Top Ten Biographies of Martin Luther

kmathison6
6 minutes ago
4 min read

There are probably more books written about Martin Luther than any other prominent figure of the Reformation. In 2017, the anniversary of the posting of the 95 theses, several more biographies were added to the already intimidating list. It occurred to me a while back that I have ten biographies of Luther on my bookshelves, and given that ten is a nice round number, I thought it might make good material for a blog post. The original idea was to rank the biographies I own in a "Top Ten" list and then nail them to the door of a church. I quickly gave up on the idea of nailing these to a church door when I couldn't find my hammer. But even the task of ranking the biographies proved to be quite difficult since most of these books are really good, and each has something unique to contribute. There is only one of them that I do not find particularly helpful, so designating the number 10 spot was the only easy task. Number 9 was also fairly easy. The next easiest task was the Top 3. I am pretty comfortable standing by these choices. Slots 4–8, however, are almost interchangeable. In order to add the necessary amount of tension and drama, we will begin with number 10.

10 Martin Marty – Martin Luther: A Life (2004)

Like Roland Bainton’s well-known biography of Luther, Marty’s is short, but, of the two, Bainton’s is much, much better. Bainton gets into details and quotes Luther – extensively at times. Marty's biography is akin to trudging through a Reader’s Digest version of a great novel. It's not very detailed, and the reader finds only a surface level engagement with Luther’s ideas. Did not care for this one.

Peter Stanford – Martin Luther: Catholic Dissident (2017)

This biography is a popular level work written by an ecumenically minded Roman Catholic. Stanford is enthusiastic about recent efforts at rapprochement between Roman Catholics and Lutherans. There is nothing really new here that cannot be found in other biographies, but I must say that the author does write in a very easy to read style.

Herman Selderhuis – Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography (2017)

This is where the ranking gets difficult. I had a very tough time placing the biographies found ranked here from 4 through 8 in any order. I love all of Selderhuis's works that I have read, and his biography of Luther is among those. It is an “intermediate” level biography that would be suitable for any high school or college class on the Reformation. There’s a strong personal focus, as the subtitle indicates, on the spiritual journey of Martin Luther. Very well written.

Martin Brecht (3 vols) – Martin Luther (1985–1987)

Of the Luther biographies I own, Brecht's is by far the largest. At three volumes and around 1500 pages, this biography will be overkill for all but the hardiest readers. For those who are fascinated by historical details, this biography proves to be a feast. For others, it could prove to be a slog. I love it, but I don't know if you will love it.

Lyndal Roper – Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet (2018)

Roper, a student of Heiko Oberman, has written a biography of Luther with a particular focus on his social and geographical context. On the theological side, Roper focuses a bit more on the eucharistic debates than the other biographies. This one is well-written and informative. Enjoyable.

Eric Metaxas – Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World (2018)

Eric Metaxas’s biography of Luther is most similar in style and intended audience with Hendrix’s biography (See below). He writes short, easy to read chapters and effectively begins his story with Luther’s cry to St. Anne in the thunderstorm. The style is somewhat reminiscent of an investigative journalist. Quite good.

Roland Bainton – Here I Stand: A Biography of Martin Luther (1950)

Roland Bainton’s biography of Luther was first published in 1950. While it is relatively short, it is very informative. It is also a pleasure to read because Bainton captures the drama of Luther’s life. If there is a drawback, it is the crazy footnote format, which I have never seen before or since. It is very difficult, almost painful, to keep this classic out of my Top 3.

3 Scott Hendrix – Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer (2017)

Hendrix’s biography is very good. He incorporates historical nuggets that are not found in most other biographies of Luther. He is easy to read and informative. It is not quite as academically oriented as Oberman's biography, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. If I needed to give a person a good non-academic, but up-to-date, introduction to the life of Luther, this would likely be the book I would recommend.

2 Heiko Oberman – Luther: Man Between God and the Devil (2006)

For many years, Oberman's biography of Luther was my easy number 1 choice. Where Bainton approaches Luther’s life almost as a screenwriter looking for the drama, Oberman is the quintessential historian. Oberman drops the reader into the middle of the social, cultural, and political world in which Luther lived and worked. It is a profoundly informative and interesting biography. But I have since run across one that I think might be even better.

1 Heinz Schilling – Martin Luther: Rebel in an Age of Upheaval (2017)

This biography is now among my favorites. It is written at a more academic level, and so may not be the best entry-point into a study of Luther's life, but for those with some background studies already under their belt, this is an outstanding deeper dive. Even after reading a number of biographies of Luther, I learned something new on almost every other page. So there you have it. The definitive, never to be improved, list of the Top Ten biographies of Martin Luther. Enjoy!