Martin Luther’s Table Talk: Abridged from Luther's Works

Introduce your child to the practice of ending the day with a prayer with this calming bedtime book. Children give thanks for family, friends, and nature before saying good night. A parent page in the back helps moms and dads use this book to cultivate a prayer practice that lasts a lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781506440255

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Index

Introduction to the Abridged Edition

2017 marks the 500th anniversary of what came to be known as the Protestant Reformation, a movement of immense importance in the reshaping of Western religious, political, economic, and social life. October 31st, 1517, is commonly recognized as the beginning of the Reformation. On that day, Martin Luther—an Augustinian monk and Doctor of biblical theology—posted 95 Theses (points for debate) on the door of Wittenberg Cathedral, arguing against what he considered to be the Church’s corrupt and unbiblical practice of selling indulgences.

An indulgence was a purchased promise that past, present, and future sins would be forgiven and, therefore, purgatory could be avoided by oneself or by one’s loved ones who had died but on whose behalf an indulgence was purchased. As Johann Tetzel, a priest and seller of indulgences was reputed to say in his sales pitch, As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs.

Luther’s study of the Bible led him to insist that forgiveness of sins and salvation could not be sold by the church and bought by ordinary Christians. Rather, he insisted that forgiveness of sins and salvation were the gift of God’s grace received through faith and not by so-called works of righteousness (Eph 2:8).

The theological convictions of Luther and other early reformers that shaped the Reformation are often referred to as The Five Pillars of the Reformation—Word alone, Faith alone, Grace alone, Christ alone, and Glory to God alone. In the table talks in this volume, you will find these themes woven over and over again into the mealtime conversations around Luther’s table.

An early consequence of the developing Reformation was the closing of many monasteries and convents. The Augustinian monks, including Luther, who had previously lived in the Black Cloister in Wittenberg, abandoned the monastic life. Elector (Prince) John Frederick of Saxony, however, gave the place to Luther along with an annual living stipend. Luther continued to live in the Black Cloister, and from the time of his marriage to Katherine von Bora in 1525 until his death in 1546, it was the home of his family.

The spacious building was almost constantly filled by all sorts of people. In addition to Luther, his wife and the six children who were born to them, several poor students roomed and boarded there in return for clerical and other services, and there was a constant flow of guests from near or far.

About five o’clock in the afternoon supper was served in Luther’s household. This meal was often shared by exiled clergymen, escaped nuns, government officials, visitors from abroad, and colleagues of Luther in the university who frequently stopped in. The relaxed atmosphere and the warm hospitality of the home was conducive to spirited conversation. A frequent guest at Luther’s table, one John Mathesius, left this description of what it was like around Luther’s table.

Although our doctor often took weighty and profound thoughts to table with him and sometimes maintained the silence of the monastery during the entire meal, so that not a word was spoken, yet at appropriate times he spoke in a very jovial way. We used to call his conversation the condiments of the meal because we preferred it to all spices and dainty food.

When he wished to get us to talk he would throw out a question, What’s new? The first time we let this remark pass, but if he repeated it—You prelates, what’s new in the land?—the oldest ones at the table would start talking. . . .

If the conversation was animated, it was nevertheless conducted with decent propriety and courtesy, and others would contribute their share until the doctor started to talk. Often good questions were put to him from the Bible, and he provided expert and concise answers. When at times somebody took exception to what had been said, the doctor was able to bear this patiently and refute him with a skillful answer. Reputable persons often came to the table from the university and from foreign places, and then very interesting talks and stories were heard.[1]

Not surprisingly, some of the people who listened to these conversations at Luther’s table began to take notes. There was nothing strange about this. After all, the same persons were taking notes of Luther’s lectures and sermons, and they were interested in recording the opinions he expressed at table too. Not everything that was said was noted but only what interested one recorder or another. The notes were taken for private use as personal remembrances of a revered teacher or as guides for the solution of biblical, theological or personal problems, and were not intended for publication.

Although these notes, collected and collated, were first published as a stand-alone volume in 1566 (some 20 years after Luther’s death), early editions of Luther’s works did not include the Table Talk. It wasn’t until a 24-volume edition of Luther’s works, published between 1739 and 1753, that the Table Talk was finally included. The reason for the delay? Many Protestants were embarrassed by some things in the Table Talk—for instance, the earthy language which Luther occasionally employed, the severity of his polemical attacks against both religious and temporal leaders, and the freedom with which he criticized the composition and contents of some books of the Bible.

There is a good deal of autobiographical material in the Table Talk. Luther often spoke about his early home and parents, his education, his decision to become a monk, his experience in the monastery, his rediscovery of the gospel, his attacks on scholasticism and the papacy, his journey to the Diet of Worms where he was ordered to—but refused to—recant his teaching, his marriage to Katherine von Bora, and so on.

