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Primary sourceBook1520

The Freedom of a Christian

Martin Luther · 1520

Luther's 1520 treatise explaining that Christians are freed by faith yet freely serve others.

Luther's own treatise setting out his central doctrine of justification by faith.

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Title page of a 1520 German woodcut-decorated book, with ornate floral borders and architectural pillar frames. Title reads 'Von der freiheit eines Christenmenschen', 'Martinus Luther', 'Vuittenbergae Anno dni 1520'. A woodcut figure of a robed monk with a rosary stands in the center.
Martin Luther, Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen, 1520.

About this source

What it is

A theological treatise written by Martin Luther in 1520, published in both German and Latin versions. It is the third of his major reforming works of that year, following his Address to the Christian Nobility and the Babylonian Captivity of the Church.

Why it matters

In this short work Luther laid out his idea of justification by faith: that Christians, forgiven by God, no longer need to earn salvation through law-keeping, yet choose freely to serve God and their neighbors. The famous paradox that a Christian is "lord of all" yet "servant of all" became one of the most quoted statements of Reformation theology.

Look closer

  • How can someone be both completely free and a servant at the same time? What do you think Luther meant?
  • Why did Luther write this work in both German and Latin — who was he trying to reach?
  • What does the ornate title page tell you about how printers presented important religious works?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Luther 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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