This revisionist study demonstrates Luther's deep familiarity with medieval philosophy and theology. It connects his doctrines of Christ, salvation, and the priesthood to broader late medieval historical, religious, and political concerns, and shows how indispensable the study of the Middle Ages is for understanding Luther's theology.
Staging a conversation among distinguished Luther scholars, historians of Christianity, and philosophers,
The Medieval Luther makes the case that it is impossible to understand Luther's most important doctrines without exploring his philosophical inheritance. After all, Luther was an ardent participant in and contributor to the philosophical disputes of the late Middle Ages. By situating Luther's theology in relation to medieval healing practices, mysticism, biblical interpretation, and politics, this volume blurs the historiographical line between the medieval and early modern periods. Offering an expansive appreciation of the Middle Ages for his thought,
The Medieval Luther is indispensable for any future study of the Reformation's leading figure.
Table of contents:
Christine Helmer: Introduction. The Search for the Medieval Luther
Part One: ChristologyDavid J. Luy: Martin Luther and Late Medieval Christology. Continuity or Discontinuity? -
Richard Cross: Luther's Christology and the Communicatio Idiomatum -
Aaron Moldenhauer: Analyzing the Verba Christi. Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and Gabriel Biel on The Power of Words -
Marilyn McCord Adams: Eucharistic Real Presence. Some Scholastic Background to Luther's Debate with Zwingli
Part Two: SoteriologyGraham White: Modal Logic in Luther's
Enslaved Will -
Alice Chapman: Christ the Physician. Medieval Roots of the Christus Medicus in Luther -
Candace L. Kohli: The Medieval Luther on Poenitentia. Good Works as the Completion of Faith in the Christian Life -
Jennifer Hockenbery Dragseth: Friendly Grace. The Augustinian Roots of Luther's Epistemology -
Else Marie Wiberg Pedersen: »You Are Mine, and I am Yours«. The Nuptial Motif in Luther's Theology -
Volker Leppin: Mysticism and Justification
Part Three: MinistryDean Phillip Bell: Ministry and Sacred Obligation. A Late Medieval Context for Luther's »On Whether One May Flee from the Death« -
Christopher Voigt-Goy: Luther and Priestly Potestas in the Late Middle Ages -
G. Sujin Pak: The Protestant Reformers and the Regula Fidei -
Christine Helmer: The Priesthood and its Critics
