Welcome back to another episode of five minutes in church history. On this episode we are again in Vittenberg and we are going to be talking about his writings as we have been this week, and a very interesting peculiar set of writings even what we call table talk.

As a wedding gift to his favorite minister and renowned professor Frederick the wise turned over the

keys of the stately black cloister the former Augustinian monastery at

Vittenberg to Martin Luther this This was his home. This is where he and Katie raised their

children. This is where he would teach his students and this is where people would come and

stay, traveling dignitaries and theologians and the faculty would gather and Luther had a very large dinner table and the dinner table was always full of his family and students and faculty and Luther who was never at a loss for words would often hold court at his table and eventually the students realized that what Luther was saying was rather noteworthy and they began

recording it and taking it down. At one point Katie is going to quip that they should

charge tuition for these meals because of all the teaching that Dr Martin is

carrying on over the dinner table. This is a very unique piece of literature table talk.

It gives us some great insight into Luther and how he was truly

a theologian of the people and how he was truly a theologian who was engaging

life. Luther really had no interest in the ivory towers of academia. He was

interested in the people of God and he was interested in bringing the word of

God to bear upon life and we see this so clearly, so

distinctly in the table talk. Well as you can imagine the table talk writings range over any number of issues. They show Luther's humor.

They show Luther's intensity and above all they reveal Luther's theology. Some of them are just interesting to sort of give us insight into Luther

and one he says, thus the Italians made an arch to please the Emperor. On one side was written, Utrecht planted because it was the birthplace of

Adrian. On the other side was inscribed Louvain watered because Adrian had made him

the emperor gave the growth because he had made him pope.

Then Luther says,

then a bad boy came along and scribbled on the bottom of the arch here God did nothing.

Well there's a lot of truth in that sarcasm of Luther as there isn't much of the table talk.

...