The Complete Works of Martin Luther: Volume 1, Sermons 1-12

by Martin Luther

Martin Luther’s collected sermons for the church year were originally called postil or postilla (in German: Postille) which was originally a term for Bible commentaries. It is derived from the Latin "post illa verba textus" (after these words) referring to Biblical readings. Luther's postil was published in two series: the Church Postil and the House Postil. His published sermons and catechisms were by far his most popular. They did more to teach people the Reformation than any other book. Luther intended his postils to serve common pastors and people, and therefore was one of the greatest educational and devotional books of the Reformation. From the time Martin Luther published the first part in 1521, every annual cycle of sermons on the lessons, whether consisting of homilies or formal sermons, is termed a postil.

This unabridged edition of Luther's writings of the works of Martin Luther is an accurate and clear translation. We have Presents the Church Postil as the mature Luther wanted it to be. It includes Luther’s extensive revisions to his own work. For those who are not familiar with the Church calendar year we have elected to number and title each sermon accompanied with a short description of the contents accompanied by the Bible verse. Thus it will look something like this:

NO. 1
A KING ARRIVES
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT
A Discourse on Christ Coming into Jerusalem
TEXT: Matthew 21:1-9.


The primary basis for the work is the comprehensive the 1905 translation of Luther's Church Postil by John Nicholas Lenker of which volumes 1-5 were originally published in Minneapolis by Lutherans of All Lands, 1904-1906, and volumes 6-8 were originally published in Minneapolis by The Luther Press, 1908-1908. In 1986 Baker Books reprinted this work. For convenience we have maintained the volume numbers of the more recent Baker Books reprint rather than the original volume numbers.



Vol. 1. Sermons on Gospel Texts for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany (a reproduction of Vol. 10, The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther [Minneapolis: Lutherans in All Lands, 1905]).

Vol. 2. Sermons on Gospel Texts for Epiphany, Lent, and Easter (a reproduction of Vol. 11, The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther [Minneapolis: Lutherans in All Lands, 1906]).

Vol. 3. Sermons on Gospel Texts for Pentecost (a reproduction of Vol. 12, The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther [Minneapolis: Lutherans in All Lands, 1907]).

Vol. 4. Sermons on Gospel Texts for the 1st to the 12th Sundays after Trinity (a reproduction of Vol. 13, The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther [Minneapolis: Lutherans in All Lands, 1904]).

Vol. 5. Sermons on Gospel Texts for the 13th to the 26th Sundays after Trinity (a reproduction of Vol. 14, The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther [Minneapolis: Lutherans in All Lands, 1905]).

Vol. 6. Sermons on Epistle Texts for Advent and Christmas (a reproduction of Vol. 1, Luther’s Epistle Sermons [Minneapolis: The Luther Press, 1908]).

Vol. 7. Sermons on Epistle Texts for Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost (a reproduction of Vol. 2, Luther’s Epistle Sermons [Minneapolis: The Luther Press, 1909]).

Vol. 8. Sermons on Epistle Texts for Trinity Sunday to Advent with an Index of Sermon Texts in Vols. 1-8 (a reproduction of Vol. 3, Luther’s Epistle Sermons [Minneapolis: The Luther Press, 1909]).

Genres: Faith, Theology, Christian, Religion

534 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2014

About the author

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk, theologian, university professor and church reformer whose ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization.

Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.

Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented.

His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.

Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.