Lyndal Roper

"In " a magnificent study of one of history's most compelling and divisive figures" (The Wall Street Journal), Lyndal Roper investigates the leader of the Reformation -- the movement that split Christendom and upended Europe for centuries -- who was, at his core, a deeply flawed man full of contradictions. A distinguished historian of early modern Europe, Roper looks deep inside the heart of this singularly complex figure, and her magisterial new biography goes beyond Martin Luther's theology to investigate the inner life of the religious reformer who has been called "the last medieval man and the first modern one." By bringing us closer than ever to Luther himself, she opens up a new vision of the Reformation and the world it created and draws a full-blooded portrait of it founder." From the back of the book… (meer)

The Lutheran church is about to celebrate the recognition of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. This is when Luther wrote his critique of the Catholic Church's practice of selling indulgences, which led to a split within the church. It was the spark that ignited the future church, thanks to the invention of the printing press.

With this time, there will be countless number of books about Luther, the Reformation, theology, etc. I think I counted 8 within the next year. The one that continued to catch my eye was this one by Lyndal Roper. It was one of the first out of the gate, but it also took a path that I was interested in, namely how Luther's home town and upbringing created the man he was to become.

Roper looks at his beginnings and continues to point back to issues that Luther's hometown faced as motivating factors for why Luther did what Luther did. She goes in depth into his life, paints him as a scholar and a man who knew his stuff.

Roper also looks at the impact of the Reformation in the larger context as well. She shows it wasn't just a religious uprising, but a complex and intricate transformation with some issues having nothing to do with the church.

I think this would be a great book on any Lutheran's desk.… (meer)