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Luther's Works #1
Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 1-5
Luther-s Works: The American Edition, published by Concordia and Fortress Press between 1955 and 1986, comprises fifty-five volumes. These are a selection representing only about a third of Luther-s works in the Latin and German of the standard Weimar Edition, not including the German Bible. The Reformer-s lectures on the First Book of Moses must be numbered among the great works in the field of exegetical writing. Unlike many scholars who have undertaken to expound Genesis, Luther is not afraid to adhere strictly to the letter of what Moses wrote. He does not indulge in wild allegories. He does not tear words or sentences out of their context. He knows that Genesis is the Word of God. Therefore he approaches the book with awe and reverence. His is a genuinely Christian commentary. This volume discusses Genesis 1-5, including the Creation, the Fall, the First Brothers, and the line of Adam.
387 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1958
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 8, 2016
It's taken me over twenty years to finally start working my way through Luther's Lectures on Genesis. Well worth the time and effort, and I'm benefiting greatly from the process. Profound commentary, insightful and thought-provoking. Offers insight, not only into Genesis, but into Luther, his historical context, and his theological approach. I love the way that he looks at the Scriptures and deals with them. Don't always agree with his conjectures and conclusions, but consistently find myself considering the text from new angles and perspective. Very helpful. And nuggets of great price on practically every page.
August 27, 2009
As always, Luther is a fantastic read. The introduction suggests that these lectures are not directly Luther's writings, but an editorial combination of his notes and the notes of students taking the class. These are also the last lectures Luther thought he would ever live, as he planned on spending the rest of his life in Genesis.
Though I don't always agree with Luther's interpretation (I don't know that we have to tie ourselves to the idea that a single day in Genesis 1= 24 hours), he always has interesting things to say. His passion for the centrality of the Word and the work of Christ on the Cross is evident through the whole book, and alone makes it worth reading.
Some of the best quotes in the book:
"What was God doing before the beginning of the world? Was He in a state of rest or not? Augustine relates in his Confessions that someone had answered to this effect: 'God was making hell ready for those who pried into meddlesome questions.'" (10)
"This nature of ours has become so misshapen through sin, so depraved and utterly corrupted, that it cannot recognize God or comprehend His nature without a covering." (11)
"This Word is God; it is the omnipotent Word, uttered in the divine essence. No one heard it spoken except God Himself, that is, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And when it was spoken, light was brought into existence, not out of the matter of the Word or from the nature of Him who spoke but out of the darkness itself. Thus the Father spoke inwardly, and outwardly light was made and came into existence immediately." (19)
"For God calls into existence the things which do not exist... He does not speak grammatical words; He speaks true and existent realities. Accordingly, that which among us has the sound of a word is a reality with God. Thus sun, moon, heaven, earth, Peter, Paul, I, you, etc.-we are all words of God, in fact only one single syllable or letter by comparison with the entire creation. We, too, speak, but only according to the rules of language; that is, we assign names to objects which have already been created. But the divine rule of language is different, namely: when He says: 'Sun, shine,' the sun is there at once and shines. Thus the words of God are realities, not bare words." (21-22)
"Therefore let us look upon the first state of this world as a type and figure of the future world; and so let us learn the kindness of God, who makes us rich and gives us wealth before we are able to concern ourselves with ourselves." (39)
"Since God is able to bring forth from the water the heaven and the stars, the size of which either equals or surpasses that of the earth; likewise since He is able out of a droplet of water to create sun and moon, could He not also defend my body against enemies and Satan or, after it has been placed in the grave, revive it for a new life? Therefore we must take note of God's power that we may be completely without doubt about the things which God promises in His Word. Here full assurance is given concerning all His promises; nothing is either so difficult or so impossible that He could not bring it about by His Word. The heaven, the earth, the sea, and whatever is in them prove that this is true." (49)
"Therefore when we speak about that image [of God in man:], we are speaking about something unknown. Not only have we had no experience of it, but we continually experience the opposite; and so we hear nothing except bare words." (63)
"But now the Gospel has brought about the restoration of that image [of God in man:]." (64)
"And so it gives God pleasure that He made so beautiful a creature [man:]. But without a doubt, just as at that time God rejoiced in the counsel and work by which man was created, so today, too, He takes pleasure in restoring this work of His through His Son and our Deliverer, Christ. It is useful to ponder these facts, namely, that God is most kindly inclined toward us and takes delight in His thought and plan of restoring all who have believed in Christ to spiritual life through the resurrection of the dead." (68)
