Promissio - (Lutheran Quarterly Books) by Oswald Bayer (Paperback)

About the Book

Bayer dates Luther's reformational breakthrough to the early spring of 1518, when he discovered the sacramentality of the word: that the word is not simply informative but performative, and constitutive of the sacraments. The preached word is prior to faith, creates faith, and is the only source of certainty in the Christian life.

Book Synopsis

Promissio is a methodologically rigorous study of all the pertinent Luther texts prior to 1520, thus enabling Bayer to trace Luther's reformational turn, culminating in his clear understanding of the gospel promise as God's gift, crystallized in the forgiveness of sins and enacted by the word of absolution. The author emphasizes that at the heart of Luther's understanding of the gospel is the insight that God justifies us freely through faith in the word of promise (promissio) and that this promise is not oriented primarily to the future but is a present gift to be received in faith. However, he shows that it is not the understanding of justification by faith that is at the center of Luther's breakthrough, but the insight that God's promise is an efficacious word that accomplishes what it says, and that justification can only be properly understood in the light of the promise.

Bayer shows how Luther comes to see that the promise requires a reshaping of the sacrament of penance (confession and absolution), as well as Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Luther's new understanding of promise also leads him to radically rethink his understanding of Christology, the sermon, meditation, and prayer.

When this book was first published in 1971 it was hailed by the Roman Catholic scholar Otto Hermann Pesch as a ""classic of Luther research,"" and that claim still holds good today. No serious Luther scholar can afford to ignore it. It has also remained the foundation of all Oswald Bayer's subsequent work. The Lutheran Quarterly Books edition of Promissio now offers scholars and students this wisdom in English, thanks to Jeffrey Silcock's careful translation.

Review Quotes

Oswald Bayer's Promissio is a masterful, groundbreaking study that offers a new perspective on Luther's theological development compared to previous research. It stands out by extraordinary exegetical precision in the interpretation of Luther's texts, by in-depth systematic reflection of its observations as well as by pointed summaries of its results. Even more than fifty years after its first publication, it has not been outdated. The excellent English translation allows for and encourages a broad reception in the English-speaking world. Whether one agrees with Bayer's view or not, serious research into Luther must take into account his perspective on the "reformational turn" in Luther's theology. --Theodor Dieter, director emeritus, Institute for Ecumenical Research, Strasbourg

The Western shift to postmodernity has made contemporary theologians afraid to make any claims about reality as a whole. Bayer is different. Through Silcock's groundbreaking translation of a new and expanded English edition of his classic Promissio, Bayer dares to show a whole new generation of readers and scholars how Luther's reformational understanding of the unity of God's word of promise and the certainty of faith not only unlocks the Reformer's whole theology but touches on every aspect of our lives. A tour de force! --Leopoldo A. Sánchez M., professor of systematic theology and Werner R. H. Krause and Elizabeth Ringger Krause Professor of Hispanic Ministries, Concordia Seminary, and author of T&T Clark Introduction to Spirit Christology and Sculptor Spirit: Models of Sanctification from Spirit Christology

It is a rare thing when a book on Luther grows rather than recedes in importance fifty years on from its publication. Bayer's Promissio, now rendered in clear and precise English in Silcock's masterful translation, still inspires fresh research. For the attentive reader, its significance may far exceed a study of Luther's early development--this is a book about the heart of the gospel and the great struggle to speak it clearly. --Adam T. Morton, lecturer in Christian theology, University of Nottingham

Finally! English-speakers can now read Oswald Bayer's groundbreaking work Promissio in their own language! Here Bayer follows the appearance in Luther's theology of the core reformational teaching that God's word does what it says. This work should be read and studied not just by Reformation scholars and theologians, but by all who value and trust the promise of the gospel, which actually bestows what it proclaims: the forgiveness of God won by Christ crucified! --Joshua C. Miller, pastor, Jehovah Lutheran Church, St. Paul, and adjunct professor of theology, Concordia University, St. Paul

Dr. Silcock has provided this carefully crafted translation of Oswald Bayer's magisterial study of the decisive turn in Luther's theology that was triggered by his insight into the performative function of God's word as his promise that conveys what it pledges to give in its oral proclamation and liturgical enactment. The translation is distinguished by Silcock's close reading of the text and clear presentation of its somewhat difficult academic syntax in lucid English. --John W. Kleinig, emeritus lecturer in the Old Testament and biblical studies, Australian Lutheran College, Adelaide