Armchair Book Review: Luther's Commentary on Galatians

 

Martin Luther's greatest commentary has been "digitally remastered" as it will in this new edition.

Luther has lectured on several books of the Bible. Romans gets a lot of attention because of how Luther himself attributes later his Reformation breakthrough to that book and we can see early development of justification by faith really starting to take shape within that commentary. However, as Green notes in How Melanchthon Helped Luther Discover the Gospel (review here) Luther's mature theology of justification, especially of forensic justification is not fully developed yet at that time. Green argues that for one to really see the mature Luther, one should read his 1535 Commentary on Galatians developed from his lectures on the book. It is important to note the edition as Luther also lectured on Galatians in 1519. But that edition - like his Romans commentary - is at the time of Luther's own development of Reformation Evangelical theology and far smaller in size than this edition.

Serious readers in Luther definitely need this book for this reason. There are few works of Luther that compare in size or depth, especially with that Mature Luther theology Green speaks of. Along with works like Bondage of the Will this is a Hallmark Luther masterpiece. Don't expect a quick read, as Luther says at the start of his preface "I can hardly believe I was so wordy" and that is an understatement. But because of his excessive size, you will get justification like hardly anywhere else in Luther's works. You will get comparisons to scholastic belief and pastoral concern that we see often in Luther, but you will get much more nuanced pieces as well. The work is particularly importantly towards Luther's theologies of the simul (the Christian being simultaneously saint and sinner), how God is revealed, the bondage of the will, and the proper distinction of Law and Gospel. Because of the situation Paul faces with the church in Galatia the book works well for Luther and engaging his own contemporary issues. The book features Luther's uncompromising style, and his commentary along with discussing modern issues or the theological implications of the verse often also include his homiletical style of paraphrasing. There are many moments in which he says things along the lines of "It is as if Paul were saying..." followed by a quotation to help one have a better understanding of the text. 

Now as I got this edition from 1517 Publishing, already having a copy from the American Edition of Luther's Works (vol 26-27), similar to my review of 1517's Freedom of a Christian I was particularly interested in how this edition stacked up against the competition. And my review in that respect could not be higher as this edition certainly surpasses that of LW's. Here are several things I noticed in comparison:

• Yes I know, you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. But we do. Whereas with Freedom of a Christian my critique centered on the cover, I couldn't be more pleased with this one (pictured above). I mean, there is just no getting around it: it's cool. And along with being cool it evokes the idea that you're going to get Luther taking to the mic, getting the word out. It evokes the right image. Also, it gives you some really important information - that it is the later 1535 edition of his commentary on Galatians not his 1519 one, that it is a commentary that is actually developed from his lecture notes, and that it is put into today's English. I've commented in the past on 1517's nice matte covers and this one is no different.
• Economically speaking this edition is nicer than the LW because it comes in a single edition whereas the LW copy requires two volumes (owing in large part to the 1519 Commentary also being included). Yet as a single edition it does not suffer greatly from font size or spacing. This is something 1517 in general needs to be commended on again. As I am currently reading Bo Giertz's commentary on the synoptics (expect a review on that in the future), I have noticed how there is actually quite a bit crammed into a single page, but it doesn't feel crammed when reading, one has to take sort of a backed up view to realize just how much they've actually done that. This tells me 1517 has done well in finding a font, size, and spacing that gets the most without making the reading experience suffer. While this book is in no means a large print book, and might be hard for those who old eyes, I had absolutely no objection to its size.
• I was surprised to find that LW did not even include Luther's prefaces but only his introductory summation of Paul's argument in Galatians. This is sad, especially because some of Luther's wit comes through in this part of the book. Like his outline of the book given the mock title "Let's Hear it for Self-Righteousness and its Fifty Select Virtues Resulting from Works! As Penned by the Apostle Paul to the Galatians" in which he highlights from the chapters fifty claims of Paul about justification by works that immediately show why they are contrary to the Gospel of justification. 
• The overall layout of the book is superior as well to LW. The use of bold for highlighting when we moved on to a new verse made for more noticeable transitions when paging through than LW's italics. It also allowed the headings for argument transitions (which were done like LW in italics) to be more distinguishable from the verse transitions. Additionally, LW put where we were in the commentary in the inner margin of the header whereas 1517's puts it more noticeably in the center of the header. These little things made for subtle but noticeable improvements on the reading experience. Another detail that this includes that LW does not is the dates and breaks of the lectures.
• The work is full of translator footnotes. I'm an absolute fan of footnotes (as I lamented in my review of Green who used endnotes). Most of the footnotes are merely sharing the original Latin, which though I am not proficient in even I was still able to find at times inciteful. And had I a better grasp of the language I would imagine would be very helpful. There were at times also references to word plays, historical references, and differences from other English editions. All these make for a good scholastic edition and therefore give this book a place in academia.
• The book however is not falsely advertising when it says "in today's English" on the cover. I found that as I held it side by side with my LW edition the English was definitely smoother and the work superior. This was really important because one of the questions I asked myself as I looked at this work was "why would I want this edition over against the others that are already out there?" As you can hopefully see, it is my belief that this work is worth the buy.
• There are some sections italicized and referenced as left out of the first English translations that were included in this edition. However, I am unsure as to what editions these may be and if any are new enough that readers may likely still be using them. The sections I checked against LW were included in that edition. But it's worth noting that some editions are inferior to this in regards to whole paragraphs missing.
• There are sections where there exists some decent amount of differentiation in translation. I was surprised at the way one translation would put a phrase in the preceding to succeeding sentence as opposed to the other. There were even areas where they did not both include or agree on a scriptural reference. I was also confused by how even some of the headings/delineations to new verses did not always agree. Not having the original I'm unsure as to which edition is closer to Luther or taking more liberties. But I was surprised to see this happen. I also noticed that this edition often split some paragraphs from the LW edition, which was helpful again on the eyes and overall layout of the book.

