Luther Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

A Treatise on Good Works is considered Luther’s clearest exposition on Christian life and the relationship between faith and good works. Contrary to the teachings of the medieval church of his day, Luther taught that people need not... more

A Treatise on Good Works is considered Luther’s clearest
exposition on Christian life and the relationship between faith
and good works. Contrary to the teachings of the medieval
church of his day, Luther taught that people need not perform
extraordinary acts of religious devotion to be saved, but rather
that Christ saves them by grace through faith. Neither the
church nor any other human institution can define what it
means for each individual to obey and serve God, and only
through the grace of God can people live and act faithfully
in their everyday affairs. These doctrines, foundational for
Protestantism, have shaped both Christendom and culture
at large. This essay is doubtlessly one of the most important
texts of the last 500 years.

This paper examines Martin Luther's interpretation of love in the gospel of John. It is part of a series that explores the meaning of love in Luther for the Christian life. Here Luther speaks of some expressions f love that are not... more

This paper examines Martin Luther's interpretation of love in the gospel of John. It is part of a series that explores the meaning of love in Luther for the Christian life. Here Luther speaks of some expressions f love that are not prominent in some of his other writings. For example, he writes on love and friendship, on love for Christ and love as the eschatological reality. His understanding of love in this text does not fit into the sharp opposition of eros and agape that Anders Nygren used to interpret Luther.

Most scholars have contended that early Catholic responses to the Reformers showed deep misunderstandings. In this essay, I examine More's reading of Luther, as can be gleaned through his subtle "Dialogue Concerning Heresies," and contend... more

Most scholars have contended that early Catholic responses to the Reformers showed deep misunderstandings. In this essay, I examine More's reading of Luther, as can be gleaned through his subtle "Dialogue Concerning Heresies," and contend that More substantially gets Luther right. I make one major qualification that only redounds to a further critique of Luther, while appreciating the loftiness of his vision that nonetheless founds his own misconceptions.

Partiendo del principio protestante del "sacerdocio de todos los creyentes", que propuso Lutero , se plantean las implicaciones teológicas y eclesiales de este "sacerdocio universal", como la confesión de la "sanctorum communio". Se hace... more

Partiendo del principio protestante del "sacerdocio de todos los creyentes", que propuso Lutero , se plantean las implicaciones teológicas y eclesiales de este "sacerdocio universal", como la confesión de la "sanctorum communio". Se hace una intersección con la salud mental, en cuanto la comunidad cristiana responde, desde una ética del dolor, a las experiencias de sufrimiento psíquico. Se plantean las miradas de comprensión de dicho sufrimiento desde la psicopatología y los abordajes psicoterapéuticos, así como se plantean las formas de intervención desde las comunidades de fe para el crecimiento y la curación.

This work speaks about the damnation in Martin Luther‟s view. Inside this topic resides the aspects of the temporal and eternal punishments. This, indeed, will be discussed inside three doctrines: sin, grace, and faith. The focus resides... more

This work speaks about the damnation in Martin Luther‟s view. Inside this topic resides the aspects of the temporal and eternal punishments. This, indeed, will be discussed inside three doctrines: sin, grace, and faith. The focus resides over the theology of the “young” Luther, namely, before he had the “experience of the tower” that would change all his “theology of the Cross”. Also is viewed who exercise this punishments and so how Luther see the way to fly of the damnation. To understand the theology of the “young” Luther will be made a lecture in his notes on the works of Peter Lombard and Augustine, so on in his first lectures on the Psalms. About the “mature” Luther will be made a summary of his writings present in the Book of Concord (Catechisms and Smalcald Articles) and in his Lectures on Romans and Psalms, this after he pass through the “experience of the tower”.

Abstract: Henry David Thoreau (Concord-Massachusetts, U.S.A. 1817-1862) is one of the main American writers of the 19th century. His works include Walden or Life in the Woods (1854) - a true manifest of ecological concern - and the... more

