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The ultimate, epic saga of love, war, death, destruction, hope, power and faith. Excerpts from Stephan Füssel`s introduction to 'The Luther Bible of 1534'
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In fact, 18 German-language Bible versions existed before Luther's time, a remarkable number indeed; and if their impact was limited this was certainly because they were expensive, used obsolete language and followed the translation principle of verbum e verbo, that is, stayed too close to the original Latin, which often led to misunderstandings and misinterpretations. This meant that the German version was accessible only to those who were able to read the Latin text. Since moreover the Church claimed to be the sole authority for interpreting Scripture, there was no great motivation to purchase these early versions.
Luther gave Scripture a completely new status in theological thought and Church practice-asserting the sole authority of Scripture (sola scriptura) and the ability of the laity to read the Bible and distinguish between revealed truth and the distorted practice of the "Ancient Church"-and provided a new German version of the Bible that drew on the original texts with innovative freshness, thus ensuring that his translation enjoyed unprecedented fame. Between 1522 and 1546 (the year of Luther's death) more than 300 High German Bible editions were published, totalling more than half a million copies-a truly incredible number, given the fact that the book market was still in ist infancy and the majority of the population were illiterate. During the first half of the 16th century, Luther's writings constituted one-third of all books printed in German.
Luther as Reformer
"I am a peasant's son; my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father were real peasants. As Philipp Melanchthon put it, I should have become a foreman, a steward and whatever else they have in the country, some supervisor of labourers. Then my father moved to Mansfeld and became a miner. That's where I'm from." This brief autobiographical sketch takes us into the growing copper-mining centre of Thuringia and shows how his family climbed the social ladder. One year after his birth, on 10 November 1483 in Eisleben, his parents, Hans and Margarethe Luder, moved to Mansfeld, where his father found work in a mine. This occupational change made possible the economic and social rise of Luther's family; in 1491, his father was promoted to smelting master and as the operator of a copper smelting works, was elected member of the Mansfeld village council to represent the citizens' rights before the city administration.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
In fact, 18 German-language Bible versions existed before Luther's time, a remarkable number indeed; and if their impact was limited this was certainly because they were expensive, used obsolete language and followed the translation principle of verbum e verbo, that is, stayed too close to the original Latin, which often led to misunderstandings and misinterpretations. This meant that the German version was accessible only to those who were able to read the Latin text. Since moreover the Church claimed to be the sole authority for interpreting Scripture, there was no great motivation to purchase these early versions.
Luther gave Scripture a completely new status in theological thought and Church practice-asserting the sole authority of Scripture (sola scriptura) and the ability of the laity to read the Bible and distinguish between revealed truth and the distorted practice of the "Ancient Church"-and provided a new German version of the Bible that drew on the original texts with innovative freshness, thus ensuring that his translation enjoyed unprecedented fame. Between 1522 and 1546 (the year of Luther's death) more than 300 High German Bible editions were published, totalling more than half a million copies-a truly incredible number, given the fact that the book market was still in ist infancy and the majority of the population were illiterate. During the first half of the 16th century, Luther's writings constituted one-third of all books printed in German.
Luther as Reformer
"I am a peasant's son; my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father were real peasants. As Philipp Melanchthon put it, I should have become a foreman, a steward and whatever else they have in the country, some supervisor of labourers. Then my father moved to Mansfeld and became a miner. That's where I'm from." This brief autobiographical sketch takes us into the growing copper-mining centre of Thuringia and shows how his family climbed the social ladder. One year after his birth, on 10 November 1483 in Eisleben, his parents, Hans and Margarethe Luder, moved to Mansfeld, where his father found work in a mine. This occupational change made possible the economic and social rise of Luther's family; in 1491, his father was promoted to smelting master and as the operator of a copper smelting works, was elected member of the Mansfeld village council to represent the citizens' rights before the city administration.
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Kings, fol. CXXIIIIv: Elijah being taken to heaven in the chariot of fire
Revelation, fol. CXCIIr: The seventh angel sounds, revealing the ark of the covenant as the seat of God