Rose, Ernst. “The Reformation.” In A History of German Literature, pp. 95-104. New York: New York University Press, 1969.

In the following excerpt from his history of German literature, originally published in 1960, Rose discusses the historical context of Martin Luther's work as translator of the Bible, asserting that Luther was the first German translator to work with the complete text of the Bible. According to Rose, Luther successfully rendered the Bible into an idiom which all speakers of German could understand.

The Church as an actual institution is merely the external organization of the invisible community of believers united by their faith in Christ. It is a human institution established to strengthen and spread this faith. Though at best it may represent eternal values, it possesses no ultimate, transcendental validity. But in the Middle Ages the Church had assumed such an ultimate character. The popes had continued the universalism...