Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer

Hendrix (emeritus, reformation history, Princeton Theological Seminary; Recultivating the Vineyard) crafts a finely written narrative from nearly 2,600 authentic letters and historical or ecclesiastical documents. These findings reveal Martin Luther (1483–1546) as a man of his time with great talent, integrity, courage, and commitment, but whose irascible tendencies and fears distorted his vision as he became anti-Semitic and also sided against the rebelling peasants despite his earlier support for their positions. Luther comes to see himself as called to rescue biblical truth (as he interpreted it) from medieval distortions and to prepare people for the eschaton. Hendrix focuses on his subject's human interactions (the personal, ecclesiastical, and political) and on Luther's contradictions and weaknesses as well as his courageous persistence in doing what he believed to be God's will.