Luther and Aesop

Scholars have long emphasized Martin Luther's commitment to clear language and the everyday vernacular in his translations of the Old and New Testament. The Reformer's commitment to engaging moral formation via popular culture, however, extended well beyond the Bible, as Randi Lundell demonstrates in this literary and theological analysis of how Luther used a common set of stories--Aesop's fables--to instruct and inspire. Luther valued Aesop's fables as a teaching tool in the school curriculum. He appreciated Aesop's ancient history, moral messages, and the ability of the fables to speak truth to power. Accordingly, Luther used these tales extensively as he strove to make satirical or didactic rhetorical points to illustrate his emerging Reformation theology. Allowing the fables to "speak for themselves" as Luther intended, Lundell leads readers along a journey through Luther's use of Aesop using the framework of Luther's Two Kingdoms doctrine to guide her investigation. Lundell, a German language scholar, combines rigorous literary and rhetorical analysis with a cogent understanding of Lutheran theology, complementing the existing stable of Luther's Aesop fables in English with her own new translations of previously untranslated tales. Scholars and curious readers alike will enjoy her entertaining foray through Luther's careful use of these timeless stories.