The first bestseller in world history
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'
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Martin first attended the Latin grammar school in Mansfeld, the cathedral school in Magdeburg in 1496 and the St George parish school in Eisenach from 1498. In the summer term of 1501 he enrolled in the faculty of arts at the University of Erfurt, and graduated as a bachelor (baccalaureus artium) as early as 29 September 1502. In January 1505 he obtained a master's degree. During the first semester of his subsequent legal studies in Erfurt, he radically changed career plans and entered the eremite order of St Augustine in Erfurt in 1505, in fulfilment of a vow taken in the face of mortal danger, when he feared being struck by lightning. After being ordained priest on 3 April 1507, Luther was instructed to take up theology at the University of Erfurt. As a result he became familiar both with Aristotle and with the nominalist scholastic philosophy and theology of William of Ockham (1285-1349) and of the Tübingen professor Gabriel Biel (c. 1410-1495). Later he was to mount a vehement attack on their doctrine of revelation, their strict separation of the spiritual and the intellectual, and their notion of the capacities of "natural" man.
In October 1508 Johannes von Staupitz (c. 1469-1524), vicar general of the Augustinian order, transferred Luther to the monastery in Wittenberg, entrusting him with a lectureship of moral philosophy at the newly founded university there; in the following year, Luther lectured on Peter Lombard (c. 1095-1160). In 1510/11, he was sent to Rome in the company of a fellow brother in order to seek a settlement of a dispute between different houses of the Augustinian order. Later stylised as his "Rome experience", his confrontation with the Roman Church under Pope Julius II (reg. 1503-1513) laid the foundation for his objection to the secular power of the papacy: Julius II needed funds to rebuild St Peter's Cathedral in 1506, which he intended to raise by issuing a general indulgence, a policy that met with the protest of numerous countries as well as at first of the German princes.
In October 1512 Luther was awarded the doctorate of theology under the auspices of Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt (c. 1477-1541) and appointed to the chair of biblical exegesis (lectura in biblia) hitherto held by his spiritual mentor Johannes von Staupitz. Staupitz had formed Luther in the spirit of St Augustine and the late medieval devotio moderna. As a professor of exegesis, Luther concentrated in the next years on the interpretation of the Psalms (1513-1515) and of St Paul's Epistle to the Romans (1515/16). The Pauline doctrine on sin and grace stood at the centre of his profound Bible studies, which focused strictly on the scriptural text. He had both books reprinted according to the Vulgate for his lectures, leaving enough space between the lines and a wide margin so that his listeners could take notes on his explanations; Luther's own copy of the Psalter, with his handwritten annotations, is today preserved in the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Martin first attended the Latin grammar school in Mansfeld, the cathedral school in Magdeburg in 1496 and the St George parish school in Eisenach from 1498. In the summer term of 1501 he enrolled in the faculty of arts at the University of Erfurt, and graduated as a bachelor (baccalaureus artium) as early as 29 September 1502. In January 1505 he obtained a master's degree. During the first semester of his subsequent legal studies in Erfurt, he radically changed career plans and entered the eremite order of St Augustine in Erfurt in 1505, in fulfilment of a vow taken in the face of mortal danger, when he feared being struck by lightning. After being ordained priest on 3 April 1507, Luther was instructed to take up theology at the University of Erfurt. As a result he became familiar both with Aristotle and with the nominalist scholastic philosophy and theology of William of Ockham (1285-1349) and of the Tübingen professor Gabriel Biel (c. 1410-1495). Later he was to mount a vehement attack on their doctrine of revelation, their strict separation of the spiritual and the intellectual, and their notion of the capacities of "natural" man.
In October 1508 Johannes von Staupitz (c. 1469-1524), vicar general of the Augustinian order, transferred Luther to the monastery in Wittenberg, entrusting him with a lectureship of moral philosophy at the newly founded university there; in the following year, Luther lectured on Peter Lombard (c. 1095-1160). In 1510/11, he was sent to Rome in the company of a fellow brother in order to seek a settlement of a dispute between different houses of the Augustinian order. Later stylised as his "Rome experience", his confrontation with the Roman Church under Pope Julius II (reg. 1503-1513) laid the foundation for his objection to the secular power of the papacy: Julius II needed funds to rebuild St Peter's Cathedral in 1506, which he intended to raise by issuing a general indulgence, a policy that met with the protest of numerous countries as well as at first of the German princes.
In October 1512 Luther was awarded the doctorate of theology under the auspices of Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt (c. 1477-1541) and appointed to the chair of biblical exegesis (lectura in biblia) hitherto held by his spiritual mentor Johannes von Staupitz. Staupitz had formed Luther in the spirit of St Augustine and the late medieval devotio moderna. As a professor of exegesis, Luther concentrated in the next years on the interpretation of the Psalms (1513-1515) and of St Paul's Epistle to the Romans (1515/16). The Pauline doctrine on sin and grace stood at the centre of his profound Bible studies, which focused strictly on the scriptural text. He had both books reprinted according to the Vulgate for his lectures, leaving enough space between the lines and a wide margin so that his listeners could take notes on his explanations; Luther's own copy of the Psalter, with his handwritten annotations, is today preserved in the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
The Luther Bible of 1534
Hardcover, 2 Vol. + Booklet, 19.7 x 30.8 cm (7.8 x 12.1 in.), 1888 pages
$ 150.00
$ 150.00
The complete reprint of Luther's seminal publication
Exodus, fol. LVIv: The Israelites dancing around the Golden Calf
Revelation, fol. CXCVIIIr: The angel with the key to the bottomless pit, binding the dragon for a thousand years