Latest Volume of Luther's Works (LW 75) and How Did Luther Preach?

The latest volume of Luther's Works in English arrived a few days ago: Luther’s Church Postil (LW 75, sermons for the church year). It's wonderful to finally have a contemporary critical English edition of the Church Postil. In my own dabblings in Reformation studies, using the older English translation of the Church Postil sometimes presents more questions than answers. The Church Postil went through various emendations and editions, some approved by Luther, some not. The previous version available in English compiled by John Nicholas Lenker "presents translations that, at more than a century in age, are often innacurate and stilted. In addition, it is difficult to start from Lenker and find one's place in the Weimar edition" (LW 75:xxviii). While I've enjoyed using Lenker over the years, LW 75 will bring needed clarity in researching Luther's writings for those of us using the English language.

One of the most frustrating things I've dealt with using Lenker is trying to determine the actual date of many of the sermons presented, and if a sermon underwent any editing and by who. For instance, I've noted that many Roman Catholic sources have taken quotes from Roth's version of the Church Postil. The introductory material in LW 75 documenting Luther's interaction with the shortcomings of Roth's version confirmed to me how carelessly Luther has been documented by some polemical Roman historians (and some Protestant researchers as well). In fairness to any historical figure, it would seem to me one would want to rely on the version of any particular writing that the author held to be the version they preferred. The editors of LW 75 chose to utilize the mature form of the Church Postil, noting the variants. The introductory material in LW 75 explaining the history of Church Postil was a helpful reminder that when someone says "Luther said..." one needs to use care and caution.  

I've noted in the past how much I enjoy reading Luther's sermons. Rev. Dr. Benjamin Mayes recently provided a short synopsis of  Luther's preaching style: Tools in Luther's Homiletical Toolbox. For those of you in the preaching ministry, take a moment to skim through the article, and then track down some of Luther's sermons online.

Luther's Festival Sermons

One of the most interesting collections of Luther's sermons is now on-line for free: Festival Sermons of Martin Luther (Translated by Joel R. Baseley).

"The Festival Sermons of Martin Luther were compiled in the 1520's and edited during Luther's lifetime. With some of the outlines by Bugenhagen and some scholarly questions regarding its 16th century redaction, the character of the Reformer breathes in these never before translated or published Sermons of Martin Luther for the chief feasts and Saints' days of the church. This volume is a perfect companion for your Lenker and Klug collections!"

I've used this volume for a couple of years, particularly in regard to Luther's Mariology- that is, finding the context for those obscure Roman Catholic-used quotes portraying Luther as having a similar view on Mary as they do. Particularly, Baseley's translation was helpful with these two blog entries:

Luther: the infusion of Mary's soul was effected without original sin


Luther on the Assumption of Mary: "There can be no doubt that the Virgin Mary is in heaven. How it happened we do not know"

The volume itself is worthy of purchase. I'm not sure why Joel Baseley simply wants to give his translation away. I would rather see Concordia pick it up and make it available in digital format along with the other volumes of Luther's works.

Luther: Sermons on the Gospels for the Sundays and principal festivals of the church year

In the latest edition of Luther's Works, a footnote mentions an earlier English translation of Luther's House Postil: Matthias Loy, ed., Sermons on the Gospels for the Sundays and Principal Festivals of the Church Year by Dr. Martin Luther, 2 vols. (Rock Island, Il: Augustana Book Concern, 1871). Google Books makes these available:

Volume 1


Volume 2

This is an interesting find, because this translation of the House Postil is different than the popular English version readily available as part of The Complete Sermons of Martin Luther  (volumes 5-7) republished by Baker Books. The sermons contained in the House Postil were given by Luther to select guests and family members. Two specific individuals recorded these sermons:  Georg Rorer and Veit Dietrich. The House Postil  that is part of The Complete Sermons of Martin Luther uses Rorer's version as the basis for their translation. The two volumes by Matthias Loy linked above use Dietrich's version. These two older volumes of Dietrich's version don't have all the material contained in the later volumes based on Rorer's version. Ironically, I found these older volumes in 2010 and had forgotten about them.

Veit Dietrich and Georg Roerer both made stenographic notes of these house postils, transcribing them later into finished form. Luther, at this time in his life, regularly spoke from an outline that had been carefully thought through ahead of time, in order to get hold of the Konzept, or chief point(s) he wanted to make, as he himself explained concerning his preaching. Thus, homiletically his style might be described as combining expository with topical, the chief point or conceptual thread coming really from God himself through the text of Scripture. Apparently, he was a deliberate speaker who spoke slowly and distinctly, a characteristic which would have allowed time for an expert note-taker to do his recording. Thus through these two faithful scribes, two versions of Luther's house postils have come down to us. In general, they may be said to complement each other, rather than being duplicates in carbon copy sort of manner; but efforts to collate them or to try to extract the "authentic version" out of them have usually foundered. The result is that they stand side by side, in tandem, as parallel versions..." [The Complete Sermons of Martin Luther vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2000) p. 14]. 