Abstract: Henry David Thoreau (Concord-Massachusetts, U.S.A. 1817-1862) is one of the main American writers of the 19th century. His works include Walden or Life in the Woods (1854) - a true manifest of ecological concern - and the influential essay On the Duty of Civil Disobedience (1849), where he develops the concept of civil disobedience to unjust laws and political regimes. This statement has to do, in particular, with his radical opposition to slavery and to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). The present paper corresponds to the forth chapter of the doctoral thesis in Philosophy, entitled “Desobediencia civil y esclavitud en Henry David Thoreau”. This work was published in 2003 by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome) and by Los Hemisferios University (Quito, Ecuador) in 2009. This Ph.D. research presents an all-inclusive overview of Thoreau´s thinking in his main writings. The chapter we are dealing with intends to determine Thoreau’s impact on the adoption and application of the concept of civil disobedience in the politics of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
Resumen: Henry David Thoreau (Concord-Massachusetts, EE.UU. 1817-1862) es una de las figuras preeminentes del pensamiento norteamericano del siglo XIX. Entre sus obras principales destacan Walden or Life in the Woods (1854) - auténtico manifiesto precursor del ecologismo contemporáneo - y el célebre ensayo On the Duty of Civil Disobedience (1849), en el que defiende la tesis de la desobediencia civil a los regímenes y leyes injustos, particularmente con ocasión del fenómeno de la esclavitud y de la Guerra de los EE.UU. contra México (1846-1848). El presente artículo corresponde al capítulo cuarto de la tesis doctoral en Filosofía titulada “Desobediencia civil y esclavitud en Henry David Thoreau: proyecciones de una filosofía política”, trabajo de investigación publicado por la Pontifica Universidad de la Santa Cruz, de Roma, en el año 2003 y por la Universidad de Los Hemisferios, de Quito, en 2009. La obra aborda la cosmovisión de Thoreau, recogiendo sus principales fuentes en lengua inglesa - muchas de ellas traducidas por el autor al castellano -, para delinear en el capítulo en cuestión el claro influjo del autor norteamericano en la adopción y aplicación del concepto de desobediencia civil por parte del Mahatma Gandhi y de Martin Luther King, Jr.

Il protestantesimo è una branca del cristianesimo sorta nel XVI secolo per riformare la Chiesa cattolica, la cui dottrina e la prassi erano considerate deviate e non più conformi alla parola di Dio. Questo movimento religioso, originato... more

Il protestantesimo è una branca del cristianesimo sorta nel XVI secolo per riformare la Chiesa cattolica, la cui dottrina e la prassi erano considerate deviate e non più conformi alla parola di Dio. Questo movimento religioso, originato dalla predicazione dei riformatori Jan Hus, Martin Lutero, Huldrych Zwingli, Giovanni Calvino e John Knox determinò enormi risvolti politici nelle nazioni dell'Europa centrale e in altre che, per via di alleanze strategiche e dinastiche, erano legate alla cultura espressa in lingua tedesca. Sotto il termine "protestantesimo" si riunisce un variegato universo di chiese ed organizzazioni ecclesiastiche, alcune delle quali molto diverse tra loro.

Luther’s conception of “universal priesthood” played a major role in the history of the Protestant church. His thought, however, was misunderstood in many ways among modern scholarship. This essay aims to show the development of Luther’s... more

