The Divinity School is pleased to announce a public lecture by Alyssa Lehr Evans: "Luther in Cross-Cultural Translation: Exploring the International Contexts of the Reformations"

Tuesday, February 14, 5pm, Common Room

Even within his lifetime, Martin Luther’s writings were translated into no less than ten languages. These translations have received surprisingly little scholarly attention given that they highlight international networks in the sixteenth century and the reception and cross-cultural translation of reformation ideas. A thorough analysis of the English translations of Luther offers new insights into the international context of the English Reformation and illuminates points of contact between centers of reform. Andreas Karlstadt, a figure who tied together various branches of reform, will serve as a starting point. Investigations of the Karlstadt Critical Edition revealed how sixteenth-century international printings were often not incorporated into major Reformation editions like the Weimar Edition (WA). After an overview of more recent scholarship focusing on the connections between England and Wittenberg, I use specific examples, such as one of the first full translations of Luther into English, The Revelation of Antichrist (Antwerp, 1529), to demonstrate the complexity and promise of this project.

Alyssa Lehr Evans is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Chair of Church History at the University of Göttingen, Germany.She earned her PhD in the History of Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary. As a member of the Karlstadt Critical Edition Team in Göttingen (2015-2017), she worked on Karlstadt’s letters and writings from 1507-1520. Her forthcoming book is entitled, “Karlstadt’s Reading of Augustine and the Process of Becoming a Reformer” (Mohr Siebeck). Evans’ new project, “The English Luther,” explores sixteenth-century translations of Luther’s works into English.