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Open Letter to the Christian Nobility

Dr. Martin Luther

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a leader of the Protestant Reformation and namesake of the Lutheran Tradition. He was born in Eisleben and was well-educated before entering the University of Erfurt. It was there that, rather than pursue an advanced law degree, Luther became an Augustinian monk. Between 1505 and 1512 he studied and lectured in theology, punctuated by achievement of his Doctorate at Wittenberg. By 1517 Luther was realizing in full the doctrine of justification by faith, as declared by the apostle Paul and Augustine. His publication of 95 theses against indulgences sparked protest throughout Germany, forcing Luther to defend his theology in disputations at Heidelberg and Leipzig. His treatises of 1520 brought him into greater conflict with the papacy, and he was excommunicated. After the Diet of Worms in 1521, he continued to define and uphold his theology, seeking to reform the Church, emphasizing the authority of Scripture and the Pauline doctrine of justification.

One of Luther's three treatises of 1520, a seminal statement of Reformation principles against papal power.

This is one of three important treatises written by Luther in 1520 (The Babylonian Captivity of the Church and The Freedom of a Christian are the other two), following the Leipzig debate of 1519, his subsequent condemnation, and further pro-papal attacks on his position by Augustine von Aveld and Sylvester Prierias ("the Romanist at Leipzig"). In particular, Prierias' Epitome of a Reply to Martin Luther presented a strong statement of the pope's absolute power. Luther's treatise was in fact an open letter sent to his friend Nicholas von Amsdorf, but addressed to Emperor Charles V and the German nobility. The "nobility" is in many ways representative of the common people as a whole, the priesthood of believers as opposed to ecclesiastical kingship. The first part of the treatise attacks "three walls" of papal power; the second part consists of a list of various papal abuses; the third part outlines Proposals for Reform.

Church History

Against Papal Power.