Luther’s conception of “universal priesthood” played a major role in the history of the Protestant church. His thought, however, was misunderstood in many ways among modern scholarship. This essay aims to show the development of Luther’s doctrine of universal priesthood, and in so doing it will unpack various meanings of the doctrine. In his three major 1520 works, To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and The Freedom of a Christian, Luther formulated the doctrine through a provocative exegesis of important scriptural verses such as 1 Peter 2:9 and 1 Corinthians 14:29. His view, however, was changed through his experience of a series of historical events; Thomas Müntzer and the “Zwickau prophets” used violence to defend their opinions, and the German Peasants’ War resulted in a great massacre. Then Luther clearly saw the ignorant cruelty of lay people and toned down his previous doctrine on universal priesthood. Luther abandoned or changed the main points of his exegesis of the scriptural verses that he endorsed for the doctrine in 1520. He argued that ministers of the word can be ordained not by lay people but by the national church, that only those who are formally ordained can preach the word of God, and only preachers can judge the sermons of other preachers. It is certain that Luther’s doctrine of universal priesthood was altered in many respects by the end of the 1520’s. In sum, one can get the true meaning and implication of Luther’s doctrine of universal priesthood better through this historical perspective.
루터의 만인 제사장직 교리는 오직 성경, 오직 은혜, 이신칭의 등의 교리와 함께 개신교의 근간을 형성해 온 중요한 교리이다. 이 교리는 그러나 많은 오해 속에서 제대로 이해되지 못하였다. 루터의 이 사상은 시간 속의 변화를 고려할 때 제대로 이해할 수 있다. 루터는 1520년의 세 주요 작품 즉, 『독일 귀족들에게』(8월), 『교회의 바벨론 포로』(10월), 『그리스도인의 자유』(11월)에서 만인 제사장직 교리를 전개하였다. 이 작품들에서 그는 모든 그리스도인은 세례와 더불어 왕 같은 제사장으로 임명된다고 주장하였고, 사제직과 일반 신자들 사이에는 그 어떤 위계적 차이도 존재하지 않는다고 역설하였다. 일반 신자들도 성경을 해석할 수 있으며, 교회에 문제가 있을 시에 교황뿐 아니라 군주들도 공의회를 소집할 수 있다고 루터는 강조하였다. 무엇보다 그는 모든 기독교인들이 제사장으로서 성찬식에서 떡과 포도주를 다 받을 수 있다고 주장했다. 모든 신자들은 서로를 위해서 제사장 역할을 해야 한다. 이것이 1520년에 루터가 가졌던 만인 제사장 이론이다. 그러나 그로부터 10년이 지나는 가운데 루터는, 뮌처 사건, 농민전쟁 등을 겪게 된다. 또한 일반 신자들의 무지함 때문에 무분별하게 세워진 목회자들의 증가로 교회가 혼란을 겪는 것을 목도한다. 그리하여 루터는 이제 1520년의 견해를 약화시키거나 또는 철회하였다. 루터는 만인 제사장직 교리에서 인용했던 구절들을 다르게 해석하면서, 공적으로 임명 받은 사역자만이 설교할 수 있으며, 목사의 임명은 회중들에 의해서만 이뤄질 수 없고 국가교회의 위임이 필수적이라고 주장한다. 또한 그는 다른 사람의 설교를 제대로 판단할 수 있는 사람은 일반 신도들이 아니라 설교자라고 역설하였다. 이처럼 루터는 만인 제사장직 교리에 대한 자신의 입장을 변화시켰다. 이런 변화를 제대로 관찰할 때, 루터의 만인 제사장직 교리가 가지는 현대적 의의 역시 올바르게 간취할 수 있을 것이다.

미로슬라브 볼프는 루터의 직업윤리를 여러 면에서 비판하였다. 하지만 루터의 직업윤리는 종교개혁의 위대한 결실이다. 그의 직업윤리는 중세의 이원론적 직업윤리를 배경으로 할 때에 잘 파악된다. 그는 구원, 목회직, 가족관계, 직업, 교회의 직분, 특별한 사명, 일상과 관련하여 7가지 의미의 “소명” 개념을 사용하였다. 1520년의 작품들에서 루터의 직업소명론은 인간을 소외시키지 않고 오히려 인간의 삶과 직업에 더 큰 가치를... more

미로슬라브 볼프는 루터의 직업윤리를 여러 면에서 비판하였다. 하지만 루터의 직업윤리는 종교개혁의 위대한 결실이다. 그의 직업윤리는 중세의 이원론적 직업윤리를 배경으로 할 때에 잘 파악된다. 그는 구원, 목회직, 가족관계, 직업, 교회의 직분, 특별한 사명, 일상과 관련하여 7가지 의미의 “소명” 개념을 사용하였다. 1520년의 작품들에서 루터의 직업소명론은 인간을 소외시키지 않고 오히려 인간의 삶과 직업에 더 큰 가치를 부여한다. 모든 일을 하나님과 이웃을 섬기는 일로 보기 때문이다. 디모데전서 3:13에 대한 주석(1527/28)을 보면, 영적 소명과 외적 소명이 같은 자리를 차지하는데 그것은 후자가 전자보다 상위 자리를 차지해서가 아니라 두 소명 모두 그리스도를 기쁘게 섬기는 일이 되기 때문이다. 1530년대 창세기 주석에서 루터는 신자들이 감사하면서 자신의 직업에 충실할 것을 권면한다. 여기서 루터의 의도는 바람직한 기독교인의 삶의 자세를 제시하려는 것이지, 직업을 바꿔서는 절대 안 된다는 것이 아니다. 루터는 정부가 적절한 교육을 젊은이들에게 제공함으로써 좋은 직업을 택하도록 도와주어야 한다고 주장한다. 루터 자신이 농부의 아들로 태어나 대학 교수가 되었으며, 또한 다양한 자리에서의 소명에 대해 가르쳤다. 루터의 직업윤리는 그의 칭의론, 두 왕국론(Zwei-Reiche-Lehre), 율법과 복음론과 깊은 연관성을 지닌다. 그리고 21세기 한국교회를 위해서도 중요한 적용점들을 지닌다. / Miroslav Volf criticized the vocational ethics of Luther. It is, however, a great fruit of the Reformation. It is better understood when one considers the medieval circumstance as its background. Luther used the term of “calling” in relation to salvation, pastoral ministry, family, occupation, churchly offices, special mission, and everyday life. In his 1520s works, Luther’s doctrine of calling and vocational ethics did not alienate human beings but gave more value to human life, work, and jobs, for it regarded all work as serving God and neighbors. In Luther’s commentary on 1 Timothy 3:13 (1527/28), the spiritual calling and the external calling took the same position because both were connected with serving Christ with pleasure. In his 1530s Genesis commentaries, Luther encouraged believers to carry out their work with gratitude. He did not mean that they should never change their jobs; rather, he pointed to a desirable Christian attitude toward life. Luther argued that the government should help young people to get a good job by providing proper education. He himself was born as a son of a peasant but became a professor at a university. He also taught about one’s vocation as being in various states (Stand in German) such as in the family, church, and society. Luther’s vocational ethics is correlated with his doctrines of justification, two kingdoms, and the “law and gospel.” It provides multiple points of practical application for 21st century Korean churches.

