There are probably more books written about Martin Luther than any other prominent figure of the Reformation. In 2017, the anniversary of the posting of the Ninety-Five Theses, several more biographies were added to the already intimidating list. It occurred to me a while back that I have ten biographies of Luther on my bookshelves, and given that ten is a nice round number, I thought it might make good material for an article.
The task of ranking these biographies proved to be quite difficult since most of these books are quite good, and each has something unique to contribute. There is only one that I do not find particularly helpful, so designating the number ten spot was the only easy task. Number nine was also fairly easy. The next easiest task was the top three. I am comfortable standing by these choices. Slots four through eight, however, are almost interchangeable.
To add the necessary amount of tension and drama, we will begin with number ten.
10. Martin Luther: A Life (2004) by Martin Marty
Like Roland Bainton’s well-known biography of Luther, Martin Marty’s is short. But of the two, Bainton’s is much, much better. Bainton gets into details and quotes Luther—extensively at times. Marty’s biography is akin to trudging through a Reader’s Digest version of a great novel. It’s not very detailed, and the reader finds only a surface-level engagement with Luther’s ideas. I did not care for this one.
9. Martin Luther: Catholic Dissident (2017) by Peter Stanford
This biography is a popular-level work written by an ecumenically minded Roman Catholic. Peter Stanford is enthusiastic about recent efforts at rapprochement between Roman Catholics and Lutherans. There is nothing new here that cannot be found in other biographies, but I must say that the author does write in a very easy-to-read style.
8. Martin Luther: A Spiritual Biography (2017) by Herman Selderhuis
This is where the ranking gets difficult. I had a very tough time placing the biographies ranked here from four through eight in any order. I love all of Herman Selderhuis’ works that I have read, and his biography of Luther is among those. It is an intermediate-level biography that would be suitable for any high school or college class on the Reformation. There’s a strong personal focus, as the subtitle indicates, on the spiritual journey of Martin Luther. It is very well written.
7. Martin Luther (3 vols, 1985–1987) by Martin Brechtt
Of the Luther biographies I own, Martin Brecht’s is by far the largest. At three volumes and around 1500 pages, this biography will be overkill for all but the hardiest of readers. For those who are fascinated by historical details, this biography proves to be a feast. For others, it could prove to be a slog. I love it, but I don’t know if you will.
6. Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet (2018) by Lyndal Roper
Lyndal Roper, a student of Heiko Oberman, has written a biography of Luther with a particular focus on his social and geographical context. On the theological side, Roper focuses a bit more on the eucharistic debates than the other biographies. This one is well-written and informative. I thought it was enjoyable.
5. Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World (2018) by Eric Metaxas
Eric Metaxas’ biography of Luther is most similar in style and intended audience with Hendrix’s biography (see below). He writes short, easy-to-read chapters and effectively begins his story with Luther’s cry to St. Anne in the thunderstorm. The style is somewhat reminiscent of an investigative journalist. It is quite good.
4. Here I Stand: A Biography of Martin Luther (1950) by Roland Bainton
Roland Bainton’s biography of Luther was first published in 1950. While it is relatively short, it is very informative. It is also a pleasure to read because Bainton captures the drama of Luther’s life. If there is a drawback, it is the crazy footnote format, which I have never seen before or since. It is very difficult, almost painful, to keep this classic out of my top three.
3. Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer (2017) by Scott Hendrix
Scott Hendrix’s biography is very good. He incorporates historical nuggets that are not found in most other biographies of Luther. He is easy to read and informative. It is not quite as academically oriented as Oberman’s biography, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. If I needed to give a person a good non-academic but up-to-date introduction to the life of Luther, this would be the book I would recommend.
2. Luther: Man Between God and the Devil (2006) by Heiko Oberman
For many years, Oberman’s biography of Luther was my easy number one choice. Where Bainton approaches Luther’s life almost as a screenwriter looking for the drama, Oberman is the quintessential historian. Oberman drops the reader into the middle of the social, cultural, and political world in which Luther lived and worked. It is a profoundly informative and interesting biography. But I have since run across one that I think might be even better.
1. Martin Luther: Rebel in an Age of Upheaval (2017) by Heinz Schilling
This biography is now among my favorites. It is written at a more academic level, so it may not be the best entry-point into a study of Luther’s life. But for those with some background studies already under their belt, this is an outstanding deeper dive. Even after reading a number of biographies of Luther, I learned something new on almost every other page.
So there you have it. The definitive, never to be improved, list of the top ten biographies of Martin Luther. Enjoy.