Bönen i den helige Andes tempel - Människosyn och kyrkosyn i Martin Luthers böneteologi

Sammanfattning: This thesis explores Martin Luther´s theology of prayer. His catechetical writings (written between 1516-1535) and the three longer series of lectures on the Psalms (written 1513-1515, 1519-1521 and 1532-1535) are studied. The thesis explains how Luther´s experiences through prayer and theology work as a coherent whole, where formulations from different areas (for instance anthropology and ecclesiology) enlighten and enrich each other reciprocally. The main purpose is to formulate the fundamental syntheses in Luther´s thought. Especially in chapter four, the thesis connects to an ambition recurrent in present theological discussion on Luther´s theology; that is to express a harmony between the actions of the individual person as a social being and the church as the body of Christ. The main argument is that the fulfilment of God´s commandments, especially the Decalogue, is central to Luther´s theology of prayer. According to Luther, things that in the church are called the will of God have to correspond to the will of God as it is expressed in the Decalogue and other central texts in the Bible. For that reason, the whole structure of the church should have a character that promotes good deeds. Present day Nordic Lutheran theology should therefore develop a definition of freedom, where the Christian faith is understood as a freedom to something rather than a freedom from something. The thesis depicts four different models that are found in previous research on Luther and his theology of prayer. It is shown that every model has drawn attention to something of importance in Luther´s theological thinking. However, these models need to be complemented by a stress on the central function of the Decalogue in order to give a fuller understanding of Luther´s own theology of prayer.