Luther's Works Lectures on Genesis: Volume 2, Chapters 6-14 (utgåvan 1960)

As could be expected, this is the second volume in an expansive series of Martin Luther's works translated into English. The first eight volumes consist of his lengthy commentary on the Book of Genesis. I love reading Luther because he manages to evoke such a wide range of reactions from me – whether it's nodding in awe at his insights, or getting angry with him because of his unnecessary yet all-too-scathing polemics, or simply laughing at some of his ridiculous remarks or tangents. Luther is frequently in dialogue with Jewish and traditional Roman Catholic interpreters, and relies on his knowledge of Hebrew quite a bit – since he was, after all, a professor of Hebrew. He frequently finds areas of comparison between the plights of the patriarchs and his own situation vis-a-vis the papacy. There are also, from time to time, delightful reminders that Reformation-era science is not modern science. For instance, in his comments on Genesis 9:12-16, Luther gets into a discussion of how many colors there are in a rainbow (149). Going against the view of others that there are four, Luther stumps for two, “a fiery one and a watery one”, suggesting that the watery color represents the Flood and the fiery color represents the future destruction by fire (cf. 2 Peter 3:7). This volume (along with the others) is great for anyone interested in Genesis and the history of its interpretation, or who wants a better understanding of Luther or the Reformation, or who enjoys occasional insights into Reformation-era science or culture. ( )