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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
Luther's medieval life has had major influnces on our modern world, and he is both unfairly praised and maligned frequently, especially when his statements are taken out of context. This even-handed and readable biography was quite helpful in understanding the backdrop of the reformation and the man who became the father of Protestantism.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
So first the good - this is overall well written and gives a good picture of Luther's life, I feel like I got at least an overview of everything that was foundational to the man.
My issue with this book is that it's written almost as a vicarious autobiography. The writer endeavors to agree with or be able to defend almost everything Luther has ever said or thought. A more appropriate title of this book would have been "Here I Stand: A Defense of Martin Luther" (though I'm not sure that's a book we'd really need at this point, the man's life speaks for itself).
There is also various absurd exaggerations, my favorite example being at the very end of the book, where the author argued Luther's only peer in the use of language is Shakespeare. I can't even imagine Luther himself would have made such an outlandish claim.
My issue with this book is that it's written almost as a vicarious autobiography. The writer endeavors to agree with or be able to defend almost everything Luther has ever said or thought. A more appropriate title of this book would have been "Here I Stand: A Defense of Martin Luther" (though I'm not sure that's a book we'd really need at this point, the man's life speaks for itself).
There is also various absurd exaggerations, my favorite example being at the very end of the book, where the author argued Luther's only peer in the use of language is Shakespeare. I can't even imagine Luther himself would have made such an outlandish claim.
Though sometimes long in the tooth, this was quite an enjoyable read---if you're interested in the Luther or the Reformation that is.
It contains many quotes from Luther and his contemporaries which help to give the book a sense of relevance. It is packed with useful information, but of course that it is important to remember, that Bainton, like all authors/historians had an agenda.
While he claims to want to show the man behind the myth, he cannot help but perpetuate the myth in his writing. For example, the famous quote, from which Bainton gets his title and his closing limes "Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise." Was not actually recorded at the time. But Bainton speculates that the scribes were simply "too awestruck to record it."
All this is not to say that it is not a good scholarly work, taken with a grain of salt, this is a very informative,and interesting biography of "the little monk whose inner turmoil tore the western world in half."
It contains many quotes from Luther and his contemporaries which help to give the book a sense of relevance. It is packed with useful information, but of course that it is important to remember, that Bainton, like all authors/historians had an agenda.
While he claims to want to show the man behind the myth, he cannot help but perpetuate the myth in his writing. For example, the famous quote, from which Bainton gets his title and his closing limes "Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise." Was not actually recorded at the time. But Bainton speculates that the scribes were simply "too awestruck to record it."
All this is not to say that it is not a good scholarly work, taken with a grain of salt, this is a very informative,and interesting biography of "the little monk whose inner turmoil tore the western world in half."
Here I stand: a life of Martin Luther by Roland H. Bainton (1950)
Luther was a divisive figure 500 years ago and he remains a divisive figure today. Sadly, most of the people who hate Luther today do so out of ignorance. Bainton’s remarkable biography should help dispel some of that ignorance for those who truly seek to understand the man and his times. Luther was far from perfect and he would be the first one to admit that.
About 2/3 of this book is spent dealing with the history and times of Luther. It’s helpful but there’s always the tendency to get a little lost in the names. The remainder of the book is where it shines. When Bainton pulls together Luther’s conception of the church, his reformation of worship, and reformation of family... I personally found that most helpful. And the chapter on Luther’s anfechthung (spelling?) was encouraging to my own struggling heart.
Luther’s life and legacy may well be summed up in his last words, a mixture of the German he loved and the Latin he studied: Wir Sind bettler, hoc est verum. “We are beggars, this is true.”
About 2/3 of this book is spent dealing with the history and times of Luther. It’s helpful but there’s always the tendency to get a little lost in the names. The remainder of the book is where it shines. When Bainton pulls together Luther’s conception of the church, his reformation of worship, and reformation of family... I personally found that most helpful. And the chapter on Luther’s anfechthung (spelling?) was encouraging to my own struggling heart.
Luther’s life and legacy may well be summed up in his last words, a mixture of the German he loved and the Latin he studied: Wir Sind bettler, hoc est verum. “We are beggars, this is true.”