The construction of ‘sorcerers’ in the Formicarius, Malleus Malificarum, Die Emeis and other treatises presented a comparatively impoverished imagery, whereas imaging the male victims of feminine witchcraft, like the harridan-ridden... more

The construction of ‘sorcerers’ in the Formicarius, Malleus Malificarum, Die Emeis and other treatises presented a comparatively impoverished imagery, whereas imaging the male victims of feminine witchcraft, like the harridan-ridden Aristotle, the mortified Adam, or the stable groom victimized by hippomanes, came near to approaching the affective, abject power of feminized witch iconography—which is to say, the naked and eroticized feminine body. More importantly, descriptions of male witches in the Malleus were based on specific, formulaic or ceremonial acts and not on grand theories of Natural Philosophy, which painted pictures of polluted physicality or sexually corrupted essential nature. Passages dealing with elite, masculine magic tended to present technical, imagistically boring reading compared to the richer, more dramatically detailed, sensationalistic sections on witches. They feature as less dramatic subjects for visual interpretation with far fewer classical antecedents and a far less universal symbol set. The closest exemplars of masculine iniquity, or ‘pollution,’ were to be found in the tropes surrounding ‘cuckolds,’ Jewish males, and addictive, ‘Faustian’ magicians – men who had lost control to the devil or his prime agent, Woman. And even these tropes relied, for their effect, upon the assignment of ‘effeminate’ attributes and the emotive language of contamination or pollution. Male witches deemed culpable for the usual, feminine stamp of maleficium were figured as woman-like in that they were constructed as ‘weak minded,’ or as ‘fools’ subject to demonic delusions and folly

and Keywords Luther develops a new concept of the Word of God that concentrates on the word and image of Christ. He uses performative images and presence metaphors not only in the field of Christology, but also in the field of creation... more

and Keywords Luther develops a new concept of the Word of God that concentrates on the word and image of Christ. He uses performative images and presence metaphors not only in the field of Christology, but also in the field of creation and consummation. The Word of God and the image of Christ are the only medial possibilities for proclaiming the presence of God with the prevalence of the oral word over the written word (scripture). Christ is understood as the personal Word of God, which can be communicated only through interpersonal mediality and polysemy. The cultural technique of communication makes faith possible (e.g., through the sermon, Lord's Supper, or baptism). Rhetoric is the effective and affective way to communicate this Word of God. The rhetoric of the crucified as the imaginative Word of God is the medium that liberates the believer from being entangled with sin, hell, and death. Yet speech cannot be functionalized to become a guaranteed presence of this word—although Christ understands himself as a communicator. At the same time, his word is a rhetorical strategy for coping with the absence of God. The cry at the cross, " My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? " (Mark 15:34) is a verbal expression of the complete Godforsakenness of the crucified. The words on the cross express the radical absence of God. The rhapsodic cry is centered on abandonment. It cannot be whitewashed by ontology or logic. With these words Luther accentuates the negativity of the dead body as a communicative practice. The Word of God (and the word of the Christian) is characterized by polysemy: the word of the resurrection of Christ is gospel. Only this oral word enables the perception of resurrection. In many other dogmatic fields, such as creation, theological anthropology, incarnation, the sacraments, ecclesiology, and eschatology, faith and words belong together because God's companionship with us is verbal. The iconic and metaphoric character of the word is not a representation of the fourfold sense of scripture, but a unique way to accentuate the performativity and at the same time the polysemy of the Word of God.

