Luther on Monastic Vows
“There is no doubt that the monastic vow is in itself a most dangerous thing because it is without the authority and example of…
Author: Dr. Matthew Phillips
My name is C. Matthew Phillips and I am Professor of History at Concordia University, Nebraska. I completed my Ph.D. in medieval European history at Saint Louis University in 2006. My research has focused on medieval monasticism, preaching, devotion to the True Cross, and the Crusades. Additionally, I have interests in medieval and early modern European education and the writings and life of Martin Luther.
At Concordia I teach World Civilization I, World Civilization II, Europe Since 1914, Early and Medieval Christianity, Renaissance and Reformation, The Medieval Crusades, The History of Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, and The Modern Middle East.
Defy Everything But Have Faith in Christ
“Let us…commit the affairs of men to God in faithful prayer, and be calm. What can they do? Will they kill [me]? Will…
The Shame and Disgrace of the Cross
“For where God’s Word is preached, accepted, or believed, and bears fruit, there the holy and precious cross will also not be far…
Wash Us in the Blood
Although I am a convert to the traditional Lutheran confessions and believe the historic liturgy is generally the proper form of Christian worship,…
Temporal Authority
Luther had already completed his treatise, Temporal Authority: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed, in December 1522, but it was not published until…
Faith Works: Martin Luther’s Treatise on Good Works
Lutherans should celebrate the 500th anniversary of 1520 as a much more significant event than publication of the Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. The Indulgence Controversy and…
Never Trust a Mob
“We dare not encourage the mob very much. It goes mad too quickly…And it is better for tyrants to wrong them a hundred…
The Heavenly Indulgence
In the last quarter of 1519, Dr. Martin Luther published three sermons on the sacraments of penance, baptism, and Lord’s Supper. He wrote…
Martin Luther’s First Published Lectures on Galatians
Dr. Martin Luther lectured on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians from late October 1516 to March 1517. In addition to his earlier…
Why the God-man?
In the late eleventh century, a famous theologian wrote a book called: Cur deus homo (usually translated as Why God Became a Man). …
O Sacred Head Now Wounded: Luther’s Devotion to the Passion of Christ
Many Lutherans sing the beloved hymn, O Sacred Head Now Wounded, (LSB 450) during Lent and especially on Good Friday. Paul Gerhardt wrote…
Philip Melanchthon’s Early Teaching on Justification
Philip Melanchthon published his first major theological work, Loci Communes (Theological Commonplaces) in 1521. At the age of 21, in 1518 Melanchthon had come…
Martin Luther’s Confession of the Gospel of Justification
In 1519, Luther published an edited copy of his lectures on Galatians. This text represented his clearest exposition of the doctrine of justification. …
Martin Luther’s Discovery of Justification by Faith Alone
An examination of Luther’s lectures on Romans in 1515-1516 reveals significant changes in his understanding of justification. In these lectures, he began to…
Martin Luther’s Discovery: The Late Medieval Background
In 1545, Martin Luther wrote the preface for the publication of his complete works in Latin. Therein he included a biographical statement that…
God Becomes a Human Being
“Daily in this world we live with murder, lying, betrayal, stealing, robbing, and all manner of shameful evil, depravity, and vexation, so that…
An Infallible Truth
In my previous post (Luther at Augsburg) I described Martin Luther’s meeting with Cardinal Cajetan at Augsburg in October 1518. There Luther had…
Martin Luther at Augsburg in 1518
The publication of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses in late 1517 initiated theological debates over the nature of grace and faith, true repentance, and authority in…
Martin Luther on Studying Theological Texts
“If anybody wishes to become a theologian, he has a great advantage, first of all, in having the Bible. This is now so…
Augustine, Luther, and the Lord’s Supper
In 1527 Dr. Martin Luther wrote his first major treatise on the Lord’s Supper: That These Words of Christ, “This Is My Body,”…
Vainglory: Luther on Galatians 5:25-26
In the film, The Devil’s Advocate, Al Pacino’s character (the devil) states: “Vanity is definitely my favorite sin.” This sin coupled with wealth…
Striving for Heavenly Things: An Example of Luther’s Preaching on Sanctification
In a previous post, I described how Dr. Luther recognized St. Paul’s pattern of teaching good works and virtues after the preaching of…
The World Wants To Be Fooled
By the early 1530s Dr. Martin Luther had taught concerning the nature of the ministry and the call of pastors in various writings. …
Martin Luther’s Advice to Pastors-Elect
In 1512 Martin Luther became a doctor of theology. He wrote a large number of theological works on various topics and participated in…
A Sermon on the Two Kinds of Righteousness
Our observation of the 500th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther’s publication of the Ninety-Five Theses took place a few months ago. However, this…