"Then it is also shown here that man was especially created for the knowledge and worship of God; for the Sabbath was not ordained for sheep and cows but for men, that in them the knowledge of God might be developed and might increase." (80)
"This is what the Sabbath, or the rest of God, means, on which God speaks with us through His Word and we, in turn, speak with Him through prayer and faith." (81)
[The different Medieval methods of reading Scripture put to verse:]: The letter shows us what God and our fathers did;/the allegory shows us where our faith is hid;/ the moral meaning gives us rules of daily life;/ the anagoge shows us where we end our strife." (87, Footnote 10)
"Therefore was this fall not a terrible thing? For truly in all nature there was no activity more excellent and more admirable than procreation... Although this activity, like the other wretched remnants of the first state, continues in nature until now, how horribly marred it has become!... When we look back to the state of innocence, procreation, too, was better, more delightful, and more sacred in countless ways." (117-118)
"The more you minimize sin, the more will grace decline in value." (142)
"Unbelief is the source of all sins; when Satan brought about this unbelief by driving out or corrupting the Word, the rest was easy for him." (147)
"The source of all sin truly is unbelief and doubt and abandonment of the Word. Because the world is full of these, it remains in idolatry, denies the truth of God, and invents a new god." (149)
"Sin tiself is the real withdrawal from God, and it would not have been necessary to add any further flight. Thus it happens -and this is the nature of sin- that the farther man withdraws from God, the farther he still desires to withdraw; and he who has once fled and apostatized keeps on fleeing forever. And so some maintain concerning htet punishments of hell that this will be the most terrible thing: that the ungodly will desire to flee and yet will realize that they cannot escape." (173)
"Let us learn, therefore, that this is the nature of sin: unless God immeidately provides a cure and calls the sinner back, he flees endlessly from God and, by excusing his sin with lies, heaps sin upon sin until he arrives at blasphemy and despair. Thus sin by its own gravitation always draws with it another sin and brings on eternal destruction, till finally the sinful person would rather accuse God than acknowledge his own sin." (175)
"Thus out of a human sin comes a sin that is clearly demonic; unbelief turns into blasphemy, disobedience into contempt of the Creator.... This is the last step of sin, to insult GOd and to charge Him with being the originator of sin." (179)
"The tree of death is the Law, and the tree of life is the Gospel, or Christ. Those who do not believe in Christ cannot draw near to these trees. They are prevented by the sword of the angel, who cannot put up with hypocrisy and corrupt righteousness. But for him who acknowledges his sin and believes in Christ, Paradise remains open. He brings with him not his own righteousness but Christ's, which the gospel announces to all so that we all may place our reliance on it and be saved." (234)
"In order to reinforce the promise of our salvation, God had this in mind from the very beginning of the world: Men were to have signs by means of which they might comfort themselves in their sins and gain courage through their reliance on divine grace." (250)
"This is the essence of our teaching. We teach and confess that a person rather than his work is accepted by God and that a person does not become righteous as a result of a righteous work, but that a work becomes rightoues and good as a result of a righteous and good person." (257)
"Accordingly, this text [Genesis 4:4-5] has to do with our conviction concerning justification, namely, that a human being, rather than his works, must be just, and that he is accepted by God without any works, solely through grace, which faith believes and apprehends. Nor does faith, as a work, make just; but it makes just because it apprehends the mercy which is offered in Christ. The true church walks in this trust in God's mercy, together with a humble confession of its sins and unworthiness, which hopes that God will grant His pardon through Christ. But the works which follow are evidences, as it were, of this faith; they please God, not simply on their own account, but because of faith or because of the believing person." (259)
"When you feel in your conscience that you are guilty, guard with your utmost effort against striving with God or with men by defending and excusing your sin. Rather do the following: Do not flee from God when He is pointing His spear at you, but flee to Him with a humble confession of your guilt and a request for forgiveness. Then God wil draw back His spear and spare you. On the other hand, the farther you try to flee from God by denying and excusing your sin, the more closely and aggressively God pursues you and harasses you. Therefore there is nothing better and safer than to come with a confession of your guilt. The outcome of this is that while God triumphs, we also triumph through Him." (277)
"However, this is the usual misfortune of all ages. When the true church begins to increase, she opposes Satan and the ungodly with great zeal. But the wickedness of the enemy exhausts her strength; and either she yields to the ragin enemy after she is overcome by cross and sorrow, or she succumbs to pleasures and riches." (311-312)
"In his customary way Moses expresses very important facts in few words in order to stimulate the reader to give careful thought to the works of God." (324)
Though I don't always agree with Luther's interpretation (I don't know that we have to tie ourselves to the idea that a single day in Genesis 1= 24 hours), he always has interesting things to say. His passion for the centrality of the Word and the work of Christ on the Cross is evident through the whole book, and alone makes it worth reading.
