Luther’s Works: Pastoral Writings: Volumes 42-43; 48-54 /

Requires Accordance 10.4 or above.

Luther’s Works, a monumental translation project published jointly by Fortress Press and Concordia Publishing House in 1957, is singular in its value to church historians, Luther scholars, and Christians. This truly exquisite offering will put Luther’s Works at the command of a few keystrokes and provide the reader with a Luther resource unrivaled in accessibility and convenience. Luther’s Works is indispensable for studies of Luther and invaluable for preachers.

Volumes 31-54 of Luther’s Works include Luther’s Reformation writings and occasional pieces.

Volumes included in this module:

• Volume 42: Devotional Writings I (1969) – The seven pastoral writings presented in this volume are notable for their lack of polemic. Although his very life was literally at stake, Luther does not allude to his own situation, but subdues himself to the message with which he was committed.
• Volume 43: Devotional Writings II (1968) – These are not devotional writings in the sense of being edifying discourses or daily meditations for the cultivation of general spiritual sensitivity. Rather they are concrete expressions of evangelical faith and piety written by Luther the Pastor to deal with specific and burning life situations. In a very real sense they are “letters of spiritual counsel.” The contents of this volume cover the years between 1522 (the year after the Diet of Worms) and 1545 (the year before Luther’s death).
• Volume 48: Letters I (1963) – Luther wrote the 119 letters in this volume between 1507 and 1522, during the momentous years that saw him change from an obedient and determined priest of his Order to a vigorous critic of the sale of indulgences and finally to the leader of a reformed church. In these letters Luther discusses his posting of the Ninety-five Theses, the disputations at Heidelberg, Augsburg, and Leipzig, and the bull excommunicating him.
• Volume 49: Letters II (1972) – For Martin Luther, the period stretching from March 1522 to October of 1530 marked a time of tremendous change—ecclesiastical, political, and personal. Through the 117 letters presented here, the reader is given a well-rounded look at shaping forces and milieu of Luther’s life and of the enire Reformation. Each letter in this volume, given in its entirety, unveils important aspects of Luther’s complex personality. Historical introductions explain clearly the political and religious background of each letter.
• Volume 50: Letters III (1975) – This volume is the third and final volume of letters in this series; it presents 89 letters written by Luther in the period from January 1532 to February 14, 1546, a date four days prior to Luther’s death.
• Volume 51: Sermons I (1959) – This volume contains a selection of forty-three sermons arranged in chronological order. Beginning with what may be Luther’s earliest extant sermon and ending with the last he delivered before his death, this collection of sermons can give the reader a glimpse into the Reformer’s development as a preacher. The forty-three sermons in this volume represent but a fragment of Luther’s total output. Even the two thousand sermons or more contained in the Weimar Edition of Luther’s writings do not include all of Luther’s sermons.
• Volume 52: Sermons II (1974) – This volume includes selections from the Christmas Postil, specifically sermons on the Gospel lessons for Christmas Eve, the Early Christmas Service, St. Stephen’s Day, the Sunday after Christmas, New Year’s Day, and the Festival of the Epiphany.
• Volume 53: Liturgy and Hymns (1965) – For the first time, all of Luther’s chants and hymns are here available with their music in modern notation. This volume also contains all of his liturgical writings. Along with the basic works in which Luther developed some general premises for liturgical reform, with practical suggestions for their realization, this volume includes orders for the occasional services, such as baptism, private confession, and marriage, collects and other prayers, prefaces to hymnals and a brief motet Luther composed.
• Volume 54: Table Talk (1967) – The conversations selected for this volume of Luther’s Works have been carefully chosen from among more than seven thousand entries of the Weimar Edition with two aims in veiw: historical perspective and contemporary relevance. The annotations are precise and are related directly to the material at hand.