Review: Martin Luther’s Works

Reformer Martin Luther was prolific in his output so I’m not surprised that it required 30 years of labor to translate the 55-volume collection of his works into English. Those works are currently available in a variety of formats: as printed hardcovers ($1,600), on the Kindle ($830), and integrated into Logos Bible software ($230). I use the Logos version of the works on a regular basis.

In 1958, in the inaugural volume, the editors admitted 55-volumes could not contain all of Luther’s works—not even close. But that’s okay because, “As he was first to insist, much of what he wrote and said was not that important.” Ouch.

The editors go on to explain the structure of the series:

The first thirty volumes contain Luther’s expositions of various Biblical books, while the remaining volumes include what are usually called his ‘Reformation writings’ and other occasional pieces [e.g. The 95 Theses]. … Obviously Luther cannot be forced into any neat set of rubrics. He can provide his reader with bits of autobiography or with political observations as he expounds a psalm, and he can speak tenderly about the meaning of faith in the midst of polemics against his opponents. It is the hope of publishers, editors, and translators that throughout this edition the message of Luther’s faith will speak more clearly to the modern church.

The 55 titles break down like this:

vol 1: Lectures on Genesis, Chapters 1–5 (1958)

vol 2: Lectures on Genesis, Chapters 6–14 (1960)

vol 3: Lectures on Genesis, Chapters 15-20 (1961)

vol 4: Lectures on Genesis, Chapters 21-25 (1964)

vol 5: Lectures on Genesis, Chapters 26-30 (1965)

vol 6: Lectures on Genesis, Chapters 31-37 (1970)

vol 7: Lectures on Genesis, Chapters 38-44 (1965)

vol 8: Lectures on Genesis, Chapters 45–50 (1966)

vol 9: Lectures on Deuteronomy (1960)

vol 10: First Lectures on the Psalms, Psalms 1–75 (1974)

vol 11: First Lectures on the Psalms, Psalms 76–126 (1976)

vol 12: Selected Psalms, i (1955)

vol 13: Selected Psalms, ii (1956)

vol 14: Selected Psalms, iii (1958)

vol 15: Notes on Ecclesiastes; Lectures on the Song of Solomon; Treatise on the Last Words of David (1972)

vol 16: Lectures on Isaiah, Chapters 1–39 (1969)

vol 17: Lectures on Isaiah, Chapters 40–66 (1972)

vol 18: Lectures on the Minor Prophets, i (1975)

vol 19: Lectures on the Minor Prophets, ii (1974)

vol 20: Lectures on the Minor Prophets, iii (1973)

vol 21: The Sermon on the Mount (Sermons); The Magnificat (1956)

vol 22: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, Chapters 1–4 (1957)

vol 23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, Chapters 6–8 (1959)

vol 24: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, Chapters 14–16 (1961)

vol 25: Lectures on Romans (1972)

vol 26: Lectures on Galatians [1535], Chapters 1–4 (1963)

vol 27: Lectures on Galatians [1535], Chapters 5–6; Lectures on Galatians [1519], Chapters 1–6 (1964, 1992)

vol 28: Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 7 and 1 Corinthians 15; Lectures on 1 Timothy (1973)

vol 29: Lectures on Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews (1968)

vol 30: The Catholic Epistles (1967)

vol 31: Career of the Reformer, i (1957)

vol 32: Career of the Reformer, ii (1958)

vol 33: Career of the Reformer, iii (1972)

vol 34: Career of the Reformer, iv (1960)

vol 35: Word and Sacrament, i (1960)

vol 36: Word and Sacrament, ii (1959)

vol 37: Word and Sacrament, iii (1961)

vol 38: Word and Sacrament, iv (1971)

vol 39: Church and Ministry, i (1970)

vol 40: Church and Ministry, ii (1958)

vol 41: Church and Ministry, iii (1966)

vol 42: Devotional Writings, i (1969)

vol 43: Devotional Writings, ii (1968)

vol 44: The Christian in Society, i (1966)

vol 45: The Christian in Society, ii (1962)

vol 46: The Christian in Society, iii (1967)

vol 47: The Christian in Society, iv (1971)

vol 48: Letters, i (1963)

vol 49: Letters, ii (1972)

vol 50: Letters, iii (1975)

vol 51: Sermons, i (1959)

vol 52: Sermons, ii (1974)

vol 53: Liturgy and Hymns (1965)

vol 54: Table Talk (1967)

vol 55: Index (1986)

The Logos collection also includes The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Tappert edition (1959).

As with any works on the Logos platform, the series has been transformed into an incredibly handy reference work. Searches are brisk and I can easy parachute into a forest of text and find what I’m looking for. One of my advisers/editors recently encouraged me to study Luther on the exercise of faith and the invisible promises of God. Luther was, as I expected, quite helpful on this theme. Here are a few excerpts I found in about five minutes of searching:

From vol. 3:

Faith alone lays hold of the promise, believes God when He gives the promise, stretches out its hand when God offers something, and accepts what He offers. This is the characteristic function of faith alone. Love, hope, and patience are concerned with other matters; they have other bounds, and they stay within these bounds. For they do not lay hold of the promise; they carry out the commands. They hear God commanding and giving orders, but they do not hear God giving a promise; this is what faith does. … Faith is the mother, so to speak, from whom that crop of virtues springs. If faith is not there first, you would look in vain for those virtues. If faith has not embraced the promises concerning Christ, no love and no other virtues will be there, even if for a time hypocrites were to paint what seem to be likenesses of them.

From vol. 5:

This is the constant course of the church at all times, namely, that promises are made and that then those who believe the promises are treated in such a way that they are compelled to wait for things that are invisible, to believe what they do not see, and to hope for what does not appear. … God does this in order to test our hearts, whether we are willing to do without the promised blessings for a time. We shall not do without them forever. This is certain. And if God did not test us and postpone His promises, we would not be able to love Him wholeheartedly. For if He immediately gave everything He promises, we would not believe but would immerse ourselves in the blessings that are at hand and forget God. Accordingly, He allows the church to be afflicted and to suffer want in order that it may learn that it must live not only by bread but also by the Word (cf. Matt. 4:4), and in order that faith, hope, and the expectation of God’s help may be increased in the godly.

From vol. 8:

…the flesh neglects God when He threatens and when He promises liberation. For because He delays and defers His help, He is despised. No one wants to become accustomed to the exercises of faith, but men want to live without faith and to enjoy the things that are at hand. They want the belly to be full. But they reject the sure promise. Even though this promise concerns invisible things, yet these things will surely come to pass.

My next step will be to return to these excerpts and study their context carefully.

To have Luther’s works in a searchable platform like Logos is a blessing. The electronic version of Luther’s works will ensure that the message of Luther’s faith will remain affordable; it will ensure that Luther’s voice will be clearly heard by the modern church; and it will help ensure that that Luther’s voice retains its appropriate prominence. For all his flaws, we need him yet.

PS: Here is a final word from Luther: “I make the friendly request of anyone who wishes to have my books at this time, not to let them, on any account, hinder him from studying the Scriptures themselves.”