At the London Review of Books blog, historian Lyndal Roper has a helpful, brief piece on Luther’s response to the plague that came to Wittenberg. Roper is Regius Chair of History at the University of Oxford and has written a biography of Luther.

Her column is largely a summary and interaction with Luther’s pamphlet, Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague. As we deal with a pandemic it is helpful to hear Luther’s thoughts as he faced more death and devastation. He was clear on the duty of pastors to stay and to minister to the sick and dying. Roper gives some moving examples. It is well worth reading.