Nietzsche's Final View of Luther and the Reformation

Authors

Heinz Bluhm, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

Publication Date

10-1-1956

Document Type

Article

Keywords

luther, nietzsche, christianity, reformation, europe, grace, philosophy, renaissance, seele

Submission Type

Bible Study; Lecture; Sermon Prep

Abstract

Nietzsche began as an admirer of Luther and the German Reformation. The age of Luther ranked as high in his early opinion as the age of Goethe and Beethoven. From Menschliches, Allzumenschliches on, this favorable attitude toward Luther underwent a strong transformation. In the five years from 1878 to 1883, Nietzsche’s second creative period, Luther emerged as a highly questionable figure, even as a most regrettable event in the history of German and European thought and civilization. But all these severe pronouncements on Luther were only a prelude to the scathing denunciations to come in Nietzsche's post-Zarathustra writings.

Disciplines

Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Submission Cost

Free

Submission Audience

Laity; Ministers; Scholars

Recommended Citation

Bluhm, Heinz (1956) "Nietzsche's Final View of Luther and the Reformation," Concordia Theological Monthly: Vol. 27, Article 56.
Available at: https://scholar.csl.edu/ctm/vol27/iss1/56