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Friday, July 31, 2015

Updated Translations of Luther writings (Fortress Press series) - why do Christian thinkers & theologians need this?

from FORTRESS PRESS dot-com:
Timothy J. Wengert:The Annotated Luther series offers Martin Luther's most important writings to the broadest possible English-speaking audience. By updating translations, providing more extensive introductions and marginal annotations, as well as pictures and maps, this series will allow readers insight into one of the most important theologians of the past five hundred years. The Reformation that his writings sparked continues to influence many churches to this day.
Kirsi I. Stjerna: The Annotated Luther series is modern, in many senses of the word. It has a global intent and is prepared with global horizons in mind. It is the result of a highly collaborative enterprise. It is the result of loving care for the subject and careful planning that took years. This series is international, involving scholars around the world. It is methodologically exciting and ground-breaking: contributors bring in their own specialties, and the introductions and annotations are crafted in novel ways that breaks the mold of how Luther research is done. It is unique in its layout, design, and pedagogical vision. This work is unique being a US-based, ground-breaking work that invites the whole world to work with Luther with new questions and methods. The series beautifully values and highlights the importance of continued linguistic study of Luther and shows the relevance of constructive theological reflection with Luther. The volumes with their critical introductions and annotations build bridges between historical and theological study, and include in essential ways the best of social studies and gender studies. The series features Luther research that is both critically classical and creatively cutting edge.

These volumes are utterly unique in this regard: they present Luther's text in English that is modern and critical and inclusive. The unnecessary gender-exclusive language and the unnecessary he-pronouns cultivated in the previous translations have been replaced, fairly and on the basis of careful analysis of the original text and intent.
Paul W. Robinson: As the name of the series suggests, the notes are the distinctive feature. Because Luther wrote for specific occasions and against specific opponents, the main points of his writings can be lost without an understanding of the time and the individual situations he is addressing. Yet the main points still have tremendous value, and Luther is still very much worth reading. These texts will make it possible for today's readers to have a richer experience when they interact with Luther via the printed page.
Hans J. Hillerbrand: It offers in six volumes the most cogent of Luther's writings, in revised English translations and enhanced by a rich plethora of annotations.
Euan K. Cameron: The Annotated Luther series will occupy a place in between the relatively short, highly edited single-volume collections of Reformation sources, and the very large and expensive multivolume editions of (nearly) complete works. It will also comprise six volumes that are organized thematically, allowing those who are not already familiar with the key works of Luther (and there were many of those!) to explore selectively major issues in his huge body of writing.
http://fortresspress.com/annotatedluther

2 comments:

Timothy Shaw said...

I own volumes 1 and 2 and plan to buy #3 this August.

Timothy Shaw said...

At Fortress Press own site -- that is discounted to $39


The Annotated Luther, Volume 3: Church and Sacraments

Paul W. Robinson (Editor)


Release date:
August 1, 2016

Volume 3 of The Annotated Luther series presents five key writings that focus on Martin Luther's understanding of the gospel as it relates to church, sacraments, and worship. Included in the volume are: The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520); The German Mass and Order of the Liturgy (1526); That These Words of Christ, "This is my Body," etc., Still Stand Firm Against the Fanatics (1527); Concerning Rebaptism (1528), and On the Councils and the Church (1539).