Martin Luther. November 10, 1483 - February 18, 1546. German priest and professor of theology who initiated the Protestant Reformation. Excommunicated from the Catholic Church. Married a former nun---one of twelve that he helped escape from a convent by arranging for them to be smuggled out in herring barrels. Prolific preacher, teacher, writer, and Bible translator. Said about the Book of Romans: "This letter (the Book of Romans) is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian's while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. It is impossible to read or to meditate on this letter too much or too well. The more one deals with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes." Wrote an
extensive commentary on Romans.
John Calvin. July 10, 1509 - May 27, 1564. Originally trained as a lawyer, became an influential theologian and pastor. Developed a system of Christian theology known as, appropriately, Calvinism. Said about the Book of Romans: "[T]his can with truth be said of it, and it is what can never be sufficiently appreciated---that when anyone gains a knowledge of this Epistle, he has an entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of Scripture." Wrote an
extensive commentary on Romans.
Karl Barth. May 10, 1886 - December 10, 1968. Swiss theologian, considered to be one of the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th Century. In 1934, while a religion professor at Bonn, Germany, Barth was largely responsible for writing the Barmen declaration which rejected the influence of Nazism on the German church. Mailed the declaration to Hitler personally and was thereafter forced to resign his professorship at the University of Bonn. Wrote an
extensive commentary on Romans.
John Piper. (born January 11, 1946). An evangelical Calvinist Christian preacher and author. Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Author of numerous excellent books, many of which are available for free at
DesiringGod. Said this: "Romans is as solid and as durable and reliable and
unshakable and thorough as the truth can get." Spent eight years, from 1998 through 2006, preaching
this amazing series on Romans.
