Luther: Man Between God And The Devil Summary

Heiko A. Oberman’s biography Luther: Man between God and the Devil is set up more as a series of interconnected essays than a typical biography. Nevertheless, it should still be categorized as a biography. Throughout the book, Oberman focuses on the origins of the Reformation in Germany and the shaping of Luther’s thought as a young man. He also gives substantial attention to the major episodes of Luther’s life from his birth in 1483 to his death in 1546. What sets this biography apart from others is that Oberman provides a window through which the reader is able to view Luther’s spiritual struggles. Oberman’s objective is not to come up with a psychological explanation for Luther’s actions and behaviors as many other biographies will do. Rather, his goal is to discover who Luther really was and how he was shaped by the events and context that surrounded him. Oberman admits in the first sentence of the preface, “Discovering Luther the man demands more than scholarship can ever expect to offer.” (xix) Luther

He therefore wants to attempt to rediscover Luther’s true history, character, and theology. He rejects the 500 years of scholarship that attempts to place Luther in narrow categories simply of “Saint” or “Social Activist”. One of the goals of Oberman is that the reader should view Luther in the lens of his medieval theology, especially pertaining to the concept of the Devil whom Luther saw as his chief adversary, affecting many areas of his life. Throughout the book, Oberman argues that if the reader views Luther’s life as a struggle against the devil, only then can Luther truly be understood. Since Luther’s life work and purpose was to teach and preach the true Gospel to lost and condemned sinners, his chief adversary was the devil who “Would not tolerate the rediscovery of the Gospel; he would rebel with all his might, and muster all his forces against it.”