Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet

Roper (history, Oriel Coll.; Witch Craze) writes a voluminous and highly readable biography of Martin Luther (1483–1546) and his sweeping Reformation. Luther, the man, is unpacked in detail, beginning with his youth in a mining community. The central episodes of his life are examined, including his initial commitment to the Augustinian Order, his doubts about purchased penance, and his intense intellectual tournaments with Rome's agents and theologians. This book also considers Luther's supporters (Johann von Staupitz), his opponents (Johannes Eck), and his complicated friendships (Andreas Karlstadt). Roper not only investigates the theological struggles in Luther's life, she also considers the wider social, economic, and political landscape. Lucas Cranach's contemporaneous portraits of Luther appear regularly in the text, as do many archival pamphlets and woodcuts. Roper successfully portrays Luther the complicated reformer: a man who resisted the abuses of the Catholic Church, wielded powerful control of the blossoming printing press, and made penetrating insights. She also investigates Luther's darker shadow, most notoriously his anti-Semitism.