Excerpt From Luther's Sermon: Men Who Fulfil The Law

OF TRUE GODLINESS; OF THE LAW AND FAITH

But there are two classes of men who fulfil the law, or who imagine they fulfil it. The first are those who, when they have heard it, begin with outward works; they desire to perform and fulfil it by works. How do they proceed? They say: God has commanded thou shalt have one God; I surely will worship no other God; I will serve him and no idol, and will have no heathen idolatrous image in my house or in my church; why should I do this? Such persons make a show with their glittering, fabricated service of God, like the clergy in our day, and they think they keep this law, when they bend their knees and are able to sing and prate much about God. By this show the poor laity also are deceived; they follow after and also desire to obey the law by their works. But the blind guides the blind and both fall into a pit, Lk 6,39. This is the first class, who take hold and imagine they will keep the law, and yet they do not.

The other class are those who know themselves by the law and study what it seeks and requires. For instance, when the law speaks: "Thou shalt have one God, and worship and honor him alone," this same heart meditates: What does this mean? Shalt thou bend the knees? Or what is it to have one God? It surely is something else than a bodily, outward reverence; and finally it perceives that is a very different thing than is generally supposed; that it is nothing but having trust and hope in God, that he will help and assist in all anxiety and distress, in every temptation and adversity, that he will save him from sin, from death, from hell and from the devil, without whose help and salvation he alone can do nothing. And this is the meaning of having one God. A heart, so thoroughly humble, desires to have God, namely, a heart that has become quite terrified and shaken by this commandment, and in its anxiety and trouble flees to God alone.

This now the hypocrites and work-saints, who lead a fine life before the world, are not able to do; for their confidence is based alone upon their own righteousness and outward piety. Therefore, when God attacks them with the law and causes the poor people to see that they have not kept the law, aye, not the least of it, and when overwhelmed by anxiety and distress, and an evil conscience, and they perceive that external works will not suffice and that keeping the commandments of God is a very different thing from what they thought; then they rush ahead and seek ever more and more, and other and still other works, and fancy that they will thereby quiet their conscience; but they greatly miss the right way. Hence it comes to pass that one wishes to do it by rosaries, another by fasting; this one by prayer and that one by torturing his body; one runs to St. James, another to Rome, this man to Jerusalem, that to Aix; here one becomes a monk, another a nun, and they seek their end in so many ways that they can scarcely be enumerated.

Why do they do all this? Because they wish to save themselves, to rescue and help themselves. The consequence of this is great blasphemy of God, for they also boast mightily of these works, and vaunt and say: I have been in an order so long, I have prayed so many rosaries, have fasted so much, have done this and that; God will give me heaven as a reward. This then means to have an idol. This also is the meaning of Isaiah, when he says: "They worship the work of their own hands," Is 2, 8. He is not speaking of stone and wood, but of the external works, which have a show of goodness and beauty before men. These hypocrites are ingenious enough to give the chaff to God and to keep the wheat for themselves. This then is true idolatry, as St. Paul writes to the Romans: "Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou rob temples?" Rom 2, 22. This is spiritual robbery.

Therefore you will find that there is nothing good in any man of himself. But you have this distinction, that the upright, in whom the law has exercised its work, when they feel their sickness and weakness, say: God will help me; I trust in him; I build upon him; he is my rock and hope. But the others, as hypocrites and work-saints, when trial, distress and anxiety are at hand, lament and say: Oh, whither shall I go? They must at last despair of God, of themselves and of their works, even if they have ever so many of them.

Such in the first place are these false and unrighteous pupils of the law, who presume to fulfil it by their works. For they have an appearance and glitter outwardly, but in their hearts they have nothing but filth and uncleanness. Therefore they also merit nothing before God, who regards not external works that are done without any heart in them.

Source: Sermon for the Sunday after Easter; John 20:19-31 A Sermon by Martin Luther; taken from his Church Postil in 1522; It was preached by Luther in 1522 at Borna.[The following sermon is taken from volume II:364-377 of The Sermons of Martin Luther, published by Baker Book House (Grand Rapids, MI). It was originally published in 1906 in English by Lutherans in All Lands Press (Minneapolis, MN), as The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther, vol. 11.