Pilgrim Library Christian Classics
An Open Letter on Translating

An Open Letter on Translating

Martin Luther (1483–1546) was a German Augustinian friar and professor at Wittenberg whose protest against indulgences — the Ninety-five Theses of 1517 — ignited the Protestant Reformation. Excommunicated and outlawed, he translated the New Testament into German and wrote treatises, hymns, catechisms, and commentaries that reshaped the Western church. Our library holds his Galatians commentary, A Treatise on Good Works, his sermons, and the Ninety-five Theses themselves.

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First published
1530
Category
Theology
Length
7k words · about 1 hour
Chapters
1

About this book

Martin Luther's open letter of 1530, defending his way of translating the Bible into German. Luther explains why a translator must listen to the speech of ordinary people and render the sense faithfully rather than word for word, and he defends his rendering of Romans 3:28, 'by faith alone.' A short and vigorous classic on the work of Bible translation.

Contents

  1. An Open Letter on Translating

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