This annotated edition of Martin Luther’s Large Catechism includes an extra appendix (in addition to the two already included in the original book) which provides an interesting overview of:

• Martin Luther’s peasant roots, his education in pre-law, and how he was diverted from a law career to that of a monk-turned-professor and eventually, Protestant reformer
• The role of the printing press in spreading the “95 Theses” quickly over Europe, catapulting Martin Luther to near-instant prominence in the religious dialogue of his day,
• The story of how Martin Luther colluded with a fishmonger to smuggle his future wife and her friends.

Martin Luther wrote his catechisms to provide religious instruction for children, as well new converts or others lacking a deep knowledge of the scripture. In the catechism, Luther tried to teach the basic doctrines that every Christian should know. Luther taught that it was the duty of every father to teach these basic doctrines to not only his children, but his servants on a weekly basis. Furthermore, fathers were admonished to question the children and hired help on these basic tenets of faith each week, to ensure that they knew them fully.

To make the “questioning” easy, the book was written largely in question-and-answer format and covers such key areas of Christian faith as the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the importance of morning and evening devotions, saying grace at mealtime, and baptism.

While the “Small Catechism” provides a rather abbreviated explanation of these important topics, the “Large Catechism” goes into much more detail. Students of scripture who are looking for a deeper exploration of Luther’s Small Catechism will find, in the Large Catechism, the perfect way to dig deeper, learn, and reflect on Luther’s words in terms that anyone can understand. Whether you are looking for devotional material or a deeper examination of Luther’s Small Catechism, this book allows you to further explore the Holy Scripture.