Customer Reviews

Table Talk (Fount Classics Series)

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Martin Luther never ceases to amaze and inspire me with his brilliance and insights. This edition is so poorly edited, however, that there are mispellings throughout and some sentences have not been corrected for grammar. Since this work is in the public domain, you would think that the publishing house would have spent the minimal expense to edit it. It makes great reading but no thanks to the publisher.

I was very disappointed to learn that this version was CENSORED. They've omitted some original material. That was why I wanted the "Table Talk". It's supposed to be the REAL Martin Luther. Very disappointing!!!!

At the time of the Reformation Martin Luther was a professor in the theology department of the University of Wittenberg at Wittenberg, Germany. He was also the regional head of the Augustinian Monks, and resided in the Augustine monastery at Wittenberg, a few blocks from the university. As a result of the Reformation, the Augustinian order in Northern Germany was disbanded. The ruler of that area, the German Elector Friedrick the Wise, who supported and protected Martin Luther, gave Luther the building which had housed the Augustinian monks. It consisted of 26 sleeping rooms, a study, dining room and other common areas. When Luther married, he and his wife lived in the building and raised a family. To support Luther's meager professor's salary, they took in boarders, who were fellow professors and students. The professors and graduate students realized that the comments at the Luther dinner table contained philosophical and religious wisdoms that should be preserved, and they took down what was said in shorthand, and later transcribed the full text into notebooks in their rooms. A collection of these "Table Talks" by Johannes Aurifaber was published in 1566, twenty years after Luther died. Aurifaber had boarded at the Luther household during the year 1545 and until Luther's death in February, 1546. He was Luther's last clerk, and was with Luther at the time of his death. In addition to collecting manuscripts of other table guest, Aurifaber recorded the table conversations during Luther's last months. The Aurifaber collection was the only known form of the Table Talks for more than 300 years. The Aurifaber collection was translated into English in 1652 by Captain Henry Bell. This translation was reworked and expanded by William Hazlett (1778-1830), an English writer and literary critic who was active in the Unitarian Church. The book under review here is a reprint of the Hazlett edition of the English translation of Aufifaber's collection. However, the original Aurifaber collection was neither complete nor accurate. Many items were not conversations at the Luther table and several others were edited and censored by Aurifaber to reflect his own views. In addition, the Bell-Hazlett translation contained further errors and misunderstandings. By edict of the German Emperor, a complete review of all of Luther's works, including the Table Talks, was undertaken by a special commission, which published the comprenesive Weimar Edition of Luther's works in 1883. The Table Talks make up six volumes of the official Weimar Edition. They are printed in the original medieval German and medieval Latin as they were recorded by guests at the Luther table. The Weimar edition is the only authenticated version of the Luther Table Talks. A portion of the authentic Table Talks from the Weimar Edition have been translated in Volume 54 of the collected works of Martin Luther published by the Lutheran Press (Fortress Press and CPH). A more complete translation of the authentic Table Talks is availalbe in Off THE RECORD WITH MARTIN LUTHER, An Original Translation of the Table Talks, by Charles Daudert, with foreword by Dr. Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history, renown Christian writer, historian, and second vice president of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. Off the Record with Martin Luther

This book is perhaps the most candid look we have into the life and thoughts of Luther. It has its spiritually inspiring moments but for the most part is just good solid Luther logic.

Martin Luther, a brilliant, multi-lingual theologian and scholar, never lost his bond with the common man. That reality is evident in Tabletalk, in his sermons, and in his Small Catechism. Luther and his wife, Katie, lived in a large house that provided an ideal setting for the frequent gatherings of Luther's peers and those who simply wanted to hear more from their spiritual leader.

From one of the greatest thinkers of all time. We owe so much to this man, that we ought to at least consider what this document tries to teach us. This of course does NOT reflect this group entirely, for there are GOOD people in ALL groups. However, we must study this book and draw from it the warnings that GOD has given us through Marin Luther. A GREAT read even if you are not religious.

If you can get past the fact that the Protestants are just as delusional as the Catholics, it is interesting reading and a nice slice of history. But you have to be a history buff to enjoy this type of work.