Martin Luther as He Lived and Breathed. Recollections of the Reformer by Robert Kolb

Abstract

Reviewed by: Martin Luther as He Lived and Breathed. Recollections of the Reformer by Robert Kolb Mark D. Tranvik Martin Luther as He Lived and Breathed. Recollections of the Reformer. By Robert Kolb. Eugene: Cascade Books, 2018. 169 pp. Robert Kolb is not only among the most respected scholars of the Reformation; he is also among the most prolific. His writings have spanned the breadth and probed the depth of the Lutheran movement in the sixteenth century. This, his latest effort, illustrates his versatility as a historian, theologian, and teacher of the church. It also highlights Kolb's concern to bring his readers a close-up of the "real" Luther. The subtitle, "Recollections of the Reformer," points to its content. Kolb surveys the work of fourteen sixteenth-century writers (including Luther himself) and uses their reflections to create a vivid image of the Reformer. They range from colleagues like Philip Melanchthon and Veit Dietrich to an arch-opponent like Johannes Cochlaeus. Kolb's method is to move chronologically through the major moments of Luther's life and let the reader listen to a variety of perspectives. Some are first-hand witnesses from the Wittenberg circle while others are from afar and represent views hostile to Luther and his friends. A good example can be found in Kolb's handling of Luther's early years as a professor in Wittenberg. He begins by providing an accessible overview of the period that stretches from the Reformer's reception of a doctorate in 1512 to the first commentary on [End Page 328] Galatians in 1519. His hermeneutical revolution—learning to hear the Bible as law and gospel—is clearly explained. Then Kolb proceeds to interview various figures from that time, including Luther himself, various students and colleagues, and an opponent, Thomas Murner. The happy result is the reader being drawn into a deeper conversation about core concepts in the Reformer's emerging theology. It feels like we are in the classroom, hearing the questions of students and the objections of adversaries. In a way, Kolb ends up "complicating" Luther (a good thing) by helping readers see why he was so controversial. In other words, Kolb enables us to understand why some in the same audience could view his writings as liberating while others saw only antinomianism and moral chaos. Another inviting quality of this book is the inclusion of questions and a brief bibliography at the end of each chapter. This text is not meant only for the hands of scholars and academics. Kolb clearly wants it to be discussed in church libraries and basements. After all, what's the point of having a living and breathing Luther if he doesn't live among the laity? Mark D. Tranvik Augsburg University Minneapolis, Minnesota Copyright © 2019 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc.