Renowned Reformation scholar Timothy J. Wengert explores the genesis of Lutheran biblical interpretation, tracing its emergence in the early work of Martin Luther, through Melanchthon and other Wittenberg exegetes. This distinctly Lutheran approach interpreted Scripture in terms of 'law and gospel,' emphasized reading and translating the Greek and Hebrew texts, and centered on the theology of the cross and justification by faith. Luther and his colleagues found God working in the last place anyone would expect: on the cross, in weakness and foolishness. Using examples from Luther's sermons and biblical commentaries, Wengert shows how these key historical and theological perspectives can inform Lutheran preaching and teaching toda

Timothy J. Wengert is emeritus professor of church history at the United Lutheran Seminary. He has written extensively on Luther, Melanchthon, and the Reformation, including The Augsburg Confession: Renewing Lutheran Faith and Practice (Fortress, 2020). He was coeditor, with Robert Kolb, of the English edition of the Book of Concord (Fortress, 2000) and translated Luther's Small Catechism, used throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He lives in Long Valley, New Jersey.