Context

This book was published in 1521, though he started writing it around 1519 in Wittenberg but had to complete psalm 22 in Wartburg as he was summoned and excommunicated at the Diet of Worms and he had to flee. His works were printed with a printing press in large amounts and was distributed in Germany and in parts of Europe. The printing press was a device invented in the 1400s by Johannes Guttenberg. This device allowed text to be printed in a much more fast and convenient manner, paper was pressed on top of inked metal by turning a wooden screw. This process allowed millions of copies of a text to printed and be distributed. The printing press is viewed as the previous social medial tool as it was able to spread information of any sort easily and had a wide reach of audience.

The purpose of this book was for Luther be able to communicate the idea that psalms are more than scriptures that one follows while worshiping God. He viewed psalms as a tool to apply to his own life and believed psalms were more like inspired scripture. He viewed the psalmist as the prophet and the psalms as words of faith. Luther also believed that psalms could be used in any context of life and offer guidance. “The Psalter should be precious to us if only because it most clearly promises the death and resurrection of Christ, and describes his kingdom, and the nature and standing of all Christian people. It could well be entitled a “Little Bible” since everything contained in the entire Bible is beautifully and briefly comprehended, and compacted into…a Manual.” (Kandt 2017)

He considered it to be very powerful and often found solace in it. This book’s objective was to spread that message, and allow people to find comfort in psalms while using it in their lives first before applying it in any other context. The psalms eventually became the anthem for the Protestant Reformation, and his message of viewing the psalms as an experience resounded with people everywhere.

The intended audience of this book was for people who lived in Germany. This book was banned by the Roman Catholic Church. This book was banned because Luther was cast an outlaw and as a result all his works were banned. The church had an index of prohibited books which listed all books that were banned or censored. “When a book is prohibited, it is not only forbidden to read it, but also to keep it, or to lend it to others, or to sell it. Neither is it permitted to translate the book into another language.” (Connell, 1954)

Martin Luther was a part of this index, although eventually he was removed from this index as the church did not deem it necessary to tell people to not read his books and consider it intuitive.