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Small Catechism: Memorizing Edition
This fresh translation of Martin Luther's 500-year-old classic is designed for both the eye and the ear. Its lively language and distinctive layout will make committing these words to heart a joy for the faithful at any age.
64 pages, Paperback
Published September 9, 2020
2 people want to read
About the author
Martin Luther
5,138 books822 followersMartin 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 9, 2020
Excellent fresh translation visually arranged for memorization with frequent use of alliteration and repetition.
November 15, 2023
The positive - the formatting for memorizing is excellent for students with plenty of room for notes, highlights, underlines, etc. The size and cost is minimal for students or churches and therefore easy to supply.
The negative - the wording is NOT updated for our time and culture. Over and over again, Wilson decides to use words or phrasing that is either archaic or unknown in today's culture and as a result, it alienates the students who don't understand what they are reading (e.g. "woo and wheedle", "besmirch", "chaste" "ensnare" "hallowed". Why couldn't this have been translated into a language for today's teens?
The negative - the wording is NOT updated for our time and culture. Over and over again, Wilson decides to use words or phrasing that is either archaic or unknown in today's culture and as a result, it alienates the students who don't understand what they are reading (e.g. "woo and wheedle", "besmirch", "chaste" "ensnare" "hallowed". Why couldn't this have been translated into a language for today's teens?
October 7, 2020
This new translation makes memorizing easier by formatting and word choices that emphasize rhyme, rhythm, and alliteration, and break up Luther’s occasional long strings of verbs and nouns into pairs or triplets. Logical line breaks and wide margins emphasize parallelism and leave space for students to take notes.
If you want copious scriptural references, expanded explanations, charts, historical background, or illustrations, there are plenty of study editions from denominational publishing houses. But for memorization, it’s by far the best translation I’ve seen.
If you want copious scriptural references, expanded explanations, charts, historical background, or illustrations, there are plenty of study editions from denominational publishing houses. But for memorization, it’s by far the best translation I’ve seen.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews