The Table-Talk of Martin Luther

The Table-Talk of Martin Luther, or simply as Table-Talk, is a collection of recorded conversations, observations, and discussions attributed to Martin Luther, the German theologian and leading figure of the Protestant Reformation. The work covers a wide range of religious, theological, historical, political, and practical subjects, reflecting Luther's views on Scripture, Christian doctrine, the church, education, government, and everyday life.

The conversations were recorded by Luther's associates and students, rather than written as a conventional book by Luther himself. The German compilation known as Tischreden was published in 1566 under the editorial care of Johannes Aurifaber. The English translation by William Hazlitt became one of the best-known English-language versions of the work.

The Conservapedia Original Source Project provides an organized transcription of The Table-Talk of Martin Luther, divided into chapters with internal links for research and reference.

Historical Background

Martin Luther frequently discussed theology, biblical interpretation, church affairs, politics, education, and other subjects with colleagues, students, and visitors. Notes of these conversations were preserved by people associated with him, including Johannes Aurifaber and Antonius Lauterbach.

Following Luther's death in 1546, Aurifaber assembled material for publication. The first German edition of the Tischreden appeared at Eisleben in 1566. The published collection subsequently circulated in numerous editions and translations.

The surviving collection should not be treated as a verbatim transcript of every conversation. It represents material gathered, selected, arranged, and transmitted by other people. Modern scholarship has also shown that Aurifaber's compilation does not always correspond to the contemporary notes preserved independently by other recorders.

English Translation

William Hazlitt translated the work into English under the title The Table-Talk of Martin Luther. The translation circulated in nineteenth-century editions, including an edition published in London in 1848 under the title The Table-Talk or Familiar Discourses of Martin Luther.

The edition transcribed for the Conservapedia Original Source Project bears the title The Table-Talk of Martin Luther and identifies the Lutheran Publication Society of Philadelphia as its publisher. Its supplied electronic transcription was typed by Kathy Sewell on June 1, 1997. That date identifies the transcription, not the publication date of the printed edition, which has not been established from the supplied title-page information.

Hazlitt's translation presents a selection of the material found in Aurifaber's compilation. Readers should therefore distinguish this English version from the complete body of surviving historical records concerning Luther's conversations.

Contents and Subjects

The work ranges across many aspects of Luther's thought and experience. Its subjects include:

- Theology and Scripture: God's Word and works, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, sin, free will, justification, prayer, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. - The Christian life: the catechism, the relationship between law and gospel, temptation, tribulation, sickness, death, and the resurrection. - The church and religious controversy: preachers, the church, excommunication, Luther's adversaries, and relations with Jews and Turks. - Government and society: princes, political authority, discord, lawyers, military defence, and the responsibilities associated with vocation and calling. - Education and learning: universities, the arts, learned men, astronomy, astrology, and the interpretation of history. - Places and peoples: countries, cities, and the religious and political circumstances of Luther's age.

The collection is valuable as a source for studying how Luther's ideas were presented in informal conversation, as distinct from his formal theological treatises, sermons, and published controversies. Individual statements should nevertheless be considered in their textual and historical context.

Conservapedia Original Source Project

The Conservapedia Original Source Project provides a chapter-organized transcription of the English text, with links allowing readers to move between the chapters and consult the source directly. The chapter headings organize the material for convenient reference; they should not be assumed to reproduce the arrangement of every historical edition.

Index

Chapter 00 - Introduction\
Chapter 01 - God's Word\
Chapter 02 - God's Works\
Chapter 03 - Nature of the World\
Chapter 04 - Idolatry\
Chapter 05 - Jesus Christ\
Chapter 06 - Holy Ghost\
Chapter 07 - Sin\
Chapter 08 - Free-Will\
Chapter 09 - The Catechism\
Chapter 10 - Law and the Gospel\
Chapter 11 - Justification\
Chapter 12 - Prayer\
Chapter 13 - Baptism\
Chapter 14 - Sacrament of the Lord's Supper\
Chapter 15 - The Church\
Chapter 16 - Excommunication\
Chapter 17 - Preachers and Preaching\
Chapter 18 - The Patriarchs and Prophets\
Chapter 19 - The Apostles and Disciples of Christ\
Chapter 20 - Angels\
Chapter 21 - The Devil and His Works\
Chapter 22 - Temptation and Tribulation\
Chapter 23 - Luther's Adversaries\
Chapter 24 - Regarding Offences\
Chapter 25 - The Christian Life\
Chapter 26 - Princes and Potentates\
Chapter 27 - Discord (Economic Freedom)\
Chapter 28 - Sicknesses and the Cause Thereof\
Chapter 29 - Death\
Chapter 30 - The Resurrection\
Chapter 31 - Allegories\
Chapter 32 - Spiritual and Church Livings\
Chapter 33 - Constrained Defence (Christian Military Action)\
Chapter 34 - Lawyers\
Chapter 35 - Universities, Arts, etc.\
Chapter 36 - Astronomy and Astrology\
Chapter 37 - Learned Men\
Chapter 38 - Jews\
Chapter 39 - Turks\
Chapter 40 - Countries and Cities\
Chapter 41 - Vocation and Calling

See also

- Martin Luther - Protestant Reformation - Lutheranism - Original Source Project

External links

- [[1](https://www.lutherdansk.dk/Table-Talk/index1.htm) Martin Luther's Table-Talk] — electronic transcription of the Hazlitt translation, including introductory material. - [[2](https://ccel.org/ccel/l/luther/tabletalk/cache/tabletalk.pdf) The Table-Talk of Martin Luther] — electronic edition hosted by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Category Luther Category Category Reformation Category Source Project