J. Wicks, Facts and fears in and around Martin Luther (Remarks inspired by the recent biography of Luther by Richard Marius), MOREANA, 37(141), 2000, pp. 5-32
In his recent biography Richard Marius attends above all to Luther's temper
ament, which was melancholy and susceptible to haunting fears of death. As
the biography breaks off in 1527, Luther is in deep depression and has alre
ady published works marred by bitterness and vehemence. The biographer admi
ts his summary judgment that while Luther did bring evangelical freshness t
o the faith of a few, he contributed to the Reformation precisely the eleme
nts that made it catastrophic for the West, as in the religious wars of the
century after Luther's death. Luther, after such a demythologization, can
still speak to us about marshaling what talents we have to bring some light
to our world. The work presents several aspects of the Church in Luther's
time inaccurately, and on Luther's theology some of its interpretations als
o call for correction. But on Luther's "discovery of the Gospel", placed in
1519, Marius delineates well the factors exacerbating Luther's anguish and
the flash of light that came from St. Paul as Luther found an evangelical
word of consolation and assurance repeatedly communicated in sacramental en
counters with Christ. This creates a new dialectic of fear and hope and lef
t Luther still susceptible to depression, especially in reaction to divisio
ns in his own ranks and the many obstacles that blocked smooth implementati
on of reform.