Paul Althaus (1888–1966)

The Theology of Martin Luther is a comprehensive and systematic survey of Martin Luther’s entire thought by an internationally recognized authority in the field of Reformation research. The main theological questions which engaged the Reformer’s attention are set forth in clear and simple fashion, along with a host of quotations from this own writings to illumine the presentation. Scholars and laypersons alike will appreciate the more than a thousand instances in which the author allows Luther to speak forcefully and directly for himself.

In the Logos edition of The Theology of Martin Luther, you get easy access to Scripture texts and to a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Hovering over Scripture references links you instantly to the verse you’re looking for, and with Passage Guides, Word Studies, and a wealth of other tools from Logos, you can delve into God’s Word like never before!

Top Highlights
“We Christians, unlike the men of the Old Testament, are no longer directed to a geographical location. What Jerusalem and the temple once were for them, Christ now is for us. His humanity is the place to which God summons us. Christ alone is the sanctuary and the mercy seat of the New Testament. Only here is God now present with men; and it is here that we must speak with him, for he will hear us only here. If we seek God outside of Christ, we will not find him even if we look for him in heaven.” (Page 22)

“‘Faith and God belong together.’8 They are correlated in two ways. First, true faith can never have any other object than God, for only God can be unconditionally trusted.9 Secondly, only that faith which unconditionally trusts God really treats him as God. Faith is this relationship to God; and God is the One in whom we can and must believe. If we want to express what faith is, we must speak about God. And if we want to say who God is, we must speak of faith.” (Page 45)

“God can be properly known only in terms of his relationship to man; and man can be properly known only in terms of his relationship to God.” (Page 9)

“This theology of the cross also determines Luther’s view of the church. The true church of Christ cannot be identified with the historical institution which calls itself the church and with its errors, sins, divisions, and heresies. Rather the true church is hidden under this empirical reality.” (Page 32)

“‘It is impossible for a person not to be puffed up by his good works unless he has first been deflated and destroyed by suffering and evil until he knows that he is worthless and that his works are not his but God’s.’” (Page 29)

Praise for the Print Edition
It is likely to remain a standard source book for American theologians for some time to come.
—Dialog… (mer)

This is a comprehensive and systematic survey of Martin Luther's entire thought by an internationally recognized authority in the field of Reformation research. The main theological questions which engaged the Reformer's attention are set forth in clear and simple fashion, along with a host of quotations from this own writings to illumine the presentation. Scholars and laypersons alike will appreciate the more than a thousand instances in which the author allows Luther to speak forcefully and directly for himself.… (mer)

After my wife read this one, she exclaimed that Martin Luther would make a good Democrat. As I envisioned the reaction some of the more conservative members of our Lutheran congregation would have to this statement, I knew that I had to read the book for myself. The Ethics of Martin Luther is basically a distillation of Luther's thoughts on ethics, culled from his various writings. If you want to read what Luther actually said, then you need to follow the footnotes and look up the various references yourself. Otherwise, you just have to take Rev. Althaus' word for it. It starts out, appropriately enough, with what Rev. Althaus sees as the foundation of Luther's ethics--the doctrine that sinners are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 'Tis such a beautiful thought that my heart sang as I read the first chapter, and I was naturally won over to whatever Rev. Althaus had to say from then on. He then went on to Luther's views on the two types of law--natural law, which is evident through reason and is common to all humanity; and divine law, which is revealed through the Bible and is binding only on the follower of Jesus. From there we're shown how this twofold legal system plays out in areas of government, family, work and economics. It was interesting reading, one that put into words many of my own ethics. As for Luther's political leanings--he was, of course, a man of his own time and culture. I'm sure that, were he to be transported to 21st Century America, he would fit in with neither of the dominant political parties. And probably each party could point to his teaching to support parts of their own platforms.
--J.… (mer)