Günther Gassmann, Duane H. Larson, Mark W. Oldenburg. The A to Z of Lutheranism. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2007. xxiii + 420 pp. $40.00 (paper), ISBN 978-0-8108-5609-7.

Reviewed by Mickey L. Mattox (Theology Department, Marquette University)
Published on H-German (April, 2008)

Ecumenical but Triumphalist, Too

This volume is an unrevised republication in paperback of the Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism (2001). It includes a chronology of the history of Christianity that focuses particular attention on the development of the Lutheran churches and faith tradition; an introduction written by Gassmann; the dictionary proper; and a wide-ranging bibliography of English language works dealing broadly with Lutheran history and theology. The dictionary articles are generally brief, with only a few (such as "justification," "Martin Luther," "Reformation") extending more than one or two pages. The entries do not include separate bibliographies and are signed by their authors.

The majority of the entries were written by Günther Gassmann, a scholar whose career has included stints at the Institute for Ecumenical Research (Strasbourg), the Lutheran World Federation (Geneva), and the World Council of Churches. Gassmann's co-authors, Duane H. Larson and Mark W. Oldenburg, are, respectively, president at Wartburg Theological Seminary (Dubuque) and professor at Lutheran Theological Seminary (Gettysburg), both institutions affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In its selection of topics, as well as in the handling of those topics, The A to Z of Lutheranism quite naturally reflects the ecumenical concerns and assumptions one would expect to meet in men such as these, active and committed participants in present day Lutheranism. Their considerable learning and erudition, as well as their love for their tradition, are clearly on display in the present volume.

Indeed, a volume of this sort is perhaps inevitably a labor of love, a setting forth of what the authors know and treasure for the benefit of all who want to know. All skilled teachers, each of them leads the reader with surefooted ease through the thicket of historical events and personages, theological conundrums, polemical arguments, and the like that constitute the Lutheran tradition. Gassmann handles the majority of the work, including most of the central historical and theological terms, concepts and persons (such as "Martin Luther," "Philip Melanchthon," "justification"), as well as ecumenical matters (such as "Lutheran World Federation" and the various Lutheran ecumenical dialogues). Oldenburg, a scholar of liturgics, handles most of the entries dealing with church music and liturgy (such as "cantata," "oratorio," "vestments"). Larson deals with a range of topics drawn primarily from systematic theology, as well as issues related broadly to the development of Lutheran thought in the modern period (such as "atonement," "Christology," "Adolf von Harnack," "Trinity").

As one can surmise, the scope of the volume is necessarily a bit broader than its title suggests. A good deal of space is dedicated to topics that are generically Christian, although in each case the authors try to bring out something distinctive in relation to the Lutheran tradition: natural law, for example, as it is found in Lutheran tradition, or Trinity, as the doctrine has been appropriated in Lutheran theology, and so on. Occasionally, one wonders about the criteria for selection of topics to be covered. A lengthier article, for example, treats the so-called Two Kingdoms doctrine, and this doctrine is frequently mentioned elsewhere. One looks in vain, however, for a treatment of the doctrine of the "three estates" (Dreiständelehre), which, as we now know from the magisterial work of John Witte, Jr. (Law and Protestantism [2002]) played such a significant role in the evolution of Lutheran society and politics. Similarly, the reader is treated to an informative article on Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue, which mentions briefly the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) of 1999, but searches in vain for a separate article examining the JDDJ in more detail. The inclusion of many topics seems to reflect the predilections of the authors rather than their significance for understanding Lutheran faith, history and practice, as witnessed by entries on "contextual theology" and "ecology." To be sure, one can easily imagine Lutheran students asking about those matters, and perhaps it is important to be able to point them to something, but it seems a bit of a stretch to see these as matters of significant concern in Lutheran history.

Somewhat more troubling, at least from my perspective, is the occasional lapse into a traditional and somewhat triumphalistic tone when speaking of the late medieval Roman Church. In the chronology, for example, one finds an entry for "c. 1300-1517" that reads "decline of papacy, theology, and spiritual life of the late medieval church" (p. xvi). This point of view is also reflected in the introduction. Dictionaries, of course, are bound to overgeneralize, and dictionary writers ought not be faulted for doing so. However, thanks to the efforts of scholars as diverse as Heiko Oberman and Eamon Duffy, we now recognize the vibrancy of late medieval religious life and theology, and indeed the enthusiasm of medieval western Christians for their church and religion. The clear ecumenical commitment of the authors seems to stand in tension with such a bald caricature of late medieval religion.

These comments notwithstanding, this is a valuable and helpful resource. Its release in a relatively affordable paperback edition makes it readily available for adoption as a course text, most likely for college or seminary courses dealing with Lutheran faith and tradition. Read as a whole, the volume itself offers a surprisingly accessible, inviting introduction to Lutheranism. Read individually, dictionary entries offer clear but somewhat minimalistic introductions to their topics, which means that the volume is perhaps most ideally suited for undergraduate or entry level seminary courses, particularly where instructors wish to inculcate in their students an appreciation for the Lutheran faith tradition in ecumenical perspective.

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Citation: Mickey L. Mattox. Review of Gassmann, Günther; Larson, Duane H.; Oldenburg, Mark W., The A to Z of Lutheranism. H-German, H-Net Reviews. April, 2008.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=14440

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