The unreformed Martin Luther : a serious (and not so serious) look at the man behind the myths

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Title:

The unreformed Martin Luther : a serious (and not so serious) look at the man behind the myths

Author:

Malessa, Andreas, 1955- author.

Uniform Title:

Hier stehe ich, es war ganz anders. English

ISBN:

9780825444562

Physical Description:

168 pages : portraits, map ; 22 cm

General Note:

Translation of: Hier stehe ich, es war ganz anders.

Personal Subject:

Luther, Martin, 1483-1546.

Subject Term:

Reformation -- Germany -- Biography.

Christian biography.

Geographic Term:

Germany -- Church history -- 16th century.

Genre:

Biographies

Added Author:

Hillman, Matthew L.,

Maier, Paul L.

Summary:

After five hundred years of examining the "father of the Reformation," surely we know all there is to know about Martin Luther - but is that true? Did he nail his famous Ninety-Five Theses to the Wittenberg church door? Did his wife escape her convent in a herring barrel? Did he and his wife have spectators on their wedding night? Did he say, "Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise"? German radio and television journalist Andreas Malessa dives gleefully into the actual history of Luther, rejecting the falsehoods and fallacies surrounding the reformer in favor of the equally incredible facts. Full of humor, irony, and profound respect, this book both entertains and educates about the everyday realities of Luther's Europe - when democracy was heretical, religious wars were fought with leaflets instead of tweets, and dramatic events were memorialized with oil paintings instead of selfies. Find the truth of the man behind the Ninety-Five Theses, and experience his faith and lasting influence with the myths and legends stripped away.

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	921 LUTHER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	921 LUTHER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	921 LUTHER	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

After five hundred years of examining the "father of the Reformation," surely we know all there is to know about Martin Luther-but is that true? Did he nail his famous Ninety-Five Theses to the Wittenberg church door? Did his wife escape her convent in a herring barrel? Did he and his wife have spectators on their wedding night? Did he say, "Here I stand I cannot do otherwise"? German radio and television journalist Andreas Malessa dives gleefully into the actual history of Luther, rejecting the falsehoods and fallacies surrounding the reformer in favor of the equally incredible facts. Full of humor, irony, and profound respect, this book both entertains and educates about the everyday realities of Luther's Europe-when democracy was heretical, religious wars were fought with leaflets instead of tweets, and dramatic events were memorialized with oil paintings instead of selfies. Find the truth of the man behind the Ninety-Five Theses, and experience his faith and lasting influence with the myths and legends stripped away. Book jacket.

Author Notes

Andreas Malessa is a theologian, author, and lyricist, most recently for the musical Amazing Grace. He and his wife live near Stuttgart, Germany, and have two grown daughters.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Malessa (What Is There to Celebrate?!) punctures the seriousness surrounding Martin Luther with a lighthearted glimpse of the famed priest and theologian in this book timed for the 500th anniversary of the dawn of Protestantism. In a series of chapters that can function as standalone vignettes, Malessa corrects popular misconceptions that have sprouted up around Luther. For instance, he was not a "jolly monk knocking back steins of home brew," but a man who condemned drunkenness. Neither did his wife travel to him in a fish barrel, though she brought herring with her to her wedding. Luther, however, truly was not fond of the Church's mercenary trade of providing favors to donors-and, sadly, really was an anti-Semite. Malessa's cheerful approach makes this a refreshing alternative to overly reverent Luther biographies, but the book's humor suffers from the translation into English: Luther is a particularly German hero, and the debunking loses some of its impact when the folklore is unfamiliar. Nevertheless, it's entertaining, and Malessa tucks solid information into an easy-to-read format. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Martin Luther was an outsized and sometime outrageous figure, and journalist Malessa (Kleines Lexikon Religiöser Irrtümer) intends to set the record straight on 25 popular stories about the reformer. The topics range from amusing to abhorrent: Did Luther's wife, Katharina von Bora, come to him in a herring barrel? Was Luther an anti-Semite? Malessa's guarded humor is as controlled as Luther's was crass-a trait that comes through in her narrative. This disarming quality allows readers to appreciate Luther without becoming partisan and to let go of the more iconic stories of her subject. Malessa makes no attempt to excuse the darker side of Luther, particularly the vitriolic writings he directed against Jews. Readers should note that this translation contains works cited in German, a possible limitation for those wishing to utilize Malessa's sources. VERDICT An entertaining read with a serious purpose for those interested in the early Protestant Reformation.-JW © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Paul L. Maier

Foreword	p. 5
Preface	p. 7
1 Luther Was a Superstitious Person	p. 13
2 Luther Was Upset About the Selling of Indulgences	p. 20
3 Luther Planted an Apple Tree	p. 30
4 Luther Was a Poor Farmer's Son	p. 33
5 Luther Was a Boozer	p. 36
6 Luther Translated the First German Bible	p. 43
7 Luther Ate While Preaching	p. 49
8 Luther Intended to Establish an Independent Church	p. 54
9 Luther Sometimes Played Tricks and Told Lies	p. 67
10 Luther Married in Secret	p. 72
11 Luther's Wife Traveled to Him in a Fish Barrel	p. 79
12 Luther Said, "Here I Stand. I Cannot Do Otherwise."	p. 85
13 Luther's Most Important Insight Came While He Was on the Toilet	p. 92
14 Luther Was a Warmonger	p. 98
15 Luther Did Not Want to Translate the Old Testament into German	p. 104
16 Luther Was the First Lutheran	p. 108
17 Luther Wanted to Make a Name for Himself	p. 116
18 Luther Named his Supporters "Protestants"	p. 123
19 Luther Invented German Proverbs	p. 126
20 Luther Nailed Ninety-Five Theses to the Wittenberg Church Door	p. 132
21 Luther Threw an Inkhorn at the Devil	p. 139
22 Luther's Last Words Were, "We Are Beggars, That Is True."	p. 141
23 Luther and His Wife Had Spectators During Sex	p. 146
24 Luther Recommended That Husbands Take a Second Wife	p. 150
25 Luther Was an Anti-Semite	p. 154
Bibliography	p. 162

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Summary

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Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

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