Christian History Home > Issue 34 > From the Editor: Dwarfed By a Giant
From the Editor: Dwarfed By a Giant
KEVIN A. MILLER | posted 4/01/1992 12:00AM
Martin Luther needs no introduction. “In most big libraries,” writes historian John M. Todd, “books by and about Martin Luther occupy more shelf room than those concerned with any other human being except Jesus of Nazareth.”
Historians track gradual and complex processes, so they hesitate to attribute too much significance to any single individual. With Luther, there’s little danger of overdoing it
Consider these statements by historian Kurt Aland: “...with Martin Luther’s posting of the Theses on October 31, 1517, the proud structure of the Western church fell in ruins within a few years”; “...the intellectual life of the modern age would not have come into existence without Luther and the Reformation.”
Time magazine’s Richard N. Ostling calls Luther “the last medieval man and the first modern one....” Think of a significant aspect of modern life—politics, education, religion, family life, media. You can’t discuss any of these without mentioning Martin Luther. Not bad for a “son of a peasant” ... To view this item, you must be a member of ChristianHistory.net.
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