The Table Talk of Martin Luther Format: Paperback

"The Bible is alive," declared Martin Luther, "it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me." The Protestant Reformation's most prominent leader possessed a gift for evocative speech, and he was as articulate and outspoken in private as he was in public. Fortunately for posterity, some of Luther's loyal followers took note of his informal speeches.
The Table Talk of Martin Luther consists of excerpts from the great reformer's conversations with his students and colleagues, in which he comments on life, the church, and the Bible. Collected by Antony Lauterbach and John Aurifaber, Luther's close associates, these absorbing anecdotes reveal the speaker's personality and wisdom. An informative introduction by editor Thomas S. Kepler describes the circumstances under which this book came into existence and the remarkable story of its initial translation into English. This text is based on the acclaimed English translation by the literary critic and essayist William Hazlitt.

Martin Luther (1483, 1546) was a German monk, a theologian and church reformer, he is considered to be the founder of Protestantism. Luther was a professor of Bible at the University of Wittenberg when he posted his famous 95 Theses (1517). In addition to writing many books, Luther translated the Bible into German. Luther believed that salvation was only by faith in Jesus, unmediated by the church. He challenged papal authority by emphasing the Bible as the only source of religious authority and believed the church to be a priesthood of all believers.These ideas helped to inspire the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization. He married Katharina von Bora thus initiating the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.- Publisher.