Some of the best quotes in the book:
"What was God doing before the beginning of the world? Was He in a state of rest or not? Augustine relates in his Confessions that someone had answered to this effect: 'God was making hell ready for those who pried into meddlesome questions.'" (10)
"This nature of ours has become so misshapen through sin, so depraved and utterly corrupted, that it cannot recognize God or comprehend His nature without a covering." (11)
"This Word is God; it is the omnipotent Word, uttered in the divine essence. No one heard it spoken except God Himself, that is, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And when it was spoken, light was brought into existence, not out of the matter of the Word or from the nature of Him who spoke but out of the darkness itself. Thus the Father spoke inwardly, and outwardly light was made and came into existence immediately." (19)
"For God calls into existence the things which do not exist... He does not speak grammatical words; He speaks true and existent realities. Accordingly, that which among us has the sound of a word is a reality with God. Thus sun, moon, heaven, earth, Peter, Paul, I, you, etc.-we are all words of God, in fact only one single syllable or letter by comparison with the entire creation. We, too, speak, but only according to the rules of language; that is, we assign names to objects which have already been created. But the divine rule of language is different, namely: when He says: 'Sun, shine,' the sun is there at once and shines. Thus the words of God are realities, not bare words." (21-22)
"Therefore let us look upon the first state of this world as a type and figure of the future world; and so let us learn the kindness of God, who makes us rich and gives us wealth before we are able to concern ourselves with ourselves." (39)
"Since God is able to bring forth from the water the heaven and the stars, the size of which either equals or surpasses that of the earth; likewise since He is able out of a droplet of water to create sun and moon, could He not also defend my body against enemies and Satan or, after it has been placed in the grave, revive it for a new life? Therefore we must take note of God's power that we may be completely without doubt about the things which God promises in His Word. Here full assurance is given concerning all His promises; nothing is either so difficult or so impossible that He could not bring it about by His Word. The heaven, the earth, the sea, and whatever is in them prove that this is true." (49)
"Therefore when we speak about that image [of God in man:], we are speaking about something unknown. Not only have we had no experience of it, but we continually experience the opposite; and so we hear nothing except bare words." (63)
"But now the Gospel has brought about the restoration of that image [of God in man:]." (64)
"And so it gives God pleasure that He made so beautiful a creature [man:]. But without a doubt, just as at that time God rejoiced in the counsel and work by which man was created, so today, too, He takes pleasure in restoring this work of His through His Son and our Deliverer, Christ. It is useful to ponder these facts, namely, that God is most kindly inclined toward us and takes delight in His thought and plan of restoring all who have believed in Christ to spiritual life through the resurrection of the dead." (68)
"Then it is also shown here that man was especially created for the knowledge and worship of God; for the Sabbath was not ordained for sheep and cows but for men, that in them the knowledge of God might be developed and might increase." (80)
"This is what the Sabbath, or the rest of God, means, on which God speaks with us through His Word and we, in turn, speak with Him through prayer and faith." (81)
[The different Medieval methods of reading Scripture put to verse:]: The letter shows us what God and our fathers did;/the allegory shows us where our faith is hid;/ the moral meaning gives us rules of daily life;/ the anagoge shows us where we end our strife." (87, Footnote 10)
"Therefore was this fall not a terrible thing? For truly in all nature there was no activity more excellent and more admirable than procreation... Although this activity, like the other wretched remnants of the first state, continues in nature until now, how horribly marred it has become!... When we look back to the state of innocence, procreation, too, was better, more delightful, and more sacred in countless ways." (117-118)
"The more you minimize sin, the more will grace decline in value." (142)
"Unbelief is the source of all sins; when Satan brought about this unbelief by driving out or corrupting the Word, the rest was easy for him." (147)
