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The Smalcald Articles
Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a German theologian, an Augustinian monk, and an ecclesiastical reformer whose teachings inspired the Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines and culture of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions. Luther's call to the Church to return to the teachings of the Bible led to the formation of new traditions within Christianity and to the Counter-Reformation, the Catholic reaction to these movements. His contributions to Western civilization went beyond the life of the Christian Church. His translations of the Bible helped to develop a standard version of the German language and added several principles to the art of translation. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing in Christianity. Three of his best known works were published in 1520: To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and Concerning Christian Liberty. Other works Concerning Confession (1521), Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants (1525), On the Jews and Their Lies (1543), On the Holy Name and the Lineage of Christ (1543) and Against the Papacy at Rome Founded by the Devil (1545).
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1537
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About the author
Martin Luther
5,064 books815 followersMartin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk, theologian, university professor and church reformer whose ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization.
Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.
Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented.
His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.
Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.
Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.
Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented.
His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.
Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 5, 2022
Much needed reread today to cheer me up. I always take courage knowing how focused Luther was writing this knowing he was near death.
I like how he calls purgatory “the devil’s ghost,” and instructs us to say to the pope if we ever meet him, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan!”
I like how he calls purgatory “the devil’s ghost,” and instructs us to say to the pope if we ever meet him, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan!”
January 27, 2014
Insightful into Luther's main objections to the Roman Catholic Church of his day. These articles are written in a fairly straight forward style without a lot of color commentary and insultery. The main topics are: justification by faith alone, objection to the manner of the Mass, objections to the buying and selling of indulgences, and the concept of purgatory. There are a total of 15 articles, tackling differences these Reformers had with the Roman See. The ending has a long list of signers, which adds an interesting element to this document, since many of them were unknown to me (and most likely to everyone else).
January 16, 2018
Martin Luther releases, basically, a statement of faith in an effort to make sure that his position is truthfully heard should a church council ever be called in an attempt to reunify the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. Yet, Luther addresses his issues with the papacy in his usual bombastic way which pretty much precludes this ever happening. There are many excellent points that are made, but the constant use of clauses and parenthetical phrases make for some clunky and frustrating reading.
April 4, 2020
A good overview of Lutheran Theology from the eponymous man himself. John Frederick of Saxony, Luther's patron, asked Luther to write this for a meeting in Schmalkalden, a German city, hence the name.
Interestingly, Luther struggled with kidney stones for much of his adult life and ended up not attending the meeting due to the pain and the articles he prepared were read but not adopted.
Phillip Melanchthon ended up convincing those at the meeting *not* to adopt these articles but instead to adopt a document he himself wrote. Frederick was evidently very impressed with these Smalcald articles because they were made a part of his last will and testament.
The articles were eventually added to the Book of Concord about 40 years later. They are helpful and strict in their theology, and may be viewed by some as divisive. In any case, this is Luther's doctrinal confession of faith written by his own hand and there isn't much I would disagree with therein.
Interestingly, Luther struggled with kidney stones for much of his adult life and ended up not attending the meeting due to the pain and the articles he prepared were read but not adopted.
Phillip Melanchthon ended up convincing those at the meeting *not* to adopt these articles but instead to adopt a document he himself wrote. Frederick was evidently very impressed with these Smalcald articles because they were made a part of his last will and testament.
The articles were eventually added to the Book of Concord about 40 years later. They are helpful and strict in their theology, and may be viewed by some as divisive. In any case, this is Luther's doctrinal confession of faith written by his own hand and there isn't much I would disagree with therein.
February 24, 2021
Too short
It’s good, but too short. I want more.That is all I have to say on this subject. Have a blessed day!
It’s good, but too short. I want more.That is all I have to say on this subject. Have a blessed day!
October 19, 2014
The Smalcald Articles
were designed to be be a presentation of the basics of Lutheran theology that was to be presented at a Council of the Church in Mantua in 1537 - a Lutheran/Catholic discussion about what Lutherans and Catholics believed. As Luther notes in his brief introduction these articles laid out "what we could accept or yield, and what we could not." (location 2) They are named for the Smalcald (Schmalkaldic) League - a union of Lutheran cities and territories that opposed the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor.
The Council never happened and the league never adopted the The Smalcald Articles as an official statement of faith because of Luther's strident, I would even say enthusiastic, attacks on some core matters of Catholic faith, especially the office of the Pope.
The Smalcald Articles were incorporated into the Book of Concord and are considered traditional standard Lutheran doctrine.
The Smalcald Articles are a lively presentation of the basics of Lutheranism. In reality, one would get the same information if you read Martin Luther's Small Catechism but it would not be presented in Luther's best argumentative style. Luther often knew no restraint when it came to arguing the points of Christian faith. He follows his arguments to their logical conclusions and is quite ruthless, devastatingly effective and fantastically politically incorrect...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2010/...
The Council never happened and the league never adopted the The Smalcald Articles as an official statement of faith because of Luther's strident, I would even say enthusiastic, attacks on some core matters of Catholic faith, especially the office of the Pope.
The Smalcald Articles were incorporated into the Book of Concord and are considered traditional standard Lutheran doctrine.
The Smalcald Articles are a lively presentation of the basics of Lutheranism. In reality, one would get the same information if you read Martin Luther's Small Catechism but it would not be presented in Luther's best argumentative style. Luther often knew no restraint when it came to arguing the points of Christian faith. He follows his arguments to their logical conclusions and is quite ruthless, devastatingly effective and fantastically politically incorrect...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2010/...
August 19, 2011
This book gave me a good view into the mind of Martin Luther and considering that this basically the first thing I've read by him I found it very insightful.
Luther was a man that knew what he believed and stuck to them. Prior to reading this book I thought that Lutheranism was just a branch off of the Catholic church that the they, while having obvious differences, didn't think badly of the Catholic church. And while this is probably true for most Lutherans, Martin Luther made his thoughts extremely clear in these articles. He goes as far to say that the Pope is the antichrist and the devil's play toy. He obviously had very harsh views about the Catholic church and their ways of doing things.
Ultimately I didn't find anything I disagreed with in these articles. It is fairly short and was easy to get through. I continue to believe that Luther was of very strong Biblical doctrine and had a very strong conviction about his beliefs.
Overall, I really liked reading this and it will probably spur me to read more from Martin Luther in the future.
Oh...also this is a free Kindle classic on amazon for those that may be interested.
Luther was a man that knew what he believed and stuck to them. Prior to reading this book I thought that Lutheranism was just a branch off of the Catholic church that the they, while having obvious differences, didn't think badly of the Catholic church. And while this is probably true for most Lutherans, Martin Luther made his thoughts extremely clear in these articles. He goes as far to say that the Pope is the antichrist and the devil's play toy. He obviously had very harsh views about the Catholic church and their ways of doing things.
Ultimately I didn't find anything I disagreed with in these articles. It is fairly short and was easy to get through. I continue to believe that Luther was of very strong Biblical doctrine and had a very strong conviction about his beliefs.
Overall, I really liked reading this and it will probably spur me to read more from Martin Luther in the future.
Oh...also this is a free Kindle classic on amazon for those that may be interested.
September 13, 2014
Love learning about my faith
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews