The Ultimate Hope

Some Reflections about Luther’s Brief Piece of Comfort

Abstract

The Latin text of Luther’s Brief Piece of Comfort was found in his Psalter and copied from there. Its text is a concise reference to the fundamental statements of the Christian faith for the Reformer’s personal use. The German translation by Justus Jonas applies it to all people in trouble. Christians and preachers of our day tend to draw comfort from the perspectives and expectations of the present world. In this way, Christianity is also caught up in secularisation, as Anders Nygren put it in Lund in 1948. Luther’s consolation does not exclude human suffering, nor does it lead to quietism, but it gives dignity to human beings.