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of Anfechtungen.Luther’sdiseasewascaused these headaches, ‘the devil’s ride through
by the way he lived, rather than gene�c
disposi�on. The contributors were years of
malnutri�on on a frugal monas�c diet, long
days and nights of mental labor, having to
deal with ecclesias�cal and poli�cal intrigue
and threats to his life. In later life, alcohol
and food all had impacts on the Reformer’s
20
health and wellbeing . There is more than
a hint about the presence of low mood,
and depressive disorder in Luther’s wri�ngs
too. Pain and mental challenges seem too
o�en to be partners. Luther constantly suffered
from cons�pa�on and a variety of other
stomach disorders. From 1526 he had to
endure sporadic gall bladder and kidney stones
a�acks. Which, he said, brought to his mind
‘death’ because of the excrucia�ng pain. Luther
was consistently vocal about the pain he
suffered, constantly complaining about its impact
on his life and work. He a�ributed his experience
to the kind of Anfechtungen that he believed
was sent by God to remind Chris�ans that
life is a struggle with sin, death and the
devil. The concept of Anfechtungen is not
an easy concept to pin down. As has been
said, some words defy adequate transla�on.
Anfechtungen, as used in Luther’s works,
is such a word. It has a La�n counterpart,
tenta�o and can be translated as, tempta�on,
trials, afflic�on and tribula�on. Anfechtungen
is a mul�faceted concept that perhaps is
best le� untranslated. However, this could
be a path to theological and literary cowardice.
As one scholar states, ‘Anfechtungen is perhaps
be�er understood not as one vocable in
Luther’s vocabulary, but a one-word theological
concept. A combina�on of theology and spiritual
psychology, of pain and suffering, of endurance
of this condi�on with the help of God’. 21
A�er 1530 Luther was plagued with migraine
type headaches and what appeared to be
a form of �nnitus. He suffered from what
he said was ‘a constant buzzing in his ears’.
A�er 1541 these headaches forced Luther
to interrupt his rou�ne and even to avoid
the bright light of a sunny day. Luther called
20 Concordia Quarterly Volume 47. Number 1 January 1983
21 Concordia Quarterly
22 Consensus Vol.8 Issue 2 1982
38
my brain’. He also had to deal with open
soars, probably leg ulcers. One can see from
Luther’s life the all-encompassing impact of
22
mul�focalpain,whathecalledhisAnfechtungen .
This was a condi�on, like so many others
i
experience,thatneedsamul�-focalandnterdisciplinary
approach.
Ian McGilchrist. Pain and Mental Clarity
The Oxford Psychiatrist and polymath, Ian
McGilchrist believes that his own experience
of mental pain experienced in depression
has been somewhat posi�ve for him. McGilchrist
writes, Depression has been repeatedly shown
to be associated with greater realism. He
notes the caveat here, as long as the depression
is not severe. The evidence is not because
insight makes you depressed, but because,
up to a point, being depressed gives you
insight. To understand one’s role in bringing
about a certain outcome, depressives are
more ‘in touch’ with reality even than
normal subjects. The Ma�er of Things
2021 In a recent interview, McGilchrist
further suggests that experiencing depression
causes one to view the whole of life
differentlyincluding,priori�es,purpose,pleasure
and pain. Picking up on McGilchrist’s reference
to purpose (Greek Telos). I am reminded
of the wri�ngs of the Holocaust survivor,
the late Victor Frankl (1905 – 1997). In
the two his books cited here, Man’s Search
for Meaning and the posthumous republica�on
of his, yes to life – Inspite of Everything,
Frankl focuses on the need to see purpose
and the agency of choice in all of life’s
experiences, including pain and suffering.
His famous quota�on sums up his approach,
“Everything can be taken from a man but
one thing: the last of the human freedoms
– to chose’s one’s a�tude in any given
set of circumstances, to choose one’s own
way.” It seems we have some voli�on and
can find some form purpose in the most
difficult of circumstances, even during pain.
But we cannot leave pain una�ended. We
must look for ways to manage it too. Ways
that previously might not have been explored.