The Ninety-five Theses or Disputation on the Power of Indulgences are a list of propositions for an academic disputation written in 1517 by Martin Luther, professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg, Germany, that started the Reformation, a schism in the Catholic Church which profoundly changed Europe. They advance Luther's positions against what he saw as the abuse of the practice of clergy selling plenary indulgences, which were certificates believed to reduce the temporal punishment for sins committed by the purchasers or their loved ones in purgatory. In the Theses, Luther...

On the Bondage of the Will was Martin Luther's reply to Desiderius Erasmus' work "On Free Will," which had appeared in 1524 as Erasmus' first public attack on Luther after Erasmus had been wary about the methods of Luther for many years. At issue was whether human beings, after the Fall of Man, are free to choose good or evil. Erasmus had asserted that all humans possessed free will and that the doctrine of predestination was not in accord with the teachings contained in the Bible. Luther's response was to reason that sin incapacitates human beings from working out their own salvation, and...

"Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation" is the first of the three tracts written by Martin Luther in 1520. In this work, he defined for the first time the signature doctrines of the priesthood of all believers and the two kingdoms. After the church made a strong attempt at drawing distinct lines on saying who had authority in the spiritual sphere and its matters. This division of Christians into spheres motivated Luther to write on the "three walls" the "Romanists" created to protect themselves from reform. "Prelude on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church" is a theological...

A Treatise on Christian Liberty is one of Martin Luther's major reforming treatises of 1520. It developed the concept that as fully forgiven children of God, Christians are no longer compelled to keep God's law; however, they freely and willingly serve God and their neighbors. Luther also further develops the concept of justification by faith. In the treatise, Luther stated, "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all."

The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude provide a critical and exegetical commentary on the foundation of faith by Martin Luther. On the great subject of justification by faith alone, Luther is here full and emphatic. The relation of faith to works is clearly and carefully defined, while the subjects presented in the text afford full opportunity for discussing the great questions that concern the relative duties of civil and social life.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) war der theologische Urheber der Reformation. Als zu den Augustiner-Eremiten gehörender Theologieprofessor entdeckte er Gottes Gnadenzusage im Neuen Testament wieder und orientierte sich fortan ausschließlich an Jesus Christus als dem "fleischgewordenen Wort Gottes". Nach diesem Maßstab wollte er Fehlentwicklungen der Christentumsgeschichte und in der Kirche seiner Zeit überwinden. Inhalt: - Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein - Aus tiefer Not - Christ lag in Todesbanden - Christ, unser Herr - Christum wir sollen loben schon - Der den Tod überwand - Die zehn Gebote...

In Martin Luther's 'Address To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation', the renowned theologian directly addresses the German rulers and nobility, urging them to take action against the corrupt practices of the Catholic Church. Written in a straightforward and passionate style, the book served as a call to arms for the reform of the church, challenging the traditional hierarchy and power structures. Luther calls for a more direct relationship between the individual believer and God, emphasizing the importance of faith and personal conscience over institutional authority. This work played...