Overall, one of Luther's monumental achievements has received a commendable new look and is a worthy investment even for those who already possess predecessor copies. Translator Haroldo Camacho has done a commendable job in producing an edition that will serve academia as well as readers looking for Luther in more accessible English than some past editions. Luther's paraphrase of Paul's meaning of the final verse may just as well stand for his own intentions in these lectures: 

I have taught Christ to you with all purity, I have urged you, I have reproached you, I have not left anything undone that would be of benefit to you. There is nothing else I could have told you. But with all my heart I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ bless and multiply my effort and govern you by His Spirit throughout eternity.

Armchair Grade: A, 9/10

Top 10 Games of Thrones Moments

 So I recently re-watched all of Game of Thrones in a semi-binge stretch. I've seen the whole series before - several seasons multiple times - but this was the first time I did the entire series from start to finish in one short stretch. As I did, I was reminded of how much I must agree with those who feel the final seasons to be pretty disappointing and frankly too Hollywood script in style. But it really doesn't change the fact that overall Game of Thrones still stands out as one of the finest shows ever to air. George RR Martin's characters are deep, his story compelling, and his twists memorable. On top of all that the show had great production values. It featured a great cast, fantastic props/costumes/sets, emotional music, and graphics that so far stand well the test of time. Sure it had it's drawbacks, like the final season controversies, or how some night scenes were done in too much dark making watching it really difficult (which sadly happened often in fighting sequences where quick movement and cuts made it even harder), and some storylines were way too drawn out. I mean, when the season 1 finale ends with dragons born and whitewalkers marching but neither enter into the seven kingdoms until season 8...I mean, come on!). But this blog is about some of my favorite moments in this, one of my favorite series. This is your one and only warning of SPOILERS. And at this point, if you haven't watched the series yet you don't really get to cry about spoilers.

1. Bring Me Ned's Head. This was one of those first real disappointing moments in the series, before you learned not to get too attached to any character because they could be given the axe (or in Ned's case, the sword). But that is precisely why this moment is so important for me. The show already had intrigue and twists, but this was the moment it was clear that this would not be like other shows. Up to that point it had seemed like Ned was the main character. In any normal story he would be safe (at least until the end of the series). Didn't matter how many CTU directors kicked the bucket, you always knew Jack Bauer makes it. But in Game of Thrones, you can be Ned freak'n Stark and it won't matter.
   
   
   
   
2. Petyr loses the game. It was probably the last real twist in Game of Thrones, that is, of the sort where you think you know where things are going and then someone changes the course of the game. The truth is, when it happens to Little Finger, it was not done well. That is, it never is really clear if Arya and Sansa are playing Little Finger the whole time or just at the end. And if the whole time why are they doing it when they are alone, and if at the end what causes them to shift gears and work together. Whereas other twists may have been unexpected, they are not totally out of the blue. But all issues with how this played out aside, Little Finger's death was the most satisfying one since Joffrey drank the kool-aid at his own wedding. And the real truth was there was a point where it started to feel like there was a real chance the show would end with him on the iron throne. It was about the only outcome I was not prepared to accept. So when he died in the season 7 finale, I breathed a sigh of relief.
3. The Knighting of Lady Brienne. It may sound strange, but this may be my single favorite moment in the entire series. Of all the things that felt fitting, none were more so than this. Brienne really earns her place as a character in the show, and her loyalty and honor is unflinching. In such a corrupted world, she stands out in a good way. And it is so true to character that Jaime Lannister wouldn't care a lick about tradition and be willing to knight a woman. When he does it really is the climax of their friendship too more than the eventual sex scene. And it is beautifully mirrored in the series finale when she fills in his history in the book of the knights of the king's guard. When you add to all that it happens on what they imagine will be the last night of their life, it is an emotional honor. There may be a lot of bad decisions in the final season, but the stuff between around Jaime and Brienne's characters may be the best, and were still well done in that season.
   
