October 13, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS – In The Wit of Martin Luther, Eric Gritsch ties Luther's wit and humor to his sharp polemical exploitation of the absurd or incongruous in service to his Reform. At a deeper level Luther's wit and witticisms reflected his keen appreciation of human frailty and the unknowability of things divine.

Luther, Gritsch shows, especially relished humor in his interpretation of the Bible, in his pastoral relationships, and in his encounters with death. Ultimately humor in face of mortality is a gauge of human freedom, a "lightening up" that makes of life a divine comedy.

An interesting and entertaining entry into Luther's thought, this little book brings out the sublime religious meaning at stake in the theological thwacks and thuds of the Reformer's life.

Eric W. Gritsch is Emeritus Professor of Church History at Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary, Pennsylvania. Among his many works are Fortress Introduction to Lutheranism (1994), and A History of Lutheranism (2002).

The Wit of Martin Luther, By Eric W. Gritsch, Format: 4.25 x 7," paperback, 128 pages, Item Number: 0-8006-3803-4, Price: $7.00.

To order The Wit of Martin Luther please call Fortress Press at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at http://www.fortresspress.com/.

Fortress Press