Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 21-25

Luther's Works #4

by Martin Luther, George V. Schick (Translation)

Luther-s The American Edition, published by Concordia and Fortress Press between 1955 and 1986, comprises fifty-five volumes. These are a selection representing only about a third of Luther-s works in the Latin and German of the standard Weimar Edition, not including the German Bible. In this volume, Luther ends his biography of Abraham (begun in Volume 2) and begins his focus on the later patriarchal narratives. Written, it is believed, during an outbreak of the plague in 1539, this section of the Genesis lectures (Genesis 21-25) includes Luther-s moving study of the Abraham and Isaac story in which he compares Isaac-s obedience to that of Christ.

Genres: Reference

443 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good.

[Glenn Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I continue my enjoyable task of going through Luther's Works, I have now finished Volume 4. I still think the first two Volumes were the better ones in his coverage of Genesis so far. In this Volume he covers Genesis 20 through 25 - so we finish our look at Abraham, cover Isaac and are introduced to Jacob and Esau.

I must admit that I am still struggling a bit with how hard Luther seems at time to justify the actions of the patriarchs. I do understand that in many ways that are his heroes. But I think he sees a far too idealised "church" back in the day - and for someone who understands the struggle we as Christians have with our sinful natures, I find this a bit surprising.

As did most in his time, he takes the Genealogies as having no gaps, so he involves Shem and the other patriarchs into the stories - so Rebecca goes and discusses her barrenness with Shem. In some ways this is a bit like the historical fictions of today, so that Luther does make the world of Genesis much more three dimensional. However I do keep coming back to the fact that the Bible doesn't say anything about Shem after the post-flood account, etc...

All this said, I still find I can get "taken away" with his rhetoric - Luther has such passion for the Scripture that it is still infectious even after almost 500 years :)