Prefaces to the Books of the Bible
The introductions Luther wrote for his German Bible and its several books, beginning with the New Testament of 1522. They say how he read each book and which he valued most.
Martin Luther provided each Testament and most of the books of his German Bible with a preface. Those written for the New Testament of 1522 are the most outspoken. The preface to the New Testament ranks John’s Gospel, Paul’s letters and 1 Peter above the rest, and the prefaces to Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation explain why he sets these four apart from what he calls the chief books.
Luther revised the prefaces in later editions and dropped some of the sharpest judgements. The translation used here follows the final form of 1545 and prints the passages peculiar to 1522 in brackets, so each citation says which edition it rests on.
Cited in
- 1522 to 1534, firm date