...
Show More
An honest and informative look at the life of Martin Luther, who launched the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago.
Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book
Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther
...
Show More
Martin Luther shattered the structure of the medieval church, speaking out against corrupt religious practices and igniting the great Reformation. This stunning biography looks at the German religious reformer and his influence on Western civilization.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1,1950
This edition
- Format
-
336 pages, Paperback
- Published
-
April 1, 1995 by Penguin Publishing Group
- ISBN
-
9780452011465
- ASIN
-
0452011469
- Language
-
English
Characters More characters
-
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) was a German priest and professor of theology who initiated the Protestant Reformation. Strongly disputing the claim that freedom from Gods punishment of sin could be purchased with money, he confronted indulgence salesma...
Readers also enjoyed
Community Reviews
Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
5 stars
32(32%)
4 stars
38(38%)
3 stars
29(29%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
99 reviews All reviews
...
Show More
There are times that it is difficult to listen to a biography on Audible, and retain what you have heard. I feel as if I struggled with that on this volume. Martin Luther was a fascinating personality, during a very volatile time in world history. The author and the reader did the best they could to make the material as interesting as the life, but that is hard to do.. My listening was spread out over 7 days, and I wish that I could remember more of what I heard, but there was a lot.
...
Show More
It's hard to imagine a historical figure more significant than Luther. This was an excellent biography to gain a familiarity with the man and his times.
I was a bit frustrated with it though. Bainton seemed to try so hard to present an objective narrative that I felt he failed to speak to his reader. I wanted to hear from Bainton. Tell me why, Bainton, I should be reading about Luther. What do you like about him? Is there anything you find unsavory? Yes, as an historian, I should think you'd want to get out of the way and just present your material. But, history is never truly told that way. Everyone has their perspective. Everyone has their opinion. And when they don't disclose it, I spend my time wondering what it is. I wanted to hear from Bainton. But, don't feel like I ever did. His objectivity, bordered on dispassionate. And it made the thoroughness of his account a bit cold and sterile.
Please don't just inform me; move me. And I felt an account of this magnitude should've moved me a bit more.
I was a bit frustrated with it though. Bainton seemed to try so hard to present an objective narrative that I felt he failed to speak to his reader. I wanted to hear from Bainton. Tell me why, Bainton, I should be reading about Luther. What do you like about him? Is there anything you find unsavory? Yes, as an historian, I should think you'd want to get out of the way and just present your material. But, history is never truly told that way. Everyone has their perspective. Everyone has their opinion. And when they don't disclose it, I spend my time wondering what it is. I wanted to hear from Bainton. But, don't feel like I ever did. His objectivity, bordered on dispassionate. And it made the thoroughness of his account a bit cold and sterile.
Please don't just inform me; move me. And I felt an account of this magnitude should've moved me a bit more.
...
Show More
Having just read a book on German history, I decided I needed to know more about Martin Luther -- this book didn't disappoint, although there was a bit too much theology for me (but I guess that's almost inevitable), I especially enjoyed the long quotes from Luther's own writing.
...
Show More
My expectations for this may have been too high. It came across as so-so. I thought he spent too much of the book parsing the theological differences between Luther and the Catholics. Of course those are crucial details in the story of Luther but I felt it was overdone.
I thought Luther’s method for translating the Greek New Testament was fascinating:
"He would first make a literal translation in the word order of the original. Then he would take each word separately and gush forth a freshet of synonyms. From these he would select those which not only best suited the sense but also contributed to balance and rhythm. All of this would then be set aside in favor of a free rendering to catch the spirit. Finally the meticulous and the free would be brought together. Sometimes he was at a loss for terms and would set out in quest of words. In order to name the precious stones in the twenty-first chapter of Revelation he examined the court jewels of the elector of Saxony. For the coins of the Bible he consulted the numismatic collections in Wittenberg. When he came to describe the sacrifices of Leviticus and needed terms for the inward parts of goats and bullocks, he made repeated trips to the slaughterhouse and inquired of the butcher."
