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On the Bondage of the Will

Martin Luther · 1525

Luther's 1525 treatise against Erasmus, arguing that human beings cannot choose salvation by their own free will.

Luther wrote this treatise, which ended his alliance with the humanist Erasmus over the question of free will.

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Scan of the title page of a 1525 book, with an ornate woodcut border of architectural arches and foliage. Central text reads 'DE SERVO ARBITRIO MARTINI Lutheri ad D. Erasmum Roterodamum' and 'Vvittembergae 1525', with a winged cherub holding a shield marked with a monogram at the bottom. A circular library stamp reads 'Ex Bibl. Paulina Monast.' and handwritten notes appear at top and right.
Martin Luther, On the Bondage of the Will, title page, 1525.

About this source

What it is

A book written by Martin Luther in 1525, printed in Wittenberg, replying to Desiderius Erasmus's earlier work defending free will.

Why it matters

This book marks the final break between Luther and Erasmus, two of the most important thinkers of the age. Luther argued that sinful humans cannot choose good on their own and depend completely on God for salvation, while Erasmus believed people kept some freedom to choose. Their disagreement split reformers from humanists and shaped how later Christians thought about free will, grace, and sin.

Look closer

  • Why might Luther have felt it necessary to argue so forcefully against a respected scholar like Erasmus?
  • What does the harsh tone some historians describe tell us about the stakes of religious debate in this period?
  • How might this disagreement have affected the spread of Luther's ideas?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Luther and Desiderius Erasmus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Printed 1517 broadsheet page of Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, in black letter type with red paragraph marks and a title header at top. Dense two-column Latin text, numbered theses, and a date near the bottom.Document

Primary source

Ninety-five Theses

Martin Luther · 1517

Black and white engraving of an interior room with coffered ceiling and four framed portraits on the wall. A man in dark robes and cap plays a lute at a table while a young boy with a tankard listens. On the right, a woman and a child sit by a window and an older man reads. Two children sit on the floor reading a book, and a dog lies near the left chair.Painting

Secondary source

Domestic Life of Martin Luther at Wittenberg

Pierre-Antoine Labouchère (design); J. D. Nargeot (engraving) · 1800-1899

Woodcut portrait of Martin Luther with a dove above his head in a radiating halo, wearing a monastic robe, hands resting on a closed book. Above the image is the title Martinus Luther; below are verses and a coat of arms seal.Painting

Primary source

Martinus Luther Woodcut Portrait

Unbekannt (Formschneider)

Scan of a printed page with a black-and-white woodcut portrait of a man with short curly hair in a monastic-style robe with a high collar, holding a book with a decorated cover. Architectural columns frame him, and the date 1520 is printed at upper right.Painting

Primary source

Woodcut Portrait of Luther in Sermon Pamphlet

1523

An open, worn leather-bound book lying on a dark background. The right page shows a woodcut title page reading 'Biblia, das ist: die gantze Heilige Schrifft Deudsch, Mart. Luth. Wittemberg' with the date MDXXXIIII. The left page has a small woodcut and handwritten notes.Book

Secondary source

Luther Bible

Martin Luther · 1534

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