You will also find in the Table Talk, brief biblical exposition, snippets of doctrinal teaching, comments on ministry, the church and the sacraments, and pastoral counsel on living as a Christian. There is also much about the political, economic and social world that Luther lived in—a world very much unlike our own. It is good to keep in mind that these are tidbits of conversation over dinner.

The conversations throw light on Luther’s temperament and nature and variously reflect his humor and anger, his cheerfulness and melancholy, his candor and liberality, his critical acumen and credulity, his gentleness and blustering defiance.

The present volume is an abridgment of Volume 54 of the American Edition of Luther’s works, which is itself an abridgement of the six volumes of Table Talk in the German Edition. In Volume 54, the talks are arranged in 9 chapters, each chapter devoted to talks recorded by one individual. Within each chapter, the talks are arranged chronologically, the result of which is that disparate Table Talks follow each other throughout the book.

This volume arranges the Table Talks thematically within seven chapters. In abridging the 500 some pages of Volume 54 to this slim volume, much had to be left on the cutting room floor. The selections were made with the general reader in mind, not the scholar. The reader whose interest is piqued by this sampler of Luther’s table conversations is encouraged to move on to Volume 54 of Luther’s collected works.

A final editorial comment. Words enclosed in brackets are always additions inserted by the translator. In some cases, these are variant readings from one or another early manuscript. Most of the words enclosed in brackets were added by the translator to suggest the probable meaning of otherwise obscure texts.

And now, to the table.[2]

Henry F. French

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Georg Buchwald (ed.), Mathesius' Predigten über Luthers Leben (Stuttgart: Paul Rocholls Verlag, 1904), 155–56. ↵

Portions of this Introduction have been adapted from the Introduction to Volume 54 of the American Edition of Luther’s Works (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1967). ↵

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Table Talks on the Life of Faith

God’s Grace Is Hard to Believe

Between November 30 and December 14, 1531

"It’s very difficult for a man to believe that God is gracious to him. The human heart can’t grasp this. What happened in my case? I was once terrified by the sacrament which Dr. Staupitz carried in a procession in Eisleben on the feast of Corpus Christi.’[1] I went along in the procession and wore the dress of a priest. Afterward I made confession to Dr. Staupitz, and he said to me, ‘Your thought is not of Christ.’ With this word, he comforted me well. This is the way we are. Christ offers himself to us together with the forgiveness of sins, and yet we flee from his face.

"This also happened to me as a boy in my homeland when we sang in order to gather sausages.[2] A townsman jokingly cried out, ‘What are you boys up to? May this or that evil overtake you!’ At the same time, he ran toward us with two sausages. With my companion, I took to my feet and ran away from the man who was offering his gift. This is precisely what happens to us in our relation to God. He gave us Christ with all his gifts, and yet we flee from him and regard him as our judge."

The Character of Neighborly Love

April, 1532

One ought to love one’s neighbor with a love as chaste as that of a bridegroom for his bride. In this case, all faults are concealed and covered over and only the virtues are seen.

Despair of Grace the Greatest Sin

May 18, 1532

The sin which Judas committed when he betrayed Christ was a small sin because it could be forgiven. But to despair of grace is a greater sin because it cannot be forgiven, for God has determined for Christ’s sake to forgive the sin of those who believe. This sin is so great and wicked that it leads either to despair or to presumption. Consequently, one ought to be disposed to say, ‘It is true. I have sinned. But I will not despair on this account or commit the sin again.’ However, it’s a calumny to conclude from these words of mine that it is permissible to sin and then to believe, for one can’t believe in Christ unless one declares and resolves not to sin again. Sin carries us down to despair or up to presumption. In either case the sin is not repented of, for sin is either exaggerated or not acknowledged at all.

Dog Provides Example of Concentration

May 18, 1532

When Luther’s puppy happened to be at the table, looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes, he [Martin Luther] said, Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he has no thought, wish, or hope. . . .

A Lie Is Like a Snowball

Summer or Fall, 1532

A lie is like a snowball. The longer it is rolled on the ground the larger it becomes.

Prayer and the Promise of God

Fall, 1532

"When we pray, we have the advantage [of the promise] that what we ask will be granted, although not according to our wish. If it weren’t for the promise I wouldn’t pray. God does well, moreover, that he doesn’t give us everything as we wish, for otherwise we’d want to have everything on our own terms. That our Lord God is the same in life and death I have often experienced. If our prayer is earnest it will be heard, even if not as and when we wish. This must be so or our faith is vain. Consequently, it’s difficult to pray. I know well what a prayer requires of me. I haven’t committed adultery, but I’ve broken the first table[3] against God’s Word and honor. On account of my great sins [against the first table] I can’t get to the others in the second table."

It Is Easier to Doubt Than to Believe

November 8, 1532

A question was proposed by Master Ignatius, a student of sacred literature, on the day before the Kalends of December 1532: Why do we more readily believe Satan when he terrifies than Christ when he consoles? The question was answered by Dr. Martin Luther: "Because we are better equipped to doubt than to hope; because hope comes from the Spirit of God but despair comes from our own spirit. Accordingly, God has forbidden it [despair] under severe penalty. That we more easily believe penalty than reward is a product of the reason or spirit of man. Hoping and believing are different from thinking and speculating. Reason sees death before it, and it’s impossible for reason not to be terrified by it. Likewise, we can’t be persuaded [by our reason] that God gives his Son and loves us so much, and hence we say, ‘You have not allowed your Son to be crucified for nothing!’ This is above reason. That God is so merciful, not on account of my works but on account of his Son, is incomprehensible.

"In this article, all the sect leaders are wanting, even if they say they believe it. I think they all have a bad conscience, and I point out in proof of this that when they are up against it they become desperate. . . . I hold, therefore, that they know they are wrong. Even so, the bishop of Mainz, the margrave, and Duke George make a joke of the Word of God, as Adam also did in paradise and as nature always does. When a man sins, he says it isn’t important. But from this sin he proceeds to the sin against the Holy Spirit, and God lets him fall into willful sin. So, Duke George fell into sin, and he recognizes that he’s doing wrong, but not only doesn’t he refrain from sin but he doesn’t ask to be forgiven. This is the sin against the Holy Spirit, and here one passes from the second to the first table [of the law]. When you feel that something is wrong and you have a bad conscience about it, this is not the sin against the Holy Spirit, but when you sin and have a good conscience about it, this is the sin against the Holy Spirit. . . .

"Dear Lord God, it is enough to have sinned without trying to justify oneself. This isn’t tolerated in a home. The father of a household doesn’t allow it. It burns in one’s heart if a person who sins tries to justify himself. When you confess a sin and yet do not cease from it, it is a grievous sin and is contempt of God, but it’s not the sin against the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, when you know you are wrong and nevertheless try to defend yourself, this is too much.

"Our Lord God can suffer it that no sin should be so great that it may not be forgiven when the sinner falls down before Christ. But Duke George relies on being forgiven by the Christian church, and so he goes on sinning, but he’ll find out otherwise. One should have no doubt about a penitent sinner, even if he repeats his sin again and again, but one should also consider that if he dies in his sin he has had it.

I think many of the kings of Israel, like Ahab, have been saved. About Solomon I have no doubt. So, we see that all history presses toward the forgiveness of sins. Everything circles around the center, and that is Christ.

There Are Two Kinds of Offense

December, 1532

"Offense is of two kinds, received and given. [An example of] offense received is that the Jews were offended by Christ because he spoke and acted according to the Word of God, just as God wished. This opinion needed to be uprooted. The pope is also offended because I teach Christian liberty, but what do I care? In fact, I preach against him so that it may be known that the doctrine of the papists is corrupt, but what I say and do is according to God. We belabor them, but for their own good, as Paul says.[4] I wish to offend them, not for their ruin but for their good. To defend error would be of the devil. If our Lord God lets a man fall so far that he doesn’t think the Word is the Word, we don’t wish to hold him but will let him go."

The Relation of Word, Spirit, and Faith

December, 1532

"Faith and the Spirit go together, but the Spirit is not always revealed. So, Cornelius had the Holy Spirit before Peter came to him, although he didn’t know it.[5] Those in the book of Acts who said, ‘We don’t know the Holy Spirit,’ also had the Spirit, just as the patriarchs in the Old Testament had Christ, although they didn’t know him. They clung to the Word, and through it they received the Holy Spirit. Later in the book of Acts he was manifested to them outwardly. It is to be understood thus: The Word comes first, and with the Word the Spirit breathes upon my heart so that I believe. Then I feel that I have become a different person and I recognize that the Holy Spirit is there. Accordingly, these are two things: to have the Holy Spirit and to know that you have him. When somebody speaks in your ear, you hardly hear his words before [you feel] his breath, so strong is the breath. Even so, when the Word is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit accompanies it and breathes upon your heart. The sophists[6] say that this is reflected knowledge, as an image is reflected in a mirror. When the Word is scattered abroad the Holy Spirit blows upon us, but he must also breathe upon us inwardly.

Christ’s saying concerning the Jews, ‘They could not believe’ [John 12:39], belongs in the box of secrets which it isn’t given us to open. It’s futile for anybody who is thus condemned to suppose that he would say to God, ‘Why have you made me different?’ For unbelievers will not come to the thought of asking, ‘Why didn’t you give me the Spirit?’ But they will come to the thought, ‘You had the law. Why didn’t you keep it? You should have done so,’ etc. Such thoughts will gnaw at them. They won’t be able to think of anything else. They won’t be able to get around their conscience. The greatest gift is to have a conscience pacified by the Word. For this did God permit his Son to die, that we might have a good conscience.

To Be Glad to Die Is Unnatural

December, 1532

"I don’t like to see examples of joyful death. On the other hand, I like to see those who tremble and shake and grow pale when they face death and yet get through. It was so with the great saints; they were not glad to die. Fear is something natural because death is a punishment, and therefore something sad. According to the spirit one dies willingly, but according to