Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith – By Robert Kolb

Abstract

MARTIN LUTHER: CONFESSOR OF THE FAITH . By Robert Kolb . Christian Theology in Context . Oxford : Oxford University Press , 2009 . Pp. vi + 215 . Cloth, $99.00; paper, $35.00 . Kolb offers a guidebook to Luther's theology, remarkable for its compression but generally well digested, which offers a helpful first alternative to other, more compendious surveys of Luther's thought (Althaus; Ebeling; Lohse; Bayer; McKim). The book succeeds in integrating biography (and theological development) and theological survey rather better than most of these alternatives. As is appropriate for an orientation of this kind, Kolb avoids indulging too much in idiosyncrasy. The categories around which the presentation of Luther's thought is organized are essentially Luther's own rather than those arising out of modern theological exposition or engagement. Kolb is fair, if succinct, in summarizing key recent debates in Luther interpretation, though his own judgments in resolution are clearly expressed. Among the distinctive contributions of the book is the consistent emphasis Kolb gives to Luther's place in the context of the “Wittenberg movement.” The citations of Luther's own texts will help guide readers to further specific engagement with Luther's works, both in the originals and in English. The indirect guidance to the secondary literature provided in the notes (and a single bibliographic list), beyond the discussion of the most important works in the main text, is less consistently helpful, and students may prefer the topical bibliographies in McKim's Cambridge Companion. The book will be interesting to specialists in Luther for the magisterial way in which Kolb manages the task of synthesis; it will be especially useful for those nonspecialists who require a dependable point of entry and map to the Reformer's thought.