Abbreviations
Preface
Wittenberg and Athens
“The Best after the Bible”
Luther the Editor
A Lutheran Fable Book
Luther as Aesop
Appendix A Other Versions of the Coburg Fables
Appendix B Selected Latin Poems of Luther
Appendix C Varia
Works Cited
About the Author
Index
Index of Scriptural References
Carl P. E. Springer is professor of English and classical studies at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Springer has written extensively about the relationship between the classics and Christianity. He is best known for his work on the early Christian Latin poet Sedulius, whose collected works he is in the process of editing and translating. He has also produced numerous studies on Martin Luther's use of classical Greek and Latin authors as well as Luther's own Latin poetry.
“Luther’s Aesop is a useful contribution to a little studied aspect
of Martin Luther’s literary work. The argument is well articulated,
offering chapters on Luther’s study of the classics, his use of
Aesop in various writings, his translation of thirteen fables done
in Coburg in 1530, an edition with translation and commentary of
these fables, and a survey of Aesopic aspects of Luther’s other
writings.”—David Marsh
“This book is an important contribution to Luther scholarship and
to the study of Christianity and the classics. It brings us closer
to the real human being behind the reformer and makes our knowledge
of his sources more precise.”—Scott Hendrix
“Springer deserves praise for his unbiased writing and his
informative approach. He has crafted a narrative of Luther’s use of
Aesop’s fables, from his days as a translator of the stories into
German, all the way to his use of the fables as parables for his
religious arguments.”—Ben Wolinsky Olive Branch United
“Carl Springer offers a breadth of background and interpretative
information on Luther’s appreciation and use of these succinct, yet
edifying narratives.... End material in this volume reveals
Springer’s masterful scholarship as well as his role as a
consummate teacher.... Truman State University Press is to be
commended for this publication, with its attractive jacket/binding
and clear formatting. This work provides a valuable contribution to
early modern and Luther studies, and is an exemplary resource for
future studies.”—Sixteenth Century Journal
“Springer takes his readers on a fascinating journey, culminating
in thorough presentations of each fable and extending to perplexing
questions about where, how, and why Luther employed fable
material.... A significant contribution to the growing examination
of Luther's facility with ars rhetorica and its contribution to
theology.”—Lutheran Quarterly
“Carl P. E. Springer’s study of Luther’s views on Aesop is a
notable achievement for (at least) two reasons. First, it sheds
light on an aspect of his thinking that has often been overlooked
by historians, namely the prominent place of Aesop’s fables in
Luther’s mind as he prepared his theology for a reading public,
particularly when it came to issues of Christian ethics... Second,
Springer’s careful reconstruction of Luther’s preoccupation with
the fables also sheds important light on broader questions relating
to the Reformer’s views on the relationship between theology and
the classics and indeed the place of pagan thought in Reformation
thought tout court.”—Renaissance Quarterly
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