"I, Martin Luther, Doctor, of the Order of Monks at Wittemberg, desire to testify publicly that certain propositions against pontifical indulgences, as they call them, have been put forth by me." This volume is a collection of several works by the father of the Reformation, Martin Luther, edited by Henry Wace. First is a series of introductory essays by Wace and others, and a synopsis of the theology of the Reformation in his famous 95 Theses. These Theses are, per the title, included in this work. The other three primary works in this publication are: "To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Respecting the Reformation of the Christian Estate," "Concerning Christian Liberty," and "On the Babylonish Captivity of the Church." All three are a collection of writings and letters Luther authored on each religious issue. All three pieces, as well as the Theses, are valuable works of literature written by one of the most important Christian figures ever, and should be studied and treasured.
Abby Zwart
CCEL Staff Writer
This edition features an artistic cover, a new promotional introduction, an index of scripture references, links for scripture references to the appropriate passages, and a hierarchical table of contents which makes it possible to navigate to any part of the book with a minimum of page turns.
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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