Thoroughly researched and faithfully translated, the Luther's Works series consists of Martin Luther's Bible commentaries, sermons, prefaces, postils, disputations, letters, theology, and polemics, translated and published in English for the first time.
Volume 72 contains theses which Luther drafted (sometimes with the help of his colleague Philip Melanchthon) and the records of Luther's prefatory orations and the arguments made by Luther and his students and colleagues in the university disputations over which he presided between 1516 and approximately 1542. Luther's emphasis on grace alone is amplified by sets of theses exploring the sacraments and the so-called "evangelical counsels" in the lives of Christians, as well as the place of monasticism and its requirement of vows of poverty, obedience, and celibacy. The reformer and his colleagues also take up questions surrounding the authority of the papacy and church councils, especially when their decrees countermand Scripture or deprive Christians of full participation in the Sacrament as instituted by Christ.
These disputations offer Luther's extended systematic exploration of central doctrines of Christian theology, beginning with his early reflections on the Bible, the medieval theological tradition, the church fathers, and the ecclesiastical and political situations of the day in dialogue and debate with fellow reformers and contemporary opponents. They are an invaluable resource for students of Luther, historians of the Reformation, and contemporary theologians alike.
