The development of Martin Luther's thought was both a symptom and a moving force in the transformation of the Middle Ages into the modern world.
Geographical discovery, an emerging scientific tradition, and a climate of social change had splintered the unity of medieval Christian culture, and these changes provided the background for Luther's theological challenge. His new apprehension of Scripture and fresh understanding of man's relation to God demanded a break with the Church as then constituted and released the powerful impulses that carried the Reformation.
Luther's vigorous, colorful language still retains the excitement it had for thousands of his contemporaries. In this volume, Dr. Dillenberger has made a representative selection from Luther's extensive writings, and has also provided the reader with a lucid introduction to his thought.
A large number of Luther's works are presented in whole or excerpted, including:
• The Freedom of a ChristianThe Freedom of a Christian
• A Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the GalatiansA Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians
• The Bondage of the WillThe Bondage of the Will
• The Pagan Servitude of the ChurchThe Pagan Servitude of the Church [aka Babylonian Captivity]
• Two Kinds of RighteousnessTwo Kinds of Righteousness
• several Biblical Prefaces
• several sermons
• Secular Authority: To What Extent It Should Be ObeyedSecular Authority: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed
• An Appeal to the Ruling Class of German NationalityAn Appeal to the Ruling Class of German Nationality [aka Address to the German Nobility]
• The Ninety-five ThesesThe Ninety-five Theses
• Theses for the Heidelberg DisputationTheses for the Heidelberg Disputation
Martin Luther changed the course of Western civilization by initiating the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesmen with his 95 Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased with money. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms meeting in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.
Luther taught that salvation is a free gift of God and received only by grace through faith in Jesus as redeemer from sin, not from good works. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood.
His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of singing in churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.
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