Customer Reviews

Off the Record with Martin Luther

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Off The Record With Martin LutherThis is a remarkable book. I had no idea the conversations around the Luther dinner table had been recorded by the students. Dr.Paul Maier tells us that Daudert has done a great job of translating, and I have to agree. Dr. Maier is a second vice president of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, and a professor of ancient history. He received his doctor's degree from the University of Basel, Switzerland, and has himself translated from Latin and German. Thus, he knows whereof he speaks! Dr Maier himself has several books with several million copies in print.

I like the way the book is put together, and as stated on the back cover, you do get the feeling you are sitting right there with the great reformer, listening to his valuable wisdoms. There is so much insight to Luther's life and theology, his family and academic life, the history of the reformation, and the great courage of this "real" man, that it must be read over and over. And Christian or not, Lutheran or not, I highly recommend experiencing the wisdom expounded by Luther in this book.

I had no idea Martin Luther was such an entertaining man. And it appears that he was an all around person, not at all the pious monk depicted in the movie. He was the head of the Theology Department at Wittenberg University. He was witty, funny, drank a little himself, and the author of more wise proverbs than I thought possible. In the Foreword, Dr. Maier warns us of Luther's language. Most of the best stuff has been edited out and is on the publisher's website at www.hansa-hewlett.com. If there is ever a reprint of this book, I recommend that it all be included and nothing left out.

The conversations at Luther's table are highly informative. In his own words, we learn about his life as a monk, his crisis of faith and the break with the Church at Rome. I believe several Lutheran ministers would profit from reading his section on Advice to the Clergy, i.e., how to preach a sermon and when to stop.

I like the idea that Luther's comments are catalogued under the name of the student who took the notes at the table, and everything is made vivid and alive by giving us the date. The several commentaries to the Luther "Table Talks" help put everything in perspective. I highly recommend this book to everyone looking for some meaningful comments regarding what life is all about...not just the Lutheran life, or the Christian life. The photographs, which I have not seen before, are a treasure in themselves."

I am a life-long Lutheran and thought I knew Martin Luther fairly well. This book, however, has presented him to me in a different light and has helped me understand him more fully as a human being. The way it is organized makes it an easy book to pick up and read as much or as little as one wants at a time. I really enjoyed reading it.

I haven't read other Table Talk editions, so I'm unable to make comparisons. This was a book I'd been wanting to read for some time. I found this new edition non-linear, repetitive, and on occasion, unclear. It isn't always clear in the text what was commentary (historical or modern) and what was Luther's own reflections. I didn't get the book I was hoping for, namely an intimate look at the thoughts of the great Reformer. There are some gems here, but too few amid material that was not especially helpful. I plowed on through to the end, and while it was worth reading, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting more.