Fortress Press

The Annotated Luther, Volume 1: The Roots of Reform

Timothy J. Wengert (Editor)

Contains writings from 1517 to 1520 by Martin Luther that defined the roots of reform, beginning with the Ninety-Five Theses through The Freedom of a Christian, and including treatises, letters, and sermons. Also included are documents that reveal Luther's earliest confrontations with Rome that led to his excommunication by Leo X in 1520.

Introduction to the History of Christianity: Third Edition

Tim Dowley (Editor)

Now in its third edition, Tim Dowley’s masterful one-volume survey of church history has an updated design and new content...

The Freedom of a Christian, 1520: The Annotated Luther Study Edition

Timothy J. Wengert (Editor)

Timothy J. Wengert skillfully sheds light on Luther's popular treatise. As controversy concerning his writings grew, Luther wrote a reconciliation-minded letter to Pope Leo X (1475-1521). To this letter he appended a nonpolemical tract describing the heart of his beliefs, The Freedom of a Christian.

Elements of Christian Thought: A Basic Course in Christianese

Eugene F. Rogers Jr. (Author)

In the spring of 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted classrooms around the world, Eugene Rogers transcribed the lectures that make his Introduction to Christian Thought course justly famous.

The result is an engaging introduction to the language--"Christianese"--that participants use to discuss God's activity in and for our world.

From Anselm to Wyschogrod, Rogers introduces us to the most interesting speakers of Christianese, enabling us to take part in the living conversation.

The Large Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther, 1529: The Annotated Luther Study Edition

Kirsi I. Stjerna (Editor)

With great detail, Kirsi I. Stjerna introduces and annotates Luther's Large Catechism, in which the reformer set out to offer a new compass for religious life. He believed all Christian people—laity and clergy—needed a guide to comprehend the basic biblical, creedal, and sacramental teachings.

The Annotated Luther, Volume 4: Pastoral Writings

Mary Jane Haemig (Editor)

Volume 4 of The Annotated Luther series presents an array of Martin Luther’s writings related to pastoral work, including sermons, hymns, letters, writings on prayer and the Christian life, as well as his widely used Small Catechism. 

The Annotated Luther, Volume 3: Church and Sacraments

Paul W. Robinson (Editor)

Volume 3 of The Annotated Luther series presents five key writings that focus on Martin Luther's understanding of the gospel as it relates to church, sacraments, and worship. Included in the volume are: The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520); The German Mass and Order of the Liturgy (1526); That These Words of Christ, "This is my Body," etc., Still Stand Firm Against the Fanatics (1527); Concerning Rebaptism (1528), and On the Councils and the Church (1539).

The Annotated Luther, Volume 2: Word and Faith

Kirsi I. Stjerna (Editor)

Volume 2 of The Annotated Luther series contains a number of the writings categorized under the theme word and faith. Luther was particularly focused on what the word "does" in order to create and sustain faith.

A Short Introduction to the History of Christianity

Tim Dowley (Editor)

Tim Dowley's masterful one-volume survey of church history is now available in a new concise format designed with today's student in mind. Each section of...

The Annotated Luther, Volume 5: Christian Life in the World

Hans J. Hillerbrand (Volume Editor)

Volume 5 of The Annotated Luther series features Luther's writings that intersect church and state, faith, and life lived as a follower of Christ. 

Lutherans in America: A New History

Mark A. Granquist (Author)

In this lively and engaging new history, Granquist brings to light not only the institutions that Lutherans founded and sustained but the people that lived within them. This shows the complete story—not only the policies and the politics, but the piety and the practical experiences of the Lutheran men and women who lived and worked in the American context.

The Annotated Luther, Volume 6: The Interpretation of Scripture

Euan K. Cameron (Editor)

This volume features Martin Luther the exegete and Bible teacher. His vast exegetical writings and lectures on Scripture are introduced through important examples from both...

Atlas of Christian History

Tim Dowley (Author)

Consciously written for students at any level, the volume is perfect for independent students, as well as those in structured courses.

Word of Life: Introducing Lutheran Hermeneutics

Timothy J. Wengert (Author)

Timothy J. Wengert explores the genesis of Lutheran biblical interpretation by tracing the early work and methods of Martin Luther and other Wittenberg exegetes. Their new approach led them to view Scripture in terms they called "law and gospel," to read and translate the Greek and Hebrew text, and to focus on a theology of the cross and justification by faith. Wengert then demonstrates how these approaches can used in preaching and teaching today.

Who Rules the World: Divine Providence and the Existence of Evil

Hans Schwarz (Author)

How is it possible to reconcile the manifest evil and pain in the world with the biblical promise of hope and redemption?

To this question, Schwarz brings both pastoral sensitivity and scholarly acumen. Informed by decades in the classroom, Schwarz offers a sweeping survey across the broad span of Christian history.

The book aims to help readers understand the broad sweep of human thought and make informed assessments of the issue for themselves.

Luther's Rome, Rome's Luther: How the City Shaped the Reformer

Carl P. E. Springer (Author)

This book offers a fresh reevaluation of Martin Luther's tempestuous relationship with Rome, the city he visited as a young Augustinian friar and never thereafter forgot. Luther's Rome, Rome's Luther will help readers see the ancient city, the long-lived empire, and the sacred home of the papacy from Luther's complicated perspective.

One Life to Give: Martyrdom and the Making of the American Revolution

John Fanestil (Author)

One Life to Give explores the spiritual origins of the American Revolution: martyrdom. John Fanestil traces the deep history of the tradition of martyrdom from its classical and Christian origins to the onset of the Revolutionary War. Ultimately, he articulates how the tradition of American martyrdom animated countless personal commitments to American independence, and thereby to the war. Only by understanding the inextricable role played by martyrdom can we fully grasp the origins of the American Revolution.

Moral Formation and the Virtuous Life

Paul M. Blowers (Editor)

In Moral Formation and the Virtuous Life, volume editor Paul M. Blowers has translated and gathered several key texts from early Christian sources to explore the broad themes of moral conscience and ethics. This volume is part of Ad Fontes: Early Christian Sources, a series designed to present ancient Christian texts essential to an understanding of Christian theology, ecclesiology, and practice. The series aims to provide volumes that are relevant for a variety of courses.

Understandings of the Church

George Kalantzis (Editor), Everett Ferguson (Editor)

Understandings of the Church explores the ways imagery is used by biblical writers and early Christian teachers such as Cyprian, Ignatius of Antioch, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen to describe the concept of church. Ad Fontes: Early Christian Sources is a series designed to present ancient Christian texts essential to an understanding of Christian theology, ecclesiology, and practice. Developed in light of recent patristic scholarship for new generations of students of theology, the volumes will provide a representative sampling of theological contributions from both East and West.

The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, 1520: The Annotated Luther Study Edition

Erik H. Herrmann (Editor), Paul W. Robinson (Editor)

In his The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, Martin Luther set forth a reconsideration of the sacramental Christian life that centered on the word. His thesis is that the papacy had distorted the sacraments with its own traditions and regulations, transforming them into a system of control and coercion.