International Luther Congress
possible!). Of all years to travel to Germany, this is a big one, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. I’ll be traveling to Wittenberg, the birthplace of the Reformation, to be a part of a congress that happens once every five years: the 13th International Congress for Luther Research (13. Internationaler Kongress für Lutherforschung). This year, the congress will be located in the old university Leucorea (Greek translation of Wittenberg - "White mountain"). It will be amazing, simply for the opportunity to soak in the scholarship of some of the top Luther scholars in the world. The main topic of the congress will be the theme: “1517, Luther between tradition and renewal” (“1517. Luther zwischen Tradition und Erneuerung”). The plenary speakers include some of Concordia Seminary’s history professors. In addition, there will be a series of seminars on different facets of Luther scholarship. These are two-hour sessions held four times throughout the week where participants spend the time presenting research and discussing each other’s work in the particular area. You are permitted to sign up for only one. I’m particularly excited to be a part of the seminar entitled: “Luther’s Theology of Beauty and Desire.” I’ll have the opportunity to present my dissertation research on the ways in which Luther perceived, interacted with, and influenced the artwork of his day. This is an incredible and humbling chance to receive some helpful feedback. In addition, I’ll have the opportunity to present a short paper on the reformation of Ars Moriendi (“The art of dying”) in Luther and Cranach. Over the next few weeks, I plan make a few posts that sketch the outlines of my presentations.
