Church in Germany.

[Wilhelm Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic writing. Excellent research and balanced narrative - and well worth reading for every Lutheran, but also interested historian. Schilling manages to picture an intricate personality in a complicated time and space in a colorful and meaningful fashion, that makes reading enjoyable and the learning a favorite pastime. This is a book I recommend to my wife and children - and my students and fellow-pastors of course. Tolle lege!

[Tarek Amer · Rating 5 out of 5]

-Martin Luther was born at the end of the Middle Ages, a time of great societal trouble.
-Luther entered a reformist monastery and was taught to criticize the Church in Rome.
-As a Bible teacher in Wittenberg, Luther developed the theological foundations for the Reformation.
-Luther’s posting of his theses set off a revolution, even if it hadn't been deliberate.
-The publication of the theses caused Luther to be both celebrated and reviled.
-Luther’s sophisticated media strategy meant he became the Pope’s most recognizable enemy.
-Luther openly declared his opposition to the Roman Catholic Church at the Diet of Worms.
-The Reformation took hold and was spread by the middle classes.
-Thomas Müntzer developed a social-revolutionary movement built around the beliefs of Luther's Reformation.
-In the Peasants’ War, Luther sided with the nobility.
-Luther’s Reformation brought lasting change to society.
-Despite Luther's progressive outlook in some areas, he was an anti-Semite.
-Luther set the course for fundamental change in Europe.

[Paul Servini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and well researched, this biography takes us to the heart of the man who caused a storm in Christianity in the XVI century but also shows us how he went on to do more than just rebel but to become the founder of a movement withing Christianity which took people back to the Bible and to a simplified and more direct form of Christianity. The author shows the successes but also the struggles of a great man and a man of faith but who often had to struggle with doubt and depression. In addition, he doesn't shy away from the controversies surrounding some of Luther's beliefs but deals with them in a fair though not always condoning way.

[Tony Dib · Rating 5 out of 5]

أمقت لوثر كما أمقت غيره من رجال الدين، وأرى من العويص والتجريدي تفسير وفهم تاريخ قارة بأكملها من منظور سيرة أعمال راهبٍ واحد. لكن في الوقت نفسه أحببت الكتاب، خاصة وأنه يقدم نظرة عن كثب على حياته وعلى عمق التأثير الديني في عصره، حيث تشابكت السياسة والاقتصاد والفلسفة والمعتقد إلى درجة جعلت أي نقد أكاديمي للأمور الدينية—مع ظهور الطباعة وانتشار الكلمة المكتوبة بين العوام—سبباً كافياً لانحلال خيوط المجتمع وتفكك الجماهير وقيام ثورة غيرت أوروبا إلى الأبد. وهكذا، قد يكون فهم تاريخ أوروبا ممكناً، إلى حد ما، من خلال تاريخ البروتستانت.
كتابة سردية ممتعة ومجهود بحثي ممتاز.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very academically minded book. I chose to read this book because it was written by a German and I wanted to hear the perspective of a German scholar on Luther. I found the coverage to be thourogh and honest. I have a much better understanding of Luther's life in the context of the world he lived in.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heavy tome for the nonspecialist. However, the careful scholarship, extensive use of Luther's writings, and the balanced "archaeological"approach--- studying Luther in the context of his time---made this an engrossing read.

[Wenshi Gao · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was understanding of equality that provides the basis for our contemporary understanding of universal equality among human beings, which belonged to ruling classes and middle classes at that times.Read in Blinkist.

[Arne Reidar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boka gjev ein god oversikt over den historiske situasjonen i tida rundt reformasjonen, Luthers liv og korleis reformasjonen utvikla seg. Det kan til tider vere litt mange namn på fyrstar når ein på førehand ikkje har gode kunnskapar om det tysk-romerske riket. Det er særleg dei første 70 sidene som har mange historiske detaljar, så viss ein berre kjem gjennom dei, er det mykje interessant å hente vidare i boka.

[Peder Roulund · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enlightening book for everyone, who is interested in the history of christianity in the 16th century and the history of the reformations of that century.

It is fascinating, how Martin Luthers struggle to place mans justification of Gods grace alone in the center of christianity changed reality in church and society in the western world.

[Richard Kolk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autor made it's point in chapter 1. Rest of book is tedious.

[Kåre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bogen er et forsøg på at få lidt hold på perioden. Jeg skulle nok ikke have taget så religiøst emne, da bogen naturligt nok interesserer sig mere end jeg for religion.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extensive, well written, one of the recent best.

[Lois Sittu]

I received a notice that I had won this book. As of December 19, 2017, I haven't received this book.