On the Freedom of a Christian
On the Freedom of a Christian (German: "Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen") was the third of Martin Luther’s major reforming treatises of 1520, appearing after his Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation (Aug. 1520) and the work Prelude on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, (October 1520). This work 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.[1]
Content
The treatise set out in detail Luther's doctrines of justification by faith and the priesthood of all believers. The treatise opens with two apparently conflicting statements:
A Christian is a free lord, subject to none.
A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all.
From this point, Luther develops the concept of freedom through grace, and the meaning of this freedom.
In style, the treatise is apparently much more conciliatory than Luther’s two earlier major works. The style and language is uplifting and reassuring, making it easy to understand why this text has been so popular among later Christian readers. The German version opens with a letter to Pope Leo X. Luther appears to pull back from his previous identification of the pope as Antichrist which he had made in his two previous treatises, drawing a distinction between Leo’s corrupt advisers and his own duties. Whether this concession was genuinely intended is, however, a debated matter. Luther deliberately dated the letter 6 September 1520, to make it appear as if it were written before the arrival in Wittenberg of the papal bull threatening Luther with excommunication. Some commentators view this as a genuine attempt at reconciliation on Luther’s part; others, however, see it as an attempt on Luther’s part to appear publicly conciliatory and to thus gain the moral high ground. The letter was, after all, published in German, a language Leo X could not understand. (NOTE: According to some sources, the letter was written in Latin. See, for example, "Three Treatises", Helmut T. Lehmann (ed.), Fortress Press, 1970, p. 263).
The work was highly popular. Indicating the size of the lay vernacular readership to which Luther’s work was increasingly appealing, the German version outsold the Latin by almost two to one.
Notes
- ^ Albrecht Beutel, "Luther's Life," tr. Katharina Gustavs, in The Cambridge Companion to Martin Luther, ed. Donald K. McKim (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 11.
Reference
- Pelikan, Jaroslav and Lehmann, Helmut T, Luther’s Works, 55 vols, (Saint Louis, Philadelphia, 1955-76), 31:327-378.
| Related topics on Martin Luther | ||
|---|---|---|
| Works | A Mighty Fortress is Our God · Large Catechism · Luther Bible · On the Bondage of the Will · On the Freedom of a Christian · On the Jews and their Lies · Smalcald Articles · Small Catechism · The Adoration of the Sacrament · Theology of the Cross · The 95 Theses · To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation · Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope |  |
| Topics | Augsburg Confession · Decet Romanum Pontificem · Diet of Worms · Exsurge Domine · Lutheranism · Luther rose · Sacramental union | |
| People | Albert of Mainz · Bartholomaeus Arnoldi · Desiderius Erasmus · Georg Rörer · Johann Cochlaeus · Johann von Staupitz · Justus Jonas · Hans Luther · Margarethe Luther · Karl von Miltitz · Katharina von Bora · Philipp Melanchthon | |
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