Luther and Philosophies of the Reformation ed. by Boris Gunjević (review)

Reviewed by: Luther and Philosophies of the Reformation ed. by Boris Gunjević Kyle E. Sorkness Luther and Philosophies of the Reformation. Edited by Boris Gunjević. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023. ix + 188 pp. This volume oddly never explains exactly what it is: a collection of papers from a 2017 interdisciplinary conference held at Westfield House, Cambridge, England, under the theme "Reformation 500: A New Perspective on Luther." The use of Philosophies in the title (along with the presumably Athenian owl on its cover, not to mention its being listing in its publisher's philosophy catalog) gives a topical expectation of "Luther and philosophy," which turns out to be largely inaccurate. Only one of the seven essays substantially treats both Luther and philosophy, with four others covering various aspects of his theology, one philosophical in nature but with little End Page 234 reference to Luther, and one essentially on neither. Only in the editor's afterword does one learn that Philosophies apparently refers to the various approaches taken in this collection. In the first of two essays by New Testament scholars, John M. G. Barclay, utilizing his work on Paul and gift, argues that one of Luther's great achievements was correctly interpreting Paul on the incongruity of grace. Barclay sees weak spots, however, in Luther's lack of attention to transformative participation in Christ and in his underdeveloped role for receiving in human relationships. Morna D. Hooker responds—the only response piece included—disagreeing only about the weak spots. The Finnish interpretation of Luther is supposed to resolve the first complaint. And Luther is right in his ethics to downplay receiving, because Paul appropriately does the same. Although the back cover promises a "'Dantean reading' of Luther," Robin Kirkpatrick, professor of literature, actually rehearses portions of the Divine Comedy, showcasing Dante's papal critiques. Kirkpatrick asks Luther scholars whether Dante's conception of purgatory would have been acceptable to Luther and whether its adoption would have prevented problematic indulgence practices and the Reformation altogether. It seems perhaps the two Luther scholars were tasked with providing relatively introductory papers on Luther's Reformation. Robert Rosin sketches Luther's major doctrines of the church, arguing that he initiated a reversal in ecclesiology, in which the biblical message creates and defines the church and its structures, not vice versa. Robert Kolb's essay serves as a nice companion, surveying practical applications of Luther's ecclesiology, including in home catechesis, greater lay involvement, visitation, and changes to funerals, weddings, and university curricula. The collection takes a sharp turn with the final two essays, which likely require some philosophical background for profitable reading. Slavoj Žižek, Slovenian philosopher, cultural critic, and public intellectual, makes a surprising appearance. In his idiosyncratic and controversial style, he argues that "not only is Christianity (in its core disavowed by its institutional practice) the only truly consequent atheism," but also that "atheists are the only true believers" (136). Though he attempts to incorporate Luther, he lumps him into a End Page 235 "Protestantism" whose central features include total divine determinism and an unknowable personal fate. John Milbank's essay catalogs in quick succession philosophical arguments that accuse Luther of an ultimately monophysite Christology, a metaphysically deficient eucharistic theology, a logically inconsistent doctrine of predestination, a "fideism that is the natural ally of authoritarianism" (158), and still more. Milbank traces all these errors to "the univocalist and nominalist theology whose legacy the Reformers could not free themselves from, through lack of sufficient philosophical reflection" (162). Those same medieval philosophies are furthermore blamed for driving secularization. The afterword describes these presentations as "rather relaxed yet serious" (184). A few of the essays are indeed relaxed in terms of scholarly rigor. Regrettably, it must also be noted that the volume appears to have received little editing, containing some grammatical and many formatting errors. What must have been a fascinating conversation enjoyed by this assemblage of impressive scholars makes for an eclectic collection of "very different and heterogeneous material" (181–82). Those indeed looking for Luther and philosophy of the Reformation should know that Milbank's essay is available gratis online, having been published previously in Open Theology (vol. 4, no. 1). Kyle E. Sorkness...