Luther Today

Abstract

The article examines main works by German and European historians specializing in the biography and public activity of the Reformer Martin Luther. The focus is primarily on the works by historians Heinz Schilling and Volker Leppin, placed in the context of modern historiographical discussion. How can the phenomenon of Luther be interpreted in a methodologically constructive way, how significant can be the research of the anthropology of the personality and a wider socio-structural scope of examination? The possibilities and limitations of the application of certain concepts to the phenomenon of Luther, in particular, the concept of confessionalization most consistently represented by Heinz Schilling, are illustrated in the paper. Besides that, the author elaborates on the mystical roots of Luther’s theology in Volker Leppin’s representation. The article also focuses on the aspects of continuity and differences between certain recent areas of research. An advanced approach of historical anthropology in Volker Leppin’s works is discussed together with civilizational notions in the books by Thomas Kaufmann and Heinz Schilling. Schilling’s book is exceptionally significant as it perceives the phenomenon of Luther from a viewpoint of the concept of confessionalisation, whose representative Shilling is. The origins of the Reformation and the development of Luther as a theologian were affected by the factors of a previous period. As far as this aspect is concerned, Volker Leppin’s research is of special interest. The author carries out an in-depth study of the connection between spiritual origins of the Reformer and the ideas of his older contemporaries and predecessors.