Luther's Ecclesiastes: The Period Of Reformation

The period of Reformation:
In this period, the medieval idea of thinking was changed in the scholarly circle. This period brought the rediscovery of classical antiquity. The scholars involved in this development of thinking were known as humanists. Their main concern was humanities. A conception of eloquence and its uses in speaking were developed in the period. This awareness began to reflect in preaching of this time.
5.1. The contribution of Erasmus: His book entitled is Ecclesiastes. It was the first effort to the classical rhetoric in preaching in this period. This book reflects his understanding of the importance of preaching and his theory of preaching. He considered that the teaching is the importance means to enrich the skill of

The contribution of Luther:
Luther’s preaching and teaching was influenced by his personal experience. He tried to correct the one sided emphasis, which existed in the church of his time. The theology of medieval period was the doctrine of sacraments. But, Luther tried to construct the doctrine of the Word of God. So Luther’s theology is called as the theology of the Word of God. Luther broke the allegorical interpretation of Scripture. He stresses the historical sense which provide a framework for sound doctrine.
Luther’s works is treated a highly significant in the history of preaching. There are more than 2300 sermons are preserved. There is an uncertain about scope and content of his sermons. In the time of Luther, a few years after ordination, the candidate had given a special training for the preaching task. In Luther’s case, the commission to preaching was connected with his doctorate in the Holy Scriptures. He preached in the first years to the colleagues in the dining hall. He stated at Wittenberg that he was commissioned by Staupitz to preach. In 1514, he started his preaching ministry at Wittenberg city church. He continued his preaching ministry until 1522 as Bugenhagen’s Chief

The Shape of the Sermon in Martin Luther Period:
In Luther’s statements, both in the second series of lectures on the Psalms and in the table talk, he thought preaching as the oral task of presenting the words of salvation. His concern was that the personal character should have relationship to the task of the preaching. The preacher must present the message and preach to the glory of God, even though there seems to be no fruit.
Luther believed that the Word of God has three manifestations. God the Son, the incarnate Word, the Bible, the written Word and preaching, the proclamation are the three convictions he had in mind. According to him, the purpose of scripture was to reveal Christ. Finding that proclamation in any passage is the key to biblical interpretation. The guidance of the Holy Spirit is necessary to do that. So, he was very keen in keeping this theological idea in mind while preparing the sermon. The work of preaching is to proclaim the gospel in such a way that those chosen to salvation may hear it and make suitable through faith