Luther and the Lutheran Tradition

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The Protestant Reformation is traditionally said to begin with Martin Luther's posting of his "95 Theses" on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Oct 31, 1517. Luther was, in every respect, a larger-than-life figure, whose experience (as a monk, university professor, and pioneering reformer) helped lead the way during the early years of the movement that shook Christian Europe. His firebrand courage, his boldness and audacity, as well as his theological learning and religious acumen -- these all made him the right person and the right time. Biblesoft offers 10 volumes of Luther's works, including all of his best-known writings - besides the landmark 95 Theses, a collection of tracts and treatises (Address to the Nobility, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, The Bondage of the Will, etc.), his Catechisms, a rich selection of Sermons from his Church Postil, Commentaries on Genesis, Galatians, the Sermon on the Mount and other NT passages; along with Letters and Hymns, as well as his famous (or infamous) Tischreden ("Table-Talk"). Also included is Luther's German Bible translation, which, along with his Hymns, would surely be regarded as his finest and most lasting work; it's influence on the German language is equal to that of the KJV on English.

Besides Luther's writings, we offer five classic studies on his life and work, among which are Quaker historian Roland H. Bainton's wonderful Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, and the Life of Luther by Julius Köstlin (in translation). Also included are two biographies on Philip Melancthon, Luther's younger colleague -- one of the finest theologians, scholars, and educators of the day. "Peace-loving" Melanchton tended to adopt a more moderate or mediating position on controversial issues, and was on friendly terms with Calvin and other Reformed leaders. These controversial issues are exemplified in the Lutheran Book of Concord, the definitive document of Lutheranism.

What's Included

Works of Luther, Volume 1:

• The Ninety-Five Theses
• Theses of the Heidelberg Disputation
• Sermon "On Threefold Righteousness"
• Treatise on Good Works
• The Bulls of Pope Leo X Condemning Luther
• Luther's Exhortation to the Clergy

Works of Luther, Volume 2: [the "Three Treatises" of 1520]

• To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation
• On the Babylonish Captivity of the Church
• Treatise on Christian Liberty ("Freedom of a Christian")

Works of Luther, Volume 3:

• The Bondage of the Will, against Erasmus
• Eck's Theses Against the Lutherans
• The Roman Confutation of the Augsburg Confession [note: Melanchthon's Defense is in the Book of Concord]
• The Smalcald Articles
• Disputation on the Divinity and Humanity of Christ, against Schwenckfeld

Works of Luther, Volume 4:

• Luther's Large and Small Catechisms
• The German Mass and Order of Divine Service
• An Open Letter on Translating
• The Preface to Romans (1545 edition)
• Commentary on Galatians

Works of Luther, Volume 5: [Sermons]

• Sermons for the Church Year, from Luther's Postil, with an index by Bible Passage

Works of Luther, Volume 6:

• Table-Talk (Tischreden)
• Seven selected Letters of Luther
• Life and Acts of Martin Luther, by Melanchthon, with an address to the students of Wittenburg on the Death of Luther

Works of Luther, Volume 7:

• Approx. 500 Letters, arranged chronologically and grouped by year
• 36 Hymns (in German, with English translation)

Works of Luther, Volume 8:

• Commentary on Genesis
  [Covers only Genesis 1-9 (Creation, Fall, Cain & Abel, Flood), but still a lengthy work, comprising 2 print volumes (from a 13 vol. 1904 print set)]

Works of Luther, Volume 9:

• Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount
• Commentary on the Epistles of Peter and Jude

Works of Luther, Volume 10 [from a 2-vol. print set 1915/1916]:
(Note that several of these writings are duplicated in earlier volumes)

• Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences (The 95 Theses) [1517]
• Treatise on the Holy Sacrament of Baptism [1519]
• A Discussion of Confession [1520]
• The Fourteen of Consolation [1520]
• Treatise on Good Works [1520]
• Treatise on the New Testament, that is, on the Holy Mass [1520]
• The Papacy at Rome [1520]
• Treatise Concerning the Blessed Sacrament of the Holy and True Body of Christ [1519]
• Treatise Concering the Ban [1520]
• Open Letter to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation [1520]
• On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church [1520]
• Treatise on Christian Liberty [1520]
• Brief Explanation of the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer [1520]
• Eight Wittenberg Sermons [1522]
• That Doctrines of Men Are to be Rejected [1522]

The Lutheran Book of Concord [Standard modern English edition]

Luther's German Bible translation

Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, by Roland H. Bainton

Life of Luther, by Julius Köstlin

Luther and the Reformation, by Joseph A. Seiss

Luther Examined and Reexamined, by W. H. T. Dau

Luther on the Eve of His Revolt, by M. J. Lagrange

Life of Philip Melanchthon: Two Biographies

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