Church History · 1534

Luther's Complete German Bible

In 1534 Luther and his Wittenberg team published the complete Bible in German, translated from Hebrew and Greek. He placed the Apocrypha between the Testaments as good to read but not equal to Scripture.

Read it in the Bible: Romans 3:28 Psalm 119:130 Romans 1:17 Nehemiah 8:8

In 1534 Martin Luther and a team of scholars in Wittenberg published the complete Bible in German, translated from the original Hebrew and Greek. It was printed by Hans Lufft with woodcut pictures from the workshop of Lucas Cranach. Luther pulled the books known as the Apocrypha out from among the Old Testament books and put them in their own section between the Testaments. He labeled them good and useful to read, but not equal to Holy Scripture. His Bible became one of the most important books in German history and helped create the modern German language.

How Long Did the Luther Bible Take?

The New Testament came first. Luther translated it in about 11 weeks while hiding in Wartburg Castle and published it in September 1522. The Old Testament was much harder. It took about 12 more years, released in parts as each section was finished.

Luther did not work alone. He gathered a team that met regularly in his home. It included Philip Melanchthon, a brilliant Greek scholar, Matthew Aurogallus, an expert in Hebrew, Johannes Bugenhagen, Justus Jonas, Caspar Cruciger and Georg Rörer, who took the notes. They would sometimes spend days on a single word. Luther later wrote that on the book of Job, he, Melanchthon and Aurogallus could sometimes barely finish three lines in four days.

Why Did Luther Translate Like the People Talked?

Luther wanted every German to understand the Bible. He did not want stiff, word for word Latin sounding German. He said a translator must listen to the mother in the home, the children in the street and the common man at the market, and see how they talk.

A well known story says he even had a butcher cut up animals in front of him so he could learn the right German words for the parts used in the sacrifices of Leviticus. That is commitment. Most of us would just guess.

The unfolding of Your words gives light; it informs the simple. Psalm 119:130

What Did Luther Do With the Apocrypha?

The Apocrypha are books like Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch and 1 and 2 Maccabees, plus some additions to Esther and Daniel. They were in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, but not in the Hebrew Bible of the Jewish people.

Luther followed the Hebrew canon for the Old Testament. In his 1534 Bible he gathered the Apocrypha into a separate section after Malachi with this heading:

Apocrypha, that is, books which are not held equal to the Holy Scriptures, and yet are useful and good to read.

That set the pattern for Protestant Bibles. The Geneva Bible and the 1611 King James Version both printed the Apocrypha in a separate section too. Later Protestant printings dropped it entirely. Catholic and Orthodox Christians keep these books as Scripture, which they call the deuterocanonical books, and the Council of Trent confirmed that in 1546. You can learn more on the Apocryphal Books page on this site.

Did Luther Add the Word Alone to Romans?

Yes, and he knew people would argue about it. In Romans 3:28, Luther translated Paul as saying we are justified by faith alone, adding the German word allein. The Greek does not have a word for alone in that verse.

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Romans 3:28

Critics said he twisted the text. In 1530 Luther wrote an open letter on translating and defended it. He argued that German needed the word alone to say clearly what Paul meant by apart from works. Many scholars agree that the idea is there, while others say a translator should not add it. Either way, he was upfront about it, which is more than you can say for most people winning an argument.

Luther also had strong opinions about some New Testament books. In his 1522 preface he called James an epistle of straw compared to books like Romans and John. He placed Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation at the end of his New Testament. But he still printed them as part of the New Testament.

How Did Luther's Bible Shape the German Language?

In the 1500s German was split into many dialects. People in one region could struggle to understand people in another. Luther chose a form of German used in Saxony's government offices, shaped it with everyday speech, and filled it with life.

Because nearly every German Protestant home, church and school used his Bible, his German became the common standard. Many words and sayings in German today come from it. About 200,000 copies of Luther's Bibles and New Testaments were printed before he died in 1546, a huge number in a time when a Bible could cost about a month's wages.

Is the Luther Bible Still Used?

Yes. The Luther Bible has been revised many times to update the language, most recently in 2017 for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. It is still the main Bible of German Lutheran churches. It also inspired translators across Europe. William Tyndale used it as he worked on his English New Testament.

Why It Matters for You Today

Luther believed that the Bible belongs to everyone, not just priests and professors. He wanted the plowman and the milkmaid to hear God speak in their own words. That same conviction drives every modern translation, including the Berean Standard Bible used in The Owner's Manual. If you can read the Bible in your own language today, thank God, and maybe thank a German monk too.

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Questions People Ask

When was the complete Luther Bible published?

Luther's complete German Bible was published in 1534 in Wittenberg, printed by Hans Lufft. The New Testament had already appeared in 1522, and the Old Testament was released in parts before the full Bible came out.

Did Luther remove books from the Bible?

Luther did not remove the Apocrypha from his Bible. He moved those books into a separate section between the Old and New Testaments and labeled them useful and good to read but not equal to Scripture.

Why did Luther add alone to Romans 3:28?

Luther translated Romans 3:28 as justified by faith alone. He argued that German needed the word alone to express Paul's meaning of faith apart from works. Critics said he added to the text, and the debate continues.

Is the Luther Bible still used today?

Yes. It has been revised several times, most recently in 2017, and is still the standard Bible of German Lutheran churches.

Sources

← William Tyndale's English New Testament Henry VIII and the Church of England →

See the whole Church History