In August of 1520, Martin Luther published the first of three incendiary works, Address to the German Nobility, in which he urged secular authorities to take a strong hand in "reforming" the Roman church. In October, he published The Church Held Captive, and by December the deepest theological rationale appeared in The Freedom of a Christian. With these three books, the relatively unknown Friar Martin exploded onto the Western European literary and religious scene. These three works have been universally acknowledged as classics of the Reformation, and of the Western religious tradition in general. Though Reformation scholars have been reluctant to single out one as the most important of the three, Denis Janz proposes a bold case for The Church Held Captive. In the first entirely new translation in more than a century, Janz presents Luther's text as it hasn't been read in English before. Previous translations stifle the original text by dulling the sharpest edges of its argumentation and tame Luther by substituting euphemisms for his vulgarities. In Janz's dual language edition we see the provocative, offensive, and extreme restored. In his wide-ranging introduction, Janz offers much-needed context to clarify the role of The Church Held Captive in Luther's life and the life of the Reformation. This edition is the most reader-friendly scholarly version of Luther's classic in the English language.

About the Author
Denis Janz grew up in Western Canada and completed his Ph.D. in the history of Christianity at St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto. He served as Provost Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at Loyola University New Orleans, and was promoted to Professor Emeritus in 2017. His teaching, writing, and editing has covered the entire history of Christianity, while his most exacting research has focused on medieval and Reformation topics, above all Luther.

Reviews
Janz's academic scholarship, intellectual appeal and consistent approach to each topic, and persuasive conclusion is something one cannot miss this book to have, not just academic scholarly community, anyone interested in Luther's classics must and should have this book in their hand * Babu. C, Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, Religious Studies Review *
Janz offers background details indispensable for understanding what Luther wrote and why... Summing up: Recommended * P. E. Blosser, CHOICE *
Everyone interested in the history of theology and especially the sacraments ought to read this Luther classic. This edition--for its readable translation, Latin text, and helpful footnote apparatus--is highly recommended. * Keith D. Stanglin, Stone-Campbell Journal *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199359530
Author Denis Janz
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 499g
Dimensions(mm) 165mm * 236mm * 28mm