This book gives a wonderful, solid depiction of the background and context of the Reformation. I have never seen another book on Luther go into such dThis book gives a wonderful, solid depiction of the background and context of the Reformation. I have never seen another book on Luther go into such depth to explain the centuries of Medieval tradition from which the reformers were distinguishing themselves. I have also never encountered another Luther book that so clearly and satisfyingly explains the complex political powers and structures involved in the Reformation. The vast number of illustrations are also a great boon.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants a brief biography of Luther in the context of his very specific time and place. This is the book that has helped me understand so many of the other books on Luther that I have read. The Electors’ courage when the Emporer opposed Luther, the delicate stance Luther took during the Peasants’ War, even Luther’s troubled relationship with his father—many such complicated facets of Luther’s life are given thoughtful consideration here....more
An enlightening account of the connection between Protestantism and politics. This book is highly detailed and informative, following Lutheran thoughtAn enlightening account of the connection between Protestantism and politics. This book is highly detailed and informative, following Lutheran thought through 500 years of German history. Having already studied Muntzer, who in Luther’s time stirred up war in order to implement his vision of a more perfect society, I was fascinated by this account of Adolph Hitler as Muntzer’s spiritual successor. Luther, who for his part encouraged nonviolent interactions and civil disobedience in the face of extreme suppression and injustice, is here compared to such activists as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Moreover, I enjoy reading about history, and I was glad to read accounts of the Nazi regime, the anti-Nazi resistance, and the fall of Communist East Germany—all viewed through the lens of Lutheranism. Looking at how different churches, ministers, and congregations either supported or opposed Hitler certainly opened my eyes to a nuanced social, political, and religious movement. Finally, I have long been interested in the history of the Second World War, but I have never studied it from a German point of view, nor ever encountered such a detailed and nuanced portrait of the complexities of WWII German politics. While much of what I had previously read paints all of 1930’s & 1940’s Germany with the same wide brush, this account describes the German resistance—the German citizens who tried to depose Hitler, who sought aid from Allied forces, and who risked and sometimes lost their lives in the attempts. We all know stories of American and British heroes who moved against Hitler. It was nice to learn of the resistance from within Germany as well....more
This biography was very interesting and remarkably detailed. Although it was somewhat long, it kept me turning pages until the very end. This book wasThis biography was very interesting and remarkably detailed. Although it was somewhat long, it kept me turning pages until the very end. This book was more than a decade in the making, and that shows in the care taken with the in-depth exploration of Luther's life. This well-illustrated biography delves into Luther's childhood, his formative years, and different stages of his life's work. It focuses on Luther himself, a complex individual, and analyzes him in the context of 16th-century Germany, with its particular social customs, politics, and culture. This book shows Luther's humanity, even his faults, and it does not present a flawless image of perfection.
However, in trying to demonstrate Luther's flaws as well as his strengths, I think that Roper sacrificed objectivity. For example, when Luther was isolated from both his family and the Reformation movement, he received word that his father had died. Alone, grieving, he sent his friend Melanchthon a somewhat rude and impatient letter, which is explored in depth in this book. However, the close friendship they shared is downplayed, and even naming him godfather to his kids is mentioned only in the notes in the back of the book, after the main text is finished. Luther often reacted with strong emotion, and even over-reacted, but while I have read in other books that Luther himself admitted that "indiscretion" was "my greatest fault," neither that quote nor Luther's own self-awareness comes through in this biography. Instead, we are left with a portrait of a man who is uncontrolled, paranoid, violent . . . and completely clueless as to why this is a problem. But this image of Luther isn't borne out by history. He had his moments of extremism, to be sure, but taking a few extremes out of their larger context and avoiding the rest takes a powerful reformer and turns him into an unstable bumbler.
Last point, I promise! In this Luther biography, Roper criticizes the Lutheran composer J. S. Bach: "In The St. Matthew Passion the angular melodic line spares the listener nothing of the viciousness of the Jews' shouts of "Lass ihn kreuzigen" ("Let him be crucified"), and follows this with heartfelt individual meditations on Christ's suffering; the implicit anti-Semitism of the glorious music can be hard to take" (Roper, p. 403). Excuse me? Bach is anti-Semitic because he used strident music to portray some specific angry individuals from history? This is the same St. Matthew Passion that (1) shows that Romans, not Jews, killed Jesus (2) shows that Jesus and all his disciples WERE Jews (3) that uses beautiful instrumentation and choir to show the suffering of Jesus (4) showed the human conflict in Peter as he denied him, and (5) used a variety of melodic lines, vocal recitatives, choral harmony, and instrumentation to depict all sorts of emotions from all sorts of people. Arguably the strongest angriest music from the entire production is directed not at the Jewish high priests, but at Judas Iscariot; this passage features an adult choir, a children's choir, rapid angry orchestration, and an echoy grand pause. The words are equally chilling: "Are lightning and thunder vanished in clouds? Open up the fiery bottomless pit, oh hell! Smash, ruin, swallow up, break to pieces with sudden fury this false betrayer, this murderous blood." And Roper ignores all this human drama to say a few individuals in a different section prove Bach is prejudiced? Why is a Luther biography even so concerned with music of the Baroque period, 200 years later? One line in one song that directly quotes another source anyway doesn't prove a thing about Bach. But the fact that Roper would try to build this up into an argument makes me question her reliability as an objective witness to history.
It's really too bad because there is so much in this book that is valid, and interesting, and important to know, for both positive and negative. As you read it, be aware of what's in it, but also be aware of what is left out....more
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