The renaissance of Luther studies enjoyed by the twentieth century continues apace. The massive critical, or Weimar (WA), edition of his work has recently been finished in 127 volumes. Important interpretive works have been published and discussed, including a major three-volume theological biography by Martin Brecht (1985–1993). Despite, or perhaps because of, this wide variety of scholarship, even such a seemingly simple theme as faith and philosophy in Luther has no consensus among interpreters.

There has been a welcome re-reception of Luther by Catholic scholars, starting with Joseph Lortz in 1939. A significant ecumenical consensus was reached by evangelical and Catholic scholars on the occasion of Luther's 500th birthday, noting that Vatican II reflects many of the concerns Luther addressed in his own witness to the gospel. This larger ecumenical interpretation has led to studies that appreciate the more Catholic side of Luther as a reformer and...