   
   
   
4. Jaqen's Grin. It was a simple moment, but when Jaqen H'ghar tells Arya she has finally become no one, and Arya asserts instead that she is a Stark and is going home, Jaqen actually grins for the briefest of moments. While the ambiguity leaves room for interpretation, I took it to mean that all along that's what he really intended for her. At the very least he did not seem disappointed that she would not remain there among the faceless men. It also explains his place in Westeros may have been intentional all along. But most importantly as a viewer one has a certain level of excitement that comes in Arya going home and pride in Arya really claiming her identity when for pretty much the entire show after season 1 she had been hiding who she was. And knowing her commitment to her list, it was bound to lead to something entertaining. Which brings us to...
   
   
   
   
5. Lord Frey's last supper. Okay, so I really didn't like that when Arya came back to Westeros, she's all of the sudden the greatest warrior alive. It was kind of fun the first time you see it, but the more you do the more it doesn't make sense and the more it makes her too super. She nearly dies from another girl in Braavos, but Brienne of freak'n Tarth who bested all the best of Westeros fights her to a draw? Arya didn't learn how to be the best fighter, she learned how to be a skilled one. But more importantly she learned how to wear faces. It was that trick which she put to great effect against the Frey's. It was in that style that Arya's character should have been carried forward the rest of the show (again, final season flaws). Not only did Arya's ability to assassinate the Frey's feel fitting to her character and the show as a whole, but the way she made him eat his own children was an ode to a children's story referenced earlier in the series about the fate the befalls those who shed blood under a false security of hospitality. 
   
   
   
   
6. Tyrion's Confession. To be sure his confession in the Vale was also entertaining, but few moments in the show were as memorable as when Tyrion confesses his disdain for everyone in King's Landing after his father uses his lover to get him wrongly convicted of murdering Joffrey. Peter Dinklage nailed the scene. Whether it was his brokenhearted emotion when she started lying, or his utter frustration and bitterness in the middle, or his self-satisfied pride in not only telling everyone off but believing he will get off by declaring a trial by combat. Add to it the hallowed sound of the Rains of Castemere that played dramatically when he concluded and you just have to give it up as the most complete scene in the entire series. I've watched that scene alone sometimes it's so good. That monologue is like Al-Pacino-at-the-end-of-Scent-of-a-Woman kind of good.
   
   
   
   
7. Jaime's first and last embrace. After traveling to Dorne to get Myrcella back for the queen, Jaime and Myrcella have an open and honest conversation below deck of the ship. In it, he is about to admit that he is Myrcella's father when she affirms it first. And in her affirmations she gives Jaime a warm embrace. The significance is well acted out, for this was the first time Jaime gets to hold his kid as his own. While he had always known Myrcella to be his daughter, it was the first time for him to be known as father. And it is the significance of that embrace, which any dad can appreciate, but being a father of an adopted child perhaps strikes me a bit more as I recall too the first time I was called and received as dad. Thus this moment pulls at my heartstrings. And it makes her death that unfolds during that embrace that much more tragic.
   
   
   
   
8. Liberation of the Unsullied. Along with her underdog status, the thing that really makes so many viewers want to see Daeneryus take the throne was when she proved to not only be strong, but just. And that moment came especially in season 3 when she negotiates (against all urging) the trade of one of her dragons in return for the entire army of the unsullied, a group that would become the backbone of her forces throughout the series. But instead of accepting slave soldiers for her dragon, she uses her dragon to burn the master and frees all the unsullied, having them slaughter all the slave masters. This revolutions convinced many that she was not only different from her mad father, but would be different from the slew of other contenders for the crown in the show. Even after her increase in cruelty and the death it brought her, the unsullied remained unceasingly loyal to her. But along with applauding her revulsion to slavery and her style of conquering slavers' bay, the act really made her story more interesting, her chances of taking the throne significant, and her fanbase much wider.
   
   
   
   
9. Aemon's Past. Maester Aemon is really a kind, wise, and generally enjoyable tertiary character. And when he reveals to Jon his family origins and his own feelings over the fall of his own house he adds another layer to his character. One of my favorite moments to that comes towards his final moments when a from his deathbed he feels little Sam's head and starts speaking about his little brother Egg. This moment - along with its general sweetness to the character of Aemon - was of significance to me because of my love for A Tale of a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms which follow the exploits of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg, who would grow to become King Aegon ([V] I think). There are several other references to these two, but this one is the best.
   
   

   
   

   
10. Arya's Hound. Probably the best subplot in all of Game of Thrones is the exploits of Arya and the Hound together. Their animosity and eventual partnership is funny, entertaining, and emotional. This comes to climax when Brienne finds Arya and the Hound suspects her to be a Lannister agent looking to take Arya back to King's Landing. When Brienne asks if Arya would be safer with Clegane and he says she would and that he's protecting her, it makes official what had already been clear - she was no longer his hostage. It also is a major point in Clegane's own redemption narrative. Plus the fight that followed proved to be another great victory for Brienne of Tarth, further cementing her as the greatest warrior in Westeros.