Luther's Fortress

March 9, 2015
Though the history of the Reformation often begins in 1517 with Luther posting his 95 theses to the door of the Imperial Church of Wittenberg, the movement arguably did not take shape until 1521, when Luther, having been excommunicated the year prior, was summoned to the Diet of Worms and branded a heretic by Holy Roman emperor Charles V. Fearing for his life, Luther was spirited to Wartburg Castle by his protector, Frederick the Wise, and spent 11 decisive months in seclusion. Religious scholar Reston (The Accidental Victim) chronicles those months in this cogent history. Luther began his stay by trading barbed messages with his opponents and writing inflammatory treatises on celibacy and the sacraments. Yet he soon began work on his masterpiece, a vernacular translation of the New Testament so readable it would “make Moses so German that no one would suspect he was a Jew,” and refined the concept of sola fide, the theological doctrine dictating that Christians could be saved by faith alone. Reston’s superb juxtaposition of Luther’s solitude in Wartburg and the instability in both Rome and Wittenberg demonstrates how truly perilous a moment this was in the history of the burgeoning Reformation. 25 b&w images. Agent: Markus Hoffmann, Regal Literary.

February 15, 2015
An engaging study of a short but explosive period in the life of the great reformer and translator of the Bible. Woodrow Wilson International Center senior scholar Reston (The Accidental Victim: JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald, and the Real Target in Dallas, 2013, etc.) immerses himself in the life of Martin Luther (1483-1546) with a contagious energy, drawing readers into the complexities of this fraught period of religious conflict without getting lost in the research. Luther's role as a "contrarian" gave impetus to the movement that would take his name, and his many revolutionary actions included abandoning his legal studies to become a monk (thereby alienating his father) and nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the Imperial Church in Wittenberg in 1517. The act of publicly denouncing the sale of "indulgences," among other venal policies of the Catholic Church, caused an immediate counteroffensive from the pope, who tried to lure him to Rome and excommunicated him. Nonetheless, Luther hardened his positions, questioning even the validity of Catholicism's sacraments, the demand of celibacy from priests and the need for good works in attaining heavenly salvation rather than "by faith alone." After a bruising interrogation by Charles V's minions at the Diet of Worms in 1521, Luther was quietly removed from peril and sheltered by pro-reform sympathizer Elector Frederick the Wise at his Wartburg Castle, where Luther lived in disguise and wrote prodigiously. His correspondence to fellow scholars and advisers would help hone his ideas and inform his translations of the New Testament. While he was wrestling over these months with Satan, as he wrote, his radicalized rival Gabriel Zwilling and others took the rebellion to violent levels, prompting Luther to re-emerge and re-establish control of his flock with new clarity. In a swift-moving narrative, Reston examines all of the aspects of this tumultuous time for the reformer. An intensive journey inside Luther's thinking as it was forming in opposition to the church.

March 1, 2015

This crisply written narrative details the life of Martin Luther (1483-1546) during the year spanning April 1521 through March 1522, i.e., from Luther's self-defense at the Diet of Worms following the edict that declared him a heretic to his return to Wittenburg, where he first proposed ideas that would lead to the Reformation. Secluded at Wartburg Castle, he was writing a number of books, translating the Bible into German, hiding from the wrath of Catholic officials who wanted him condemned as a heretic, and trying to save his reformation from the hands of his more radical followers. Reston (senior scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Ctr. for Scholars; Defenders of the Faith) gives enough biographical information in the beginning and at the end to place these events in the context of Luther's life and his earlier career as a novelist shows itself in his writing. The author details in exemplary fashion what was so important and influential about his subject's life and works. Readers interested in a full biography of Luther should consult Roland Bainton's classic Here I Stand. VERDICT A fine, scholarly but accessible treatment of a key period in the life of one of the most influential persons in the history of Christianity.--Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ

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