루터는 그의 신학의 시작이라 볼 수 있는 “제 1차 시편 강의”부터 그의 말년에 이르는 “창세기 강의”까지 “교회의 감춰져 있음”이라는 개념을 줄곧 사용했다. 하지만 그는 그 개념을 자신이 처한 시대적 상황에 따라 강조점의 차이를 가지고 다르게 사용했다. 첫째로, 루터는 1519년에서 1525년 사이에 “교회의 감춰져 있음”의 개념을 교회 비판적 기능을 위해 사용했다. 그는 교회의 영적인 측면을 강조하기 위해서 이 개념을... more

루터는 그의 신학의 시작이라 볼 수 있는 “제 1차 시편 강의”부터 그의 말년에 이르는 “창세기 강의”까지 “교회의 감춰져 있음”이라는 개념을 줄곧 사용했다. 하지만 그는 그 개념을 자신이 처한 시대적 상황에 따라 강조점의 차이를 가지고 다르게 사용했다.
첫째로, 루터는 1519년에서 1525년 사이에 “교회의 감춰져 있음”의 개념을 교회 비판적 기능을 위해 사용했다. 그는 교회의 영적인 측면을 강조하기 위해서 이 개념을 사용했다. 교회는 영적인 측면으로 이해되어야 한다. 교황이 세상에서 사탄적인, 보이는 방식으로 자신의 보호를 추구하는 것은 옳지 않다. 교회 안에 있다고 해서 모두 다 참된 크리스천인 것은 아니며, 영적인 삶을 살아가는 자들이야말로 진정한 크리스천이라고 할 수 있다. 그런 사람들은 세상의 관점에서는 드러나지 않고 다만 하나님의 관점에서만 드러나기 때문이다. 루터는 “교회의 감춰져 있음”을 가지고 교회의 영적 특성과 순결성을 강조하고, 그것으로 로마교회를 비판했다.
둘째로, 루터는 1532년에서 1535년 사이에 “교회의 감춰져 있음”의 개념을 변증적 기능으로 사용했다. 1526년 이후로 개신교회가 외형적으로 형성되었다. 루터는 이런 상황에서 개신교회를 옹호하고 변증하는 차원에서 “교회의 감춰져 있음”을 얘기한다. 교회의 거룩성은 그리스도의 은밀한 죄 씻음의 사역을 통해서 확보된다. 교회의 참된 열매들과 표지들이 감추어져 있다. 따라서 개신교회의 외적인 부족함을 보면서 쉽게 그것을 부정하거나 비판해서는 안 된다. 이 땅에서 교회의 거룩성은 완전한 거룩성을 이룰 수는 없고 오류와 결점이 있을 수밖에 없기 때문이다.
셋째로, 루터는 1535년에서 1543년 사이에 “교회의 감춰져 있음”의 개념을 목회적 기능을 위해 사용했다. 그는 이 개념을 가지고 성도들이 고난과 역경 속에서도 견디도록 독려했다. 현실에서 참된 교회는 감춰져 있고 참된 교회로 여겨지지 않지만, 십자가의 판결을 붙들어야 한다. 참된 교회는 위기를 겪는다. 하지만 엘리야와 그리스도에게 승리를 주신 하나님을 교회는 붙들어야 한다. 교회는 비록 감춰져 있고 핍박을 받고 있으나 약속의 하나님을 신실하게 믿고 나아가야 한다. 하나님이 감춰져 계시듯이 교회도 감춰져 있다고 말한다. 하지만 감춰져 있는 하나님은 말씀과 성례를 통해서 드러나신다. 그렇기에 참된 교회는 고난 가운데 감춰져 있지만 하나님의 말씀을 붙잡음으로써 고난의 시기를 이겨야 한다.
정리하자면, 루터는 “교회의 감춰져 있음”을 시대에 따라, 교회 비판적으로, 개신교회의 옹호와 변증을 위해, 위로와 권면을 위해서 사용하였다.
** Abstract
Luther used the concept of the “hiddenness of the church” from his First Lectures on the Psalms to his mature work, Lectures on Genesis. He, however, applied the concept according to his day and focus of interest.
First, Luther used the concept of the “hiddenness of the church” to criticize the contemporary medieval church between 1519 and 1525. He emphasized with it the spiritual aspect of the church. He argued that it is wrong for popes to be concerned about being defended in the public place of the world's tabernacle and in visible things. Although the true church has been hidden so long beneath sacred vestments, ritual, works, and similar outward pretensions, maintained Luther, the believer is saved not through the contribution of money but through faith. Luther stressed the purity of the church and criticized the contemporary medieval churches through the concept of the “hiddenness of the church.”
Second, Luther used the concept for an apologetic purpose between 1532 and 1535. With this concept he defended the Protestant church in Germany which had an external-focused form since 1526. When some critics reproached the Protestant church because of its faults, Luther claimed that the true fruit and certain marks of the church were hidden from the eyes of those who were good at judging small offenses but could not see the great miracles the church did. Luther contended that one should not indiscreetly blame the church because the church in this world cannot be perfect.
Third, Luther used the concept of the “hiddenness of the church” for a pastoral purpose. He encouraged believers to stand firm in adverse situations and sufferings. Although the true church is hidden and even will be regarded as heretical, believers must gain the conviction that the cross and its verdicts are true and infallible signs of the true church. God will give victory to the true church as he did to Elijah and Christ. At this point, Luther also pointed out that the true church has true marks such as the word of God and the sacraments. Thus, the concept of the “hiddenness of the church” cannot be applied to a heretical church.
In sum, Luther used the concept of the “hiddenness of the church” to criticize the medieval Roman church, to defend the Protestant church, and to comfort true believers according to their current situation.