"The source of all sin truly is unbelief and doubt and abandonment of the Word. Because the world is full of these, it remains in idolatry, denies the truth of God, and invents a new god." (149)
"Sin tiself is the real withdrawal from God, and it would not have been necessary to add any further flight. Thus it happens -and this is the nature of sin- that the farther man withdraws from God, the farther he still desires to withdraw; and he who has once fled and apostatized keeps on fleeing forever. And so some maintain concerning htet punishments of hell that this will be the most terrible thing: that the ungodly will desire to flee and yet will realize that they cannot escape." (173)
"Let us learn, therefore, that this is the nature of sin: unless God immeidately provides a cure and calls the sinner back, he flees endlessly from God and, by excusing his sin with lies, heaps sin upon sin until he arrives at blasphemy and despair. Thus sin by its own gravitation always draws with it another sin and brings on eternal destruction, till finally the sinful person would rather accuse God than acknowledge his own sin." (175)
"Thus out of a human sin comes a sin that is clearly demonic; unbelief turns into blasphemy, disobedience into contempt of the Creator.... This is the last step of sin, to insult GOd and to charge Him with being the originator of sin." (179)
"The tree of death is the Law, and the tree of life is the Gospel, or Christ. Those who do not believe in Christ cannot draw near to these trees. They are prevented by the sword of the angel, who cannot put up with hypocrisy and corrupt righteousness. But for him who acknowledges his sin and believes in Christ, Paradise remains open. He brings with him not his own righteousness but Christ's, which the gospel announces to all so that we all may place our reliance on it and be saved." (234)
"In order to reinforce the promise of our salvation, God had this in mind from the very beginning of the world: Men were to have signs by means of which they might comfort themselves in their sins and gain courage through their reliance on divine grace." (250)
"This is the essence of our teaching. We teach and confess that a person rather than his work is accepted by God and that a person does not become righteous as a result of a righteous work, but that a work becomes rightoues and good as a result of a righteous and good person." (257)
"Accordingly, this text [Genesis 4:4-5] has to do with our conviction concerning justification, namely, that a human being, rather than his works, must be just, and that he is accepted by God without any works, solely through grace, which faith believes and apprehends. Nor does faith, as a work, make just; but it makes just because it apprehends the mercy which is offered in Christ. The true church walks in this trust in God's mercy, together with a humble confession of its sins and unworthiness, which hopes that God will grant His pardon through Christ. But the works which follow are evidences, as it were, of this faith; they please God, not simply on their own account, but because of faith or because of the believing person." (259)
"When you feel in your conscience that you are guilty, guard with your utmost effort against striving with God or with men by defending and excusing your sin. Rather do the following: Do not flee from God when He is pointing His spear at you, but flee to Him with a humble confession of your guilt and a request for forgiveness. Then God wil draw back His spear and spare you. On the other hand, the farther you try to flee from God by denying and excusing your sin, the more closely and aggressively God pursues you and harasses you. Therefore there is nothing better and safer than to come with a confession of your guilt. The outcome of this is that while God triumphs, we also triumph through Him." (277)
"However, this is the usual misfortune of all ages. When the true church begins to increase, she opposes Satan and the ungodly with great zeal. But the wickedness of the enemy exhausts her strength; and either she yields to the ragin enemy after she is overcome by cross and sorrow, or she succumbs to pleasures and riches." (311-312)
"In his customary way Moses expresses very important facts in few words in order to stimulate the reader to give careful thought to the works of God." (324)
March 9, 2023
Luther goes deep into his thoughts on the first five chapters of the primeval history. Lots of this was excellent, other parts were a bit of a slog, and some were also a little strange. However this was by and large a great read.
