StL7b: Luther's Galatians exceeds fathers; Justification of poor sinner; Bookmarks

      This concludes from Part 7a (Table of Contents in Part 1) in a series on the St. Louis Edition (StL) of Luther's complete writings in English. — In this concluding installment of sub-series #7, Prof. Graebner launches one of the most powerful, brief introductions of Luther's Galatians commentary ever written.  I took time to reformat the text to highlight its power. 

(From Der Lutheraner, vol. 49 p. 188 (No. 11, Nov. 21, 1893)[EN] (bolding, reformatting are mine):

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[review by Prof. A. L. Graebner; concluded from Part 7a]

Ninth volume. Interpretation of the New Testament. Conclusion. 

Luther's larger interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians and the other exegetical writings.

The noblest pearl among Luther's writings mentioned here is, and remains, the great exposition of the Epistle to the Galatians, which fills 773 columns in this edition. Since the last of the blessed Apostles [Paul], who wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, laid down his pen, no writing has come to light on the face of the earth and come down to our time which, with the same volume, would have as precious a content as this interpretation of Paul's letter to the Galatians. 

• Athanasius, the greatest theologian of Christian antiquity, 

• Augustine, 

• Ambrose, 

• Chrysostom, 

• Jerome, who lived and worked before the night of Papism fell, 

• Chemnitz, 

• Gerhard 

and all their highly gifted contemporaries in the great choir of orthodox theologians of the Lutheran Church have no worthy equal to this book to show in all their writings, and even among Luther's writings there is none of the same scope that shone with the same brilliance as 

this precious jewel of 

solid, 

heartwarming, 

God-graced 

exposition of Scripture; for nowhere again has Luther, this great preacher of righteousness, 

so richly and extensively, 

so deeply and highly, 

so brightly and clearly, 

so intimately and warmly and sweetly, 

so movingly and ravishingly and overwhelmingly 

dealt with 

the great, glorious chief doctrine 

of Scripture and the Christian faith 

of the justification of the poor sinner 

by grace 

for Christ's sake 

through faith, 

as in this exposition of the Epistle to the Galatians. This is mainly to be explained by the fact that, apart from the Epistle to the Romans, no other book of Holy Scripture introduces so deeply into the understanding of this doctrine and lets it shine so brightly and clearly as does the Epistle to the Galatians, and that we do not have an interpretation of the Epistle to the Romans by Paul's great disciple [Luther] in the context, but that Luther also set down in this explanation of the Epistle to the Galatians what he drew from the deep, full well of the Epistle to the Romans. Blessed, therefore, is the man who, under the Holy Spirit's grace, may 

read this book with devotion, 

grasp its contents with faith, 

feel its sweetness of consolation; 

he will have reason and cause to count the hours he has spent reading this writing among the most blessed hours of his life.

That our Doctor Luther is also a great scriptural scholar and Doctor by God's grace in the other scriptural expositions contained in this volume, even though they do not all bring the riches of doctrine and knowledge to the reader's heart to the same extent and with the same fullness, is believed by everyone who has gone to school with Luther. God grant that many may enjoy and bless this book, so that God may please and bless those who will gratefully use it. The same would certainly also be a welcome Christmas gift from a dear hand to many pious Christians.     A. G. [A. L. Gräbner]

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      Where should one start reading Luther from the St. Louis Edition in English?  Should it not be his Galatians commentary?  Aren't we all in the prison of sin that adheres to us, and so we are like John Bunyan who would agree with Luther, that "it is of great benefit that this doctrine of faith be constantly read and heard." — This series continues in Part 8a. — The following are the initial bookmarks I have set in the Archive.org viewer as I study Luther's Galatians anew:

Foreword ● Explanation & What the Epistle is About ● Chap. 1 ● 2 ● 3 ● 4 ● 5 ● 6