Open AccessTHE HEART OF THE MATTER: LUTHER’S CONCEPT OF REFORMATION
Author(s) -
Herman J. Selderhuis
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
unio cum christo
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2473-8476
pISSN - 2380-5412
DOI - 10.35285/ucc4.1.2018.art1
Subject(s) - erasmus+ , martin luther , biography , perspective (graphical) , relevance (law) , of reformation , theology , philosophy , history , law , political science , the renaissance , art , art history , visual arts
Luther is often presented as a reformer of the church, but this paper demonstrates that the reformation of the church was a consequence of the real issue: a reformation of the relationship between God and man. Luther’s spiritual biography and especially his debate with Erasmus make clear that to him the heart of the matter was how to define the relationship between the righteous God and sinful man and how to repair that relationship. Only from this perspective can the history and theology of the Reformation and its lasting relevance be understood.