Description
Martin Luther’s 1522 September Testament marked a watershed in Bible translation, making Scripture available to ordinary German people in their own tongue and sparking similar efforts across Europe. Building on the nascent trend of vernacular Bible translations in the early sixteenth century, Luther’s translation quickly became definitive linguistically, theologically and culturally, especially once the complete Bible was published in 1534, with production of New Testaments and Bibles in French, English and other languages keeping pace. Luther and his associates constantly revised and improved their methodology for translation and interpretation over a quarter-century of Bible publishing – efforts that helped shape Bible translation, reading and exegesis, for scholars and ordinary Christians alike, well beyond his lifetime.
Martin Luther’s Bible commemorates the September Testament, exploring the Wittenberg Bible project in its context and tracing aspects of its legacy in Europe and the wider world, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Essays from a range of leading experts draw upon the 2022 Martin Luther: Bible Translator, Illustrator and Publisher International Conference held at Union Theological College, Belfast. Together, they provide critical new insights into the linguistic, hermeneutical and theological history and influence of this landmark text.
About the Author
W. Gordon Campbell is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, and Principal and Professor of New Testament at Union Theological College, Belfast. He teaches regularly at John Calvin Seminary, Aix-en-Provence, where he was once Dean and has also been a visiting Professor of New Testament at Baltic Reformed Theological Seminary, Riga. He is the author of Reading Revelation: A Thematic Approach (James Clarke & Co., 2012 and 2022).
Contributors: Christine Ganslmayer (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen/Nürnberg) | W. Gordon Campbell (Union Theological College, Belfast) | Fearghus Ó Fearghail (Dublin City University) | Éric Kayayan (Foi et Vie Réformées) | Paulian Petric (Seed Company US / Wycliffe Bible Translators UK & Ireland) | Shawn Langley (Kirby Laing Centre, Cambridge)
Contents
Introduction – W. Gordon Campbell
1. Erasmus as the Initiator of East-Central German Vernacular Bible Translations of the Sixteenth Century – Christine Ganslmayer
2. Martin Luther’s 1522 September Testament as the Epoch-Making Foundation for a Quarter-Century of Wittenberg Bible Publication – W. Gordon Campbell
3. The Influence of Luther’s September Testament on Tyndale’s New Testament and on the Irish New Testament of 1602 – Fearghus Ó Fearghail
4. The Road to the Landmark 1588 Geneva Bible in French and its Reception in Jean Daillé’s Sermons on Calvin’s Catechism – Éric Kayayan
5. The Geneva Bible’s Expansion of Luther’s Innovative Approach to Reading and Interpreting the Book of Revelation in the Vernacular – W. Gordon Campbell
6. Martin Luther’s New Testament and the Anointing of the Holy Spirit in English-Speaking Theologies – Shawn M. Langley
Bibliography
Topical Index
Endorsements and Reviews
Luther’s 1522 New Testament has a fair claim to be the most consequential book ever printed; it stands at the head of the whole modern tradition of Biblical translation. It deserves a tribute like this, examining not only Luther’s achievement itself but its impact across Europe in the Reformation era. Professor Alec Ryrie, dept. of Theology and Religion, Durham University
