Top Results for Luther

The Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, penned by Martin Luther in 1520, presented a direct challenge to the Catholic Church’s power. It argued that secular rulers, specifically the German nobility, possessed the right to interpret scripture independently and initiate religious r...

Martin Luther’s “Babylonian Captivity of the Church” published in 1520, is a foundational text of the Protestant Reformation. He argues that the Catholic Church had corrupted its theology by expanding the number of recognized sacraments beyond biblical precedent. Luther reduced the accepted sacramen...

Martin Luther published the Ninety-five Theses in 1517 as a formal challenge to the Catholic Church’s practice of selling indulgences. These propositions questioned the sale of forgiveness for sins and argued for salvation through faith alone. They ignited widespread debate and ultimately fueled the...

On the Freedom of a Christian is a foundational theological treatise written by the German reformer Martin Luther in 1520. The text articulates the core Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone, arguing that believers are entirely free from the burden of the law through Christ but are bou...

To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation is a 1520 treatise by Martin Luther and one of his major writings from the early Protestant Reformation. Addressed to Germany's secular rulers, it challenged claims that church authorities alone could interpret Scripture or summon a council and urged la...

"On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church" is a 1520 theological treatise written by German reformer Martin Luther. In this foundational document of the Protestant Reformation, Luther systematically challenges the Roman Catholic Church's teachings on the sacraments, reducing the traditional seven s...

Whether Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved is a 1526 treatise by Martin Luther addressing whether military service is compatible with Christian faith and salvation. Luther distinguishes the office of the soldier from abuses committed by individual soldiers, arguing that lawful force can be legitimate when...

Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants is a pamphlet Martin Luther wrote in May 1525 during the German Peasants' War. It condemns the rebels' violence and calls on princes and other secular authorities to suppress the uprising by force, after Luther had earlier addressed the peasants' gr...

On the Jews and Their Lies is a 1543 antisemitic treatise by Martin Luther, written during the later Reformation. The work attacks Judaism and Jewish communities and includes recommendations that rulers destroy synagogues and Jewish houses, confiscate religious writings, and restrict Jewish life. It...