Martin Luther Martin's Three Treatises Summary

Review: Luther, Martin. Three Treatises. Lehmann, Helmut T., Ed. Fortress Press. Philadelphia, PA. 1966. In 1517, Martin Luther, the famed reformer of the Protestant Reformation, nailed his ninety-five theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenburg, Germany after which debate, and protest would spread like wildfire. By 1520, Luther had written several treatises, however, three of the most polemic treatises, To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and The Freedom of a Christian, are compiled in the work known as Three Treatises. The significance of these Treatises lies in their intention. It passes the mere debate between scholars and its audience was meant to go further than the clergy or papacy; it was also ultimately intended for the benefit of the public. In these three discourses, Luther works out his theology while refuting the Catholic church’s prescribed sacraments, making these essays tremendously …show more content…
Though the Reformation divided a once universal church, it may be surprising to the reader to understand that Luther, though at odds with church authority and church practice, did not want to see the church split – in actuality, Luther did not view the church as being able to be separated or divided. Just as “catholic” means “universal,” so Luther thought still of the church. Perhaps astonishingly would be Luther’s attitude and his demeanor within his letter to Leo X. Despite the fact that many think Luther to be completely against every member of the clergy (as he does call them “despised” and equates them to the Pharisees that Jesus termed “a brood of vipers” ), in his letter to the Pope he appears very apologetic and honorable in his discourse. Pop-history may provide the inexperienced historian with a bit of wonder