Baptism in the Theology of Martin Luther (Studies in the History of Christian Thought) [Hardcover]

Jonathan D. Trigg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Studies in the History of Christian Thought | Publication Date: August 1, 1997

This text provides a comprehensive survey of Martin Luther of baptism. The mature Luther was unstinting in praise on baptism. How does his vigorously expressed sacramental understanding sit with his earlier reformation insights? What is its impact upon justification, faith, conversion, the Church? The tensions and paradoxes are examined. Analysis of formal doctrine is complemented by a picture of baptism "in action", culled mainly from the "Lectures on Genesis". Baptism's "present tense" is central - its abiding force in the Christian's life, ever available for an encounter with God. His insistence that Christian progress is not onwards "from" baptism, but a repeated return "to" it, emerges from the heart of Luther's thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'"Jonathan Trigg's excellent book...is really an explanation of what Luther meant when he spoke of having "the proper respect and true appreciation of the gift of baptism..."'
Dr John G. Strelan, "Beacon Hill Books Reviewer, 1995.
'Baptism in the Theology of Martin Luther" is an important contribution to historical theology, one that deserves the attention of all serious students of Luther's doctrine.'
James Edward McGoldrick, "Sixteenth Century Journal, 1995.

About the Author

Jonathan D. Trigg, Ph.D. (1992) in Theology from the University of Durham. He is an Anglican clergyman serving in the Diocese of London. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 234 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004100164
• ISBN-13: 978-9004100169
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,799,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Semper es in motu et initio, March 12, 2002

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Baptism in the Theology of Martin Luther (Studies in the History of Christian Thought) (Hardcover)

(Review based on Paperback edition, 2001, Brill Academic Publishers, Boston, Leiden)
With baptism and our faith we are always in motion and at the beginning! Ph. 3:13; Rev. 22:11; 1 Cor. 10:12; Ecclus. 18:7; 1 Cor. 8:2.

Briggs, an Anglican priest, mines Luther across his years as he comes to grips with the gospel and its rich, multi-faceted interconnected majesty. He senses well the potential minefields if one tries and corner or simplify Luther (or Scripture for that matter).

Especially does this book reveal the "present tense" of baptism as Luther came to see it, and the unyielding hold Luther had on God's chosen locatedness in the means of grace, never allowing the Word and water to be separated. Nor would he allow the church's boundaries to be firmly etched based on baptism nor to make visible the inner circle of those who return again and again to their "trysting point" in baptism, as this Englishman likes to speak of it.

This work is rich and thorough. One to read and re-read. Before I comment more on this wonderful discovery of a read, I shall do the same.

One will come away from this with a greater appreciation of the depth and conscience boundness of the Great Reformer to Scripture. Well worth the price and investment of time.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful book on the theology of baptism..., March 12, 2003

By 

Christiana Washington (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baptism in the Theology of Martin Luther (Studies in the History of Christian Thought, V. 56) (Paperback)

This is no boring, run-of-the-mill theology book, it is an eye-opening look at what makes Christianity such a beautiful religion. A religion of peace and comfort that has affected millions of lives over the centuries. Luther's life was so amazingly simple and yet his thoughts so complex! His theology was for the layman and not for the theologian. Easy-to-understand with practical applications, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves the Christian faith.