I thought Luther’s method for translating the Greek New Testament was fascinating:
"He would first make a literal translation in the word order of the original. Then he would take each word separately and gush forth a freshet of synonyms. From these he would select those which not only best suited the sense but also contributed to balance and rhythm. All of this would then be set aside in favor of a free rendering to catch the spirit. Finally the meticulous and the free would be brought together. Sometimes he was at a loss for terms and would set out in quest of words. In order to name the precious stones in the twenty-first chapter of Revelation he examined the court jewels of the elector of Saxony. For the coins of the Bible he consulted the numismatic collections in Wittenberg. When he came to describe the sacrifices of Leviticus and needed terms for the inward parts of goats and bullocks, he made repeated trips to the slaughterhouse and inquired of the butcher."
...
Show More
This was a terrific book. I think it does a great job meeting all the requirements of a good biography: creating a good context by which we can understand the times when the biographee lived (and how it differs from our world today), an honest look at the person's character, both the good and bad, and a consideration of how their lives and actions affected the world around them. Bainton obviously admires Luther, but manages to stay objective and honest about Luther's significant flaws. I believe it's been said by others much smarter than I, but great men who become larger than life, also have flaws that are larger than life. Martin Luther certainly has his flaws, but at the same time he is perhaps one of the most significant and influential human beings in the history of Western civilization, and (being a committed Protestant) I think most of that influence was for good. Bainton does a great job presenting both.
A couple minor criticisms: Bainton spends most of his time on Luther's theology, but not as much on him as a human. The chapter I enjoyed most was the chapter on his marriage and family life, but we didn't get much of that in the rest of the book. Obviously Luther's major influence on the world was his theology and his amazing courage to stand up for it, but it would've been nice to know more about him as a person. I also left the book a bit bewildered by German politics of the time: not being much informed about the history of the Holy Roman Empire or the feudal chaos that was medieval Germany at this time, I would've appreciated a bit more background on that.
A couple minor criticisms: Bainton spends most of his time on Luther's theology, but not as much on him as a human. The chapter I enjoyed most was the chapter on his marriage and family life, but we didn't get much of that in the rest of the book. Obviously Luther's major influence on the world was his theology and his amazing courage to stand up for it, but it would've been nice to know more about him as a person. I also left the book a bit bewildered by German politics of the time: not being much informed about the history of the Holy Roman Empire or the feudal chaos that was medieval Germany at this time, I would've appreciated a bit more background on that.
...
Show More
Well-written bio on Martin Luther. Great place to start if you’re brand new to Luther’s life and theology.
...
Show More
I quite enjoyed this classic celebratory biography of Martin Luther. While this is not the place to find Luther's warts and sins exposed and dwelt upon, it is a readable and helpful overview of his life and thought, and Bainton understands why Luther's insights were so critically important for so many people, not only in the 1500's but also down to this day.
As an evangelical Christian in the broadly reformed world, Luther is one of those heroes who gets cited and highlighted quite a bit, and with good reason. It was therefore helpful for me to learn just how chaotic the reformation was for him. The personal disagreements with so many other reformers, the issue of the radical reformers, the political machinations and considerations, all of it terribly complex and costly on a personal level. This is what leadership looks and feels like (thankfully not always so intensely) in every age.
I will follow this up with a more modern biography by Herman Selderhuis: "Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography."
As an evangelical Christian in the broadly reformed world, Luther is one of those heroes who gets cited and highlighted quite a bit, and with good reason. It was therefore helpful for me to learn just how chaotic the reformation was for him. The personal disagreements with so many other reformers, the issue of the radical reformers, the political machinations and considerations, all of it terribly complex and costly on a personal level. This is what leadership looks and feels like (thankfully not always so intensely) in every age.
I will follow this up with a more modern biography by Herman Selderhuis: "Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography."
Leave a Review