Luther's Eight Sermons at Wittenberg: the Credo of a Gentle Reformer

This article develops an understanding of Luther which runs counter to the classic Roman Catholic image of him as zealotic iconoclast. In Luther's life these discourses mark the zenith of his influence and spiritual authority. The experience of the radical movement in Wittenberg (1521–22) decisively formed Luther's reforming activities; in the area of the reorganization of the Mass, where the safety of conscience and Christian liberty were involved, he became cautious and slowed the development rather than pushed it forward. Furthermore, the pluralistic arrangements of the Lutheran orders of service are ultimately the unavoidable consequence of those theological principles as contained in this series of sermons.