Page:Thirty-five years of Luther research.djvu/168

114 masterful sketch "Warum wir Luther lieben" has been given us in English translation.101

The historian of literature, Berger, has written Luther's life in the interest of history of culture. He wrote, first of all, a volume concerning the development of culture and religion from the times of the Old Church through the entire Middle Ages, in order to proceed thoroughly and to show the time in which Luther makes himself noticed in the development. Hausrath's Luther biography, two volumes, shows many points of contact with Berger's work, although it is entirely original and valuable. H. von Schubert says of it in the preface of the second edition: "Hausrath's Luther is conceived and portrayed as Carlyle conceived and portrayed his heroes, with the mind of an historian and poet. It may be that here and there corrections may be made, that here and there the brush daubed on too vivid colors, but forsooth the highest has been achieved: The great personality has been so vitally understood from its very depths and has been accorded its place in its time, that its visible, world-known and world-recasting influence is made believable." Kawerau says in 1908: "In striking antitheses and in effectual arranging Hausrath has created passages that rank with the most beautiful writings that we have on Luther. One would wish that some of these passages would be taken up into the readers of our children." But as thankful as we are for Hausrath's Luther, still it is not the whole Luther whom he portrayed. The whole Luther will only be portrayed by him who believes and confesses as Luther did.102

Koestlin's great Luther work, named before, which appeared in 1883 in an improved edition, sought to satisfy all scientific demands. Luther's life is not only discussed