Luther's Epistle of Straw: The Voice of Saint James in Reformation Preaching by Jason D. Lane (review)

It is well known that Luther called the book of James an "Epistle of Straw." However, Jason Lane's close examination of Lutheran preaching on James shows that the epistle's place in Luther's writing and Lutheran preaching is more complex. Lane begins with Luther's sermons on James and then explores the eras of confessionalization and Lutheran Orthodoxy. He shows that in all periods Lutheran preachers found ways to fit James into a confessional Lutheran framework. The book's arguments are both detailed and nuanced so this review can only give a brief overview, regretfully simplifying Lane's complex readings.

Lane begins with Luther's treatment of the letter. He also provides fresh translations of Luther's sermons on James in the appendix. Luther had several reasons for criticizing James. First he believed that James, when improperly read, contradicted Paul's epistles. Second he believed that James says little of Christ; third, that James teaches works rather than faith; fourth, that the letter is poorly organized; and, fifth, that James calls the law a "law of liberty" rather than a "law of death" as does Paul (and Luther). At the same time Luther held a more favorable opinion of the letter later in his life. Lane argues that in part it was through the influence of Andreas Althamer's commentary that Luther came to see James' expression of "doers of the word" as one that means suffering its actions through confession and repentance, as well as suffering with Christ, making Christians passively receive Christ.

Lane next turns to Luther's sermons, noting that Luther found parallels between James' preaching Christ to the Jews of his time, and Luther preaching Christ to the papacy. Luther interprets the "good and perfect gift" that James writes about in the first chapter as being the right understanding of law and gospel and the sacraments.

From Luther's sermons Lane turns to the Lutheran postil tradition. He notes that Lutheran preachers read James as saying that all Christians were in need of God's Word, a stance in line with Luther's own interpretation. At the same time, the Postil preachers say that James failed to "properly" preach the gospel by not being clear enough that works flowed from faith, and not the other way around. Some preachers saw the "law of liberty" as being synonymous with the entire gospel, including repentance and baptism. Others saw the "law of liberty" as having to do only with the repentance of sins.

Lane next looks at authors associated with Lutheran Orthodoxy, treating several preachers, including Balthasar Kerner and Hartmann Creide. He notes changes in Lutheran homiletical practice from Luther's day, but despite these changes shows that James continues to be a resource preachers use to teach Lutheran doctrine, even when employing Aristotelian categories.

This is an important study of Lutheran preaching and biblical hermeneutics, correcting the common misperception that Luther and subsequent Lutherans rejected James. Instead, it is clear that they found the Epistle of James to be a useful book to preach on. It also reveals the ways that various theological disputes that plagued the early years of the Lutheran movement influenced biblical interpretation from Luther to the era of Orthodoxy. Scholars of Lutheran biblical interpretation and Lutheran homiletics will want to read this careful, sophisticated, and well–documented work.