‘These four letters s o l a are not there’: Language and Theology in Luther's Translation of the New Testament

Abstract

Luther's 1522 translation of the New Testament is one of the most significant translations in Christian history. In it, he offers a translation of Romans 3: 28 which introduces the word allein: ‘So halten wir es nun, daß der Mensch gerecht werde ohne des Gesetzes Werke, allein durch den Glauben.’ As Luther himself recognized in his Open Letter on Translating (1530), the word ‘alone’ does not appear in either the Greek text of Romans or the Vulgate; nor do other contemporary vernacular translations include it. Luther asserted that the introduction of the word allein arose from his attention to the German language. This claim has often been regarded as specious, since the introduction of allein serves to underline a key aspect of Luther's theology, namely his doctrine of justification by faith. This article examines Luther's translation practice, and particularly his comments on Romans 3: 28 in his lectures on Romans, his preface to Paul's epistle to the Romans and other writings, concluding that Luther was indeed concerned to produce a fluent and coherent German translation of the biblical text, but that he wished also to produce one that was theologically unambiguous. Not only linguistic considerations, but also Luther's theological priorities, and his definition of theological unambiguity, determined his definition of a good translation.

Reformed Pulpit and God’s mission: ‘Solae Doctrine’ to missio Dei

“…In spring of 1513 CE while Copyright: ©2024 Open Access/Author/s -Online @ http//: www.pharosjot.com sitting in the Black Augustinian monastery in his secluded chambers preparing for his next lessons, he encountered the Epistle of Paul to the Romans revealing that the righteousness of God comes only by faith (Romans 1:17) In addition to this, the maxim is further deepened by Romans 3:28 where Paul further asserted: 'For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law'. According to Methuen (2017) the first instance wherein Luther explicitly made mention of this verse was at Epiphany sermon of 1521 CE where he affirmed: 'we do not become godly [fromm] through our own works, but only through faith in Christ, as Paul says to the Ro-mans in the third and to the Galatians in the second chapter' (Methuen 2017:160). On the basis of this verse, Luther understood that good works themselves do not determine salvation but are merely the sign of faith as the essential key for salvation (Barney, 2011:1-30).…”