Abstract: The aim of the essay is a thoroughly innovative interpretation of the outcome of Machiavelli’s intellectual curriculum: an anti-Lutheran interpreter of Erasmus of Rotterdam (Esortazione alla penitenza, 1525... more

Abstract: The aim of the essay is a thoroughly innovative interpretation of the outcome of Machiavelli’s intellectual curriculum: an anti-Lutheran interpreter of Erasmus of Rotterdam (Esortazione alla penitenza, 1525 depends on De immensa Dei misericordia, 1524) in the orbit of the Roman “Arciconfraternita della carità dei cortegiani di san Girolamo”, a military leader of the pontifical army, an eulogistic Pasquinista for Clement vii, the author of four Pasquinate thus far considered anonymous. In short, Machiavelli as courtier/“cortegiano” of the Pope, who in the end will turn out to be at the origin of the myth of don Giovanni.
Keywords: Machiavelli, Erasmus, Luther, Medici Popes, War of the League of Cognac.

A fresh translation of Barth's concise post-WWII grounding sketch of what Christian ethics entails as a specifically critical theological discipline, and in what it must find its basis. Intended to improve readability for non-academic... more

A fresh translation of Barth's concise post-WWII grounding sketch of what Christian ethics entails as a specifically critical theological discipline, and in what it must find its basis. Intended to improve readability for non-academic intro audience, as well as to properly update the language to today's standards, vs van Buren's translation in God Here and Now.

Vocational theologies were once a popular and important part of Protestant worldviews, but they fell into hard times during the last hundred years. There has recently been a resurgence of interest in vocational theologies, especially... more

Vocational theologies were once a popular and important part of Protestant worldviews, but they fell into hard times during the last hundred years. There has recently been a resurgence of interest in vocational theologies, especially Neo-Calvinist ones. In this paper, I argue that Lutheran vocational theologies may be more beneficial to churches than their Neo-Calvinist counterparts are, but one predominant reading of Luther on vocation has stunted interest so far. This is unfortunate because a reassessment of Wingren's portrayal of Luther's vocational theology reveals that Luther's own vocational theology is not as suffering-driven or limited as Wingren makes it out to be. As a result, broader Lutheran accounts such as Meilaender's prove true to the Lutheran tradition and may offer better, and more realistic frameworks within which to reflect on work for churches today.

Argues that Luther's concept of the salvific power of the Gospel promise is based on a medieval Catholic concept of sacramental efficacy, because the Gospel is an outward word that gives what it signifies. This must be received by faith... more

Argues that Luther's concept of the salvific power of the Gospel promise is based on a medieval Catholic concept of sacramental efficacy, because the Gospel is an outward word that gives what it signifies. This must be received by faith alone, but unlike later Protestantism it does not require "reflective faith," the belief that "I believe." This paper gets at the heart of my own theological thinking.