February 22, 2024
I am convinced that no one actually buys Luther's Works. My theory is that if you place an empty shelf in a pastor's office, an incomplete set will generate itself from the dust.
Luther was an Old Testament scholar and professor and that's on full display in these lectures. All of Luther's strengths and weaknesses as an exegete are on display: a masterful command of the language, making Christological readings throughout, playing with the readings of the church fathers and ancient commentators, biting remarks against Roman and Jewish commentators, and a complete inability to restrain himself from side-comments.
Luther was an Old Testament scholar and professor and that's on full display in these lectures. All of Luther's strengths and weaknesses as an exegete are on display: a masterful command of the language, making Christological readings throughout, playing with the readings of the church fathers and ancient commentators, biting remarks against Roman and Jewish commentators, and a complete inability to restrain himself from side-comments.
February 18, 2014
Wow - I just finished the first Volume of Luther's Work (and start the second tomorrow). Whilst being a Lutheran for the past 20 years, I must admit I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed this read :)
In this first volume, Luther covers the first 5 chapters of Genesis. Now, as I discovered, the volumes are not in chronological order - as this was written later in Luther's life. I must admit my knowledge of 16th Century Theological writings is quite limited, which of course is one of the reasons to read all of Luther's Works. I am far more familiar with the History and especially the History of Science in this period.
So getting back to my "surprise" - I expected a Commentary on Genesis from this period to be rather "dry". But I found that reading Luther is more like reading enthusiastic sermons, or a good discussion over a great meal. Luther's rhetoric (and the good translation into English) often grabbed hold of my imagination.
Also I must admit to this being the first Commentary where I ever burst out laughing - and on several occasions. Luther has a real interest in the Science of the day, and so he often branches off into it, which is no surprise when taking about Genesis. However Science was still in it's infancy (and people 500 years from now will probably say this of us as well), and so it is not surprising to have Luther talking about God spontaneously creating dung beetles out of dung, or that mice are created two ways - through their parents and through spontaneous creation in waste.
So this in no way is a modern Exegetical style Commentary - rather it is a passionate, educated discussion - and well worth the read!
In this first volume, Luther covers the first 5 chapters of Genesis. Now, as I discovered, the volumes are not in chronological order - as this was written later in Luther's life. I must admit my knowledge of 16th Century Theological writings is quite limited, which of course is one of the reasons to read all of Luther's Works. I am far more familiar with the History and especially the History of Science in this period.
So getting back to my "surprise" - I expected a Commentary on Genesis from this period to be rather "dry". But I found that reading Luther is more like reading enthusiastic sermons, or a good discussion over a great meal. Luther's rhetoric (and the good translation into English) often grabbed hold of my imagination.
Also I must admit to this being the first Commentary where I ever burst out laughing - and on several occasions. Luther has a real interest in the Science of the day, and so he often branches off into it, which is no surprise when taking about Genesis. However Science was still in it's infancy (and people 500 years from now will probably say this of us as well), and so it is not surprising to have Luther talking about God spontaneously creating dung beetles out of dung, or that mice are created two ways - through their parents and through spontaneous creation in waste.
So this in no way is a modern Exegetical style Commentary - rather it is a passionate, educated discussion - and well worth the read!
March 25, 2011
Fascinating read. Luther certainly doesn't get everything right but he is nonetheless insightful. In some ways his commentary is perhaps ahead of its time. His commentary (perhaps not unlike many others) is inundated with his own theological contemporary concerns, which is often at time painfully obvious. Many interesting things herein to muse over. Not, perhaps, going to be particularly helpful to anyone who is not a Genesis scholar, Luther scholar, or a student reading it for class. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it.
April 14, 2017
The thing I added for Lent this year was to read a book of Luther's works. Though I am Lutheran, I will admit that I don't know as much about Lutheran theology as I should.
This was certainly an interesting read for a variety of reasons- mostly because there are aspects that are quite dated. However, I still think that reading this book was a valuable experience and beneficial for my Lenten experience.
This was certainly an interesting read for a variety of reasons- mostly because there are aspects that are quite dated. However, I still think that reading this book was a valuable experience and beneficial for my Lenten experience.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews