Luther's Epistle of Straw : The Voice of St. James in Reformation Preaching

This work challenges the common consensus that Luther, with his commitment to St. Paul's articulation of justification by faith, leaves no room for the Letter of St. James. Against this one-sided reading of Luther, focused only his criticism of the letter, this book argues that Luther had fruitful interpretations of the epistle that shaped the subsequent exegetical tradition. Scholarship's singular concentration on Luther's criticism of James as "an epistle of straw" has caused many to overlook Luther's sermons on James, the many places where James comes to full expression in Luther's writings, and the influence that Luther's biblical interpretation had on later interpretations of James. Based primarily on neglected Lutheran sermons in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this work examines the pastoral hermeneutic of Luther and his theological heirs as they heard the voice of James and communicated that voice to and for the sake of the church. Scholars, pastors, and educated laity alike are invited to discover how Luther's theology was shaped by the Epistle of James and how Luther's students and theological heirs aimed to preach this disputed letter fruitfully to their hearers. Foreword Contents Introduction 1. The Pastoral Beginnings of James in the Lutheran Church 2. Luther’s Pastoral Exegesis of James 3. James 1:16–27 in the Lutheran Postil Tradition from Anton Corvin to Simon Pauli 4. James 1:16–27 from Simon Musaeus to Lutheran Orthodox Preaching Summary Theses Appendix: Annotated English Translations of Luther’s Five Sermons on James (1535–1539) Bibliography Index of Persons Index of Subjects Biblical Citations This Work is an account of the Lutheran Preaching of the Epistle of James in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It challenges the common assumption that, because Luther favored the letters of St. Paul and St. Peter, he and his theological heirs had no use for this "epistle of straw" (Luther), and explores how Lutherans heard the voice of James among the choir of apostolic voices and communicated that voice to the church. Book jacket Die Reihe Historia Hermeneutica ist ein hochwertiges Forum für die Erforschung der Hermeneutik-Geschichte und -Methodik. Sie wird die Hauptphase der hermeneutischen Theoriebildung in Europa von der Reformation bis in die Moderne (ca. 1500 - 1850) wissenschaftlich abbilden