Laughing Luther
And Luther laughed
For Martin Luther, his religious ideas were no mind games. The discovery of religious freedom was rooted in great mental destitution – and arrived immediately in the belly. Laughter was for Luther a sign of divine grace and also an antidote against the devil. This explains why so many quizzical, ironical and humorous quotes of the Reformer have been passed down.
The Reformer's liberated laughter
In his table talks, many of Martin Luther's merry quotes and rough jokes have been passed on. From the very beginning, humour has been a theological topic for Luther, embracing the dramatic scope of his whole world view.
"Where there is faith, there is laughter, too"
It is said that Martin Luther had a robust sort of humour. The Reformer was well able to laugh about himself, and he was not afraid of roaring laughter, as it was customary during his time. The theologian and clown Gisela Matthiae writes about the attractive kinship between humour and faith.
"The Reformation has deep roots in the Middle Ages"
Martin Luther had been born into the world of the late Middle Ages, but "the Middle Ages" have never really existed as such. Volker Leppin, professor for church history from the University of Tübingen, explains, how much Martin Luther was rooted in the intellectual climate of his time, and at which point he created something entirely new.
