Luther’s View of Purgatory
An Examination of His Theological Understanding of Suffering as the Cross
- Theology
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2025
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Publisher's Description
This study addresses what has been a previously unexamined subject in Luther scholarship and presents how Luther (re-)interprets the concept of purgatory in line with his biblical and theological insight. The book gives the background of the development of the doctrine of purgatory, particularly of penitential theology, as well as a brief summary of Luther's so-called Reformation breakthrough. Furthermore, it explicates how in the Explanations of the Ninety-Five Theses (1518) Luther articulates the notion of purgatory within the framework of justification by faith alone and the theology of the cross. So this book demonstrates the way a minor subject in Luther--purgatory--interacts with his major theological subjects--justification and the theology of the cross. Careful analysis helps readers follow Luther's way of thinking in the course of the Reformation.
Endorsements (4)
“This volume gives us a surprising and valuable new treatment of a topic Martin Luther would not have been expected to deal with positively and which figured prominently in the ‘captivity of the church’ in terms of indulgences and other offerings for the departed. That topic was purgatory, and Luther rediscovered a sense for the term that was not only compatible with the gospel but offered support for the spiritual process of faith and justification.”
“Lutherans often struggle with the enduring catholicity and medieval outlook of their patron. Most would be mystified to learn how long it took him to ‘recant’ the doctrine of purgatory. Padre Kim skillfully connects this puzzling process to two major themes: justification by faith and Christian suffering, showing how the gospel inevitably worked its way through Luther’s thinking until he was able to find full comfort in Christ.”
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