Here I Stand - A Life Of Martin Luther

By Roland Bainton

This early work on Martin Luther is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. It details the life of the monk responsible for translating the Bible from Latin into German and for inspiring the Lutheran movement. This is a fascinating work and is thoroughly recommended for anyone interested in the history of European religion.
This book is about the life of Martin Luther and his continuing impact on the world. Luther is raised in a conservative and disciplined home and goes on to become a monk without his father's initial blessing. Luther does everything a monk should do. He is committed to prayer, fasting, vigils, preaching, and teaching to the point of exhaustion. He continues his education and goes on to become a leader in the Catholic Church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bainton Press
• Release date: Apr 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781447495741

Reviews for Here I Stand - A Life Of Martin Luther

[dtgwynn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Martin Luther was one of the most influential men in Western Civilization over the past half-millennium. Most people today do not know enough history to understand someone like Luther, who was really a medieval theologian. Bainton does a wonderful job of placing Luther in his own time, educating the reader on the religious and political landscape of the time. Without this context, Luther no doubt would appear bizarre to the modern reader. Bainton praises Luther for his bravery in standing for what he believed to be true, and for his long-held hope that the Pope would change course if only he knew about the abuses in the church. Bainton takes Luther to task for his indefensible positions regarding persecution of Jews and Anabaptists, but makes sure the reader understands Luther's full position, which was not as simple as hatred and prejudice. The modern person who believes that a straight line can be drawn from Luther to the Holocaust is most misinformed. The most moving portions of the book are certainly the earlier chapters which detail Luther's personal spiritual struggle, which will find resonance in any Christian's heart.

[nathaniel.simmons · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great read. The first half reads like a fast paced novel chronicling his life and the second explores specific aspects of his character, thought, and influence. This makes the first half more fun than the second, but the whole book is worth the read.

[jstamp26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Martin Luther is one of the key figures in history. His stature as the leader of the Reformation has almost elevated him above the practical concerns of ordinary men. Bainton has done excellent work in revealing Luther as a man. Luther was a firmly medieval man with all of the struggles and doubts of others of his age. Luther's contribution was his dogged determination to be rightly related to God. This led him to study the Bible, particularly Psalms and Romans, which taught him that famous refrain "the just shall live by faith." Here Luther understood that the work of Christ alone brought salvation and faith was the only fit response to appropriate that work. It led him to eventually reject so many of the pillars of the Catholic Church and gave him the confidence to continue on the path the can be summed up by the Five Solas. Those who followed Luther sometimes went farther than he did in his changes (sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad). To the best of his ability, Luther pondered all of the many questions concerning the sacraments, the church, the state, the family, etc. according to the guidance of God found in His word. As he aged, he gained a family, he struggled through depression and disease, and he watched as Germany changed. In the end, he took his stand upon the revealed truth of God's word.Bainton has balanced Luther the man and Luther the theologian well. His book is absorbing and insightful and well worth the read.

[kslade-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great biography of Martin Luther, the reformer of the 1500s.

[donbarger · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great!

This was a great book. It brought Martin Luther’s life.... to life. I have always loved reading about Luther but this really helped synthesize all of the history that I have read about him. The book was well written and I found it easy to read.

[bradkautz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Martin Luther was one of the titans of the Protestant Reformation. It was Luther, along with John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli, who gave the Reformation its defining and enduring shape, influencing it in ways that continue today. This biography by Bainton is perhaps not exhaustive, but it is comprehensive, as it considers Luther’s life and times. We look into his life and see how Luther’s overriding passion, i.e. the love of God above all else and the consequent desire to reform the church, according to God’s self-revelation in the Bible played out on the stage of 16th century Europe. Luther didn’t plan to reform the church. Following his father’s wishes he was studying to become a lawyer. But he had an experience that set him on a different path, one which began benignly as he fulfilled a vow to become a monk. And to use a modern phrase, one thing led to another, and Christianity has never been the same. Bainton honestly explores the different phases of Luther’s life, pointing out both the highs and the lows. I was a little familiar with both aspects of Luther’s life previous to reading this book and found that there was much more to learn about Luther and the way he intersected with his time and its culture. An example would be from some of the polemical material of Luther’s late career, where Bainton highlights the nuances that we don’t easily appreciate 500 years later.Bainton has painted a rich portrait of a complex man, a man who above all served a sovereign, gracious and holy God. It is a biography written over 60 years ago but which has held up well for good reason. I highly commend it.

[petra5xs · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Its funny to think that the Protestant religion - today, at least, a moderate and forward-looking religion - is based on the writings of this man, one of the evilest human beings that ever lived. He was also the acknowledged inspiration for the Nazi party which should tell you plenty of his sentiments on race and the value of life. Not only did he advocate violence against Jews but was behind the Peasants' War where thousands died, and all because he felt that men should not ape their betters nor expect to improve their station in life but accept whatever lowly status they may be born into and serve their betters cheerfully. He was, needless to say, in the pay of the aristocratic class he so felt he belonged to. Naturally this book is not required reading for Protestants in Sunday school.

[robeik_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It has been said by others that Martin Luther was the first 'celebrity' - his fame of his breach with the Roman Catholic Church spread across the whole or Europe. Yet as this book shows, it was not something he wanted; he preferred reform of the church. He certainly did not agree at all with the radical derivations of German revolt against external oppression, like Munster.Luther would have been exciting to be around. He loved a beer, enjoyed company, singing and music. Yet he also suffered from depression, and ill health. Bainton wonders whether this is related to his struggle with God, but it appears his depression may have been clinical.The book is thorough in its discussion and analysis of Luther's interaction with the Roman Catholic Church, the local princes, and with Erasmus, his Bible translation and how he changed life in Germany. It covers his efforts to maintain peace (he was against the violence of Munster and others), but little is said of his influence on further reformers; for example, John Calvin is not mentioned.The author concludes the book by briefly covering the latter years of his life; very briefly regarding his death which gets one sentence. He does cover the less pleasant aspects of Luther - his anti-Semitic writings (which he has is religious, not racial) and his coarseness (not uncommon in those days). It is these things that opponents of Luther grasp to discredit him and his legacy.

[phillund · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A definitive biography of Martin Luther-warts and all.

[thebooknerd · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

An interesting if not particularly enjoyable read. The author's adoration of Luther comes across quite clearly, so it's a useful book for comparing different perspectives. I would never consider this a history text, but this would likely be a worthwhile book for anyone interested in religious history, regardless of which side of whatever fence you stand on. Also, I can't deny that Martin Luther is a major historical figure, so I'm glad to have read at least one biography on him, even if it was this one.

[aevaughn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading this work although sometimes I feel like I'm reading a sermon rather than a biography. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to start reading a biography explicitly about Martin Luther's life.

[librisissimo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Competent but rather dull. Boynton's shifts from commentary to quotation (or a summary of Luther's and others' positions and writings) are not well-marked. His copious endnotes are not actually noted in the text, but left for the reader to find out; there are several for just about every page.

[billmeister16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must read for any Christian that has not neglected their history. A romanticized look at the incredible life of Martin Luther. A classic work indeed.