Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet
Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet, by Lyndal Roper, tells the story of the man who lit the fuse of the Reformation. The book is the best of all the available biographies of Martin Luther. It is VERY detailed and gives you a strong sense of what the man was actually like. Unfortunately, that turns out not to be a good PR thing for Luther. He was kind of a jerk and a vicious antisemite. Then again, it is the Sixteenth Century so I guess we can say that about 95% of Europe. I enjoyed how the book consistently referenced Luther’s formative years and how those influenced his later decisions. None of the other biographies I read did as good a job connecting Luther’s youth to his role in the Reformation.
The main criticism that I have is that the book does focus exclusively on Luther. If you want a complete sense of what was going on during the Reformation you will need to read a companion history. The book does not get into the political battles going on in the Empire or England, for example. And it only tangentially touches on Luther’s contemporaries like Zwingli.
That being said, if you are looking for a biography of Martin Luther you will not find a better one.
Score: 4.5/5