The Presence of Jesus Christ in the Office of the Ministry: Rethinking Luther from His Pulpit Out

Abstract

The sermons of the mature Luther offer an illuminating ministeriology, in whose center stands the conviction that Christ is present in the office of the ministry. Various aspects of this central motif of Christ’s presence in the ministry can be observed. Drawing on this motif and its various aspects, weighty conclusions about the place of the office of the ministry in Luther’s ecclesiology and in the larger whole of his theology are drawn. In an English summary of his German dissertation, the author shows that Luther’s homiletically communicated understanding of the ministry offers new perspectives on the disputed topic of Luther’s understanding of the ministry, which hold no small promise for ecumenical theology and dialogue.