Freiheit als Liebe bei Martin Luther / Freedom as Love in Martin Luther (review)

Short Notices Bielfeldt, Dennis D. and Klaus Schwarzwaller, eds., Freiheit als Liebe bei Martin Luther / Freedom as Love in Martin Luther, Frankfurt a m Main, Europaischer Verlag der Wissenschaften, Peter Lang, 1995; paper; pp. 181;R.R.P.SFr.53.00. This publication is a collection of twelve papers presented at the Eighth International Congress of Luther Research in St Paul, Minnesota in 1993 within a 'seminar' which has given its bilingual title to the published book. More than half the represented authors come from North America, and present their work in English, while the others are from continental Europe (mainly Germany) and write in German. The most widely known of the authors are the Americans Eric Gritsch and George Forell, while most are from a younger generation of scholars. To understand the provenance of this publication, one needs to know that a 'seminar' at the International Congress of Luther Research—a scholarly conference held about every five years—is not a isolated academic event but a week-long discussion usually prepared ahead by the participants over the previous year, and generally reflecting a common study of particular Luther texts. Potentially, therefore, it has far more cohesion and focus than the average collection of conference papers offered around a common theme. O n the whole this potential is satisfactorily actualised in Freiheit als Liebe. In particular there is a good balance between the various kinds of writing which made up Luther's scholarly output—exegesis, sermons, and treatises. Exegetical studies are provided by Hubertus Blaumeiser on the 1519-21 Operationes in Psalmos, by Eric Gritsch on Galatians, Klaus Schwarzwaller on the Decalogue and Rainer Vinke on 1 Corinthians. Luther's preaching is represented by Dennis Bielfeldt's study of the famous Sermon on Two Kinds ofRighteousness and Jane Strohl's account of the 1522 'Invocavit' sermons. George Forell and Eric Grislis present parallel studies of the crucial Treatise on Good Works while Robert Jenson focusses on the treatise De Servo Arbitrio. The collection is rounded out by an introduction to the general theme by Tuomo Mannermaa and analytical studies by Bernhard Erling on the role of Law and by Aleksander Radler on freedom and obedience. Like all such collections, the quality is not entirely even, but the book P A R E R G O N ns 14.2 (January 1997) Short notices 263 represents nevertheless a useful contribution to the understanding of a rich and vital theme in the Reformer's thought. John Tonkin Department of History University of Western Australia Hughes, Andrew, Medieval Manuscripts for Mass and Office: A Guide to their Organization and Terminology, Toronto and Buffalo, University of Toronto Press, rpt., 1995; paper; pp. xl, 470; R.R.P. US$29.95. Recently a member of a medieval on-line discussion group asked where the phrase 'Gloria in excelsis Deo' came from, as it was not in the bible. This indicates the level to which knowledge of the liturgy has sunk, even among academics. Although Hughes's book assumes a higher level of competence than that of the enquirer, on itsfirstappearance in 1982 it was rightly welcomed with open arms as a relatively straightforward guide to the complex subject of how medieval liturgical texts are organised. The first paperback edition of the 1986 reprint makes this essential work of reference even more accessible. The text is substantially unchanged though some items have been added to the bibliography. Otherwise, there are three additions of substance. The first is a short section on ecclesiastical terminology, in particular the use of the terms text, chant and office. The second, a supplement to the Abbreviations section following the Preface, concerns the adaptations made to Hughes's original system by the demands of computerisation; these mainly have to do with substitutes for the different typefaces used in the first edition. Finally, attached to Appendix I on the kalendar, feasts and the Sanctorale, is a note on kalendar dates and their variability in time and place. The reader has to work hard to get the most out of this book, but it will continue to be an essential working tool for those who in the course of their research have reason to...