Translated from the French by Bettina Bergo and Philippe Farah In Nietzsche and the Shadow of God, philosopher Didier Franck revisits fundamental concepts of Nietzsche’s thought, from the death of God and the will to power, to the... more

Le but de cet article est d'étudier comment la pensée de Luther sur l’Eglise et son unité permet de nourrir un dialogue fécond. En cette année 2017 du jubilé de la Réformation, le message de Luther est remis en avant de la scène... more

Le but de cet article est d'étudier comment la pensée de Luther sur l’Eglise et son unité permet de nourrir un dialogue fécond. En cette année 2017 du jubilé de la Réformation, le message de Luther est remis en avant de la scène œcuménique. Revenir aux sources de sa pensée réformatrice me paraît en effet indispensable.
« Ni la chrétienté protestante ni la chrétienté catholique ne peuvent ignorer la figure et le message de Luther », affirme la Commission luthéro-catholique sur l’unité, dans son important document « Du conflit à la communion ».

The task of this text is to refute the church's doctrine of predestionation in order to remove obstacles in the understanding of the Christian faith, of man and of human history in general. Die Aufgabe dieses Textes ist es, die... more

Da Lutero al terrorismo della Rote Armeé Fraktion l'Ideologia Tedesca è caratterizzata da una sopravvalutazione dell'individuo e della libertà spirituale. La ricerca di una dimensione interiore per la soluzione di problemi sociali, la... more

Da Lutero al terrorismo della Rote Armeé Fraktion l'Ideologia Tedesca è caratterizzata da una sopravvalutazione dell'individuo e della libertà spirituale. La ricerca di una dimensione interiore per la soluzione di problemi sociali, la confusione tra libertà spirituale e libertà politica, a comportato una lunga serie di soluzioni mistiche, escatologiche, addirittura diaboliche (il patto col diavolo di Faust) caratterizzando la storia e la letteratura tedesche. E se proprio Lutero fosse il creatore di Faust nell'era moderna? Molti indizi spingono in questa direzione. Dalla Riforma verrebbe dunque a scaturire la fonte di tutte le soluzioni interiori o metafisiche che trovano in Germania un fertile terreno psicologico e morale: il faustismo come soluzione individuale.

The importance of this Commentary on Galatians for the history of Protestantism is very great. It presents like no other of Luther’s writings the central thought of Christianity, the justification of the sinner for the sake of Christ’s... more

The importance of this Commentary on Galatians for the
history of Protestantism is very great. It presents like no
other of Luther’s writings the central thought of Christianity,
the justification of the sinner for the sake of Christ’s merits
alone.We have permitted in the final revision of the manuscript
many a passage to stand which seemed weak and ineffectual
when compared with the trumpet tones of the Latin
original. But the essence of Luther’s lectures is there. May
the reader accept with indulgence where in this translation
we have gone too far in modernizing Luther’s expression—
making him “talk American.”
(This text was made available at the following website: https://ccel.org/ccel/l/luther/galatians/cache/galatians.pdf)

List of resources and texts used in my PhD.

The Bavarian State Library in Munich preserves the Quinta vox partbook of a collection of German songs by the Passau composer Leonhard Paminger (1495–1567). This source is particularly important because it is one of only two autograph... more

The Bavarian State Library in Munich preserves the Quinta vox partbook of a collection of German songs by the Passau composer Leonhard Paminger (1495–1567). This source is particularly important because it is one of only two autograph manuscripts of Paminger’s music. It is also important because Paminger’s huge published output contains very few vernacular songs. Although the loss of all but one of the partbooks of Paminger’s songs makes it impossible to reconstruct these pieces, this autograph manuscript nevertheless adds much to what we might otherwise be able to conclude about Paminger’s vernacular polyphony merely on the basis of his published work. Yet the book as it has come down to us is not simply an important repository of otherwise unknown music by a prolific (if little-known) sixteenth-century composer. Later alterations to the partbook by Leonhard Paminger’s son Sophonias reflect the latter’s desire to project an exaggerated image of his late father as a staunch defender of Lutheran orthodoxy. The book as it has come down to us thus bears traces of the purposes of Leonhard Paminger, its original author and scribe, and of Sophonias Paminger, its later editor.