Off the Record with Martin Luther

by Martin Luther, Charles J. Daudert (Commentary), Paul L. Maier (Foreword)

An original translation of the Table Talks from the Weimar Edition with commentary by Charles J. Daudert and Foreword by Dr. Paul L. Maier. This is the first and only authentic popular translation of the conversations around the Luther dinner table from original Medieval German and Latin sources. Although a limited number of the Weimar Edition Table Talks have been previously translated by Fortress Press/Concordia Publishing House, this edition of OFF THE RECORD WITH MARTIN LUTHER presents a complete picture of the Reformation and Luther family life. Other works currently in print are reprints of a discredited collection translated into English in the 17th Century which contain very few of the authentic Table Talks in this edition.

496 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

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

[Tim Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Nothing like sitting at Martin Luther's dinner table listening in on the conversations.

[K B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I probably would never have read the Table Talks by Luther if I hadn't stumbled across this version. Good stuff!