Imagine pulling up a chair to the Luther family table after a fine dinner.

Imagine being invited to ask Martin Luther questions about . . . almost anything.  

Imagine Luther talking about his early life, his education, his decision to become a monk, his rediscovery of the gospel, his attacks on scholasticism and the papacy, his journey to the Diet of Worms where he was ordered to—but refused to—recant his teaching, his marriage to Katherine von Bora, and much more.

Because Luther’s friends took notes of many private conversations around the Luther family table, you don’t have to imagine Luther’s answers. This newly abridged edition of Martin Luther’s Table Talk serves up a rich sampling of Luther’s wide ranging thoughts on biblical exposition, doctrinal teaching, ministry, the church and the sacraments, pastoral counsel, and life as a Christian. You will also learn much about the political, economic and social world that Luther lived in—a world unlike our own.

The theological convictions of Luther and other early reformers that shaped the Reformation are often referred to as The Five Pillars of the Reformation—Word alone, Faith alone, Grace alone, Christ alone, and Glory to God alone. In the “table talks” in this volume, you will find these themes woven over and over again into the mealtime conversations around Luther’s table. Pull up a chair and spend some time with the great reformer. 

This volume provides access to selections from Martin Luther’s Table Talk, Volume 54 of Luther’s Works.

Editor Henry F. French has carefully chosen some of the best of Luther’s conversations with many guests who frequented the dinner table in the home of Martin and Katie Luther.