Luther Online

For human society is not an end in itself but a means to teach one another about God...

“God placed his church in the midst of the world, among countless external activities and callings, not in order that Christians should become monks but so that they may live in fellowship and that our works and the exercises of our faith may become known among men. For human society, as Aristotle said, is not an end in itself but a means [to an end]; and the ultimate end is to teach one another about God. Accordingly Aristotle said that society isn’t made by a physician and a physician, by a farmer and a farmer, etc. There are three kinds of life: labor must be engaged in, warfare must be carried on, governing must be done. The state consists of these three. Consequently Plato said that just as oxen aren’t governed by oxen and goats by goats, so men aren’t governed by men but by heroic persons.” -- Martin Luthern August 31, 1538

Government, Two Kingdoms, Vocation

Stealing is no art. It’s deception, manual dexterity. Presto, and the stuff is gone!

“Stealing is no art. It’s deception, manual dexterity. Presto, and the stuff is gone! That’s how the gypsies were.”

Then he [Martin Luther] spoke about children and said that they should not be allowed to commit thefts. “However, one ought to observe reasonableness. If only cherries, apples, and the like are involved, such childish pranks ought not to be punished so severely; but if money, clothing, or coffers have been seized it is time to punish. My parents kept me under very strict discipline, even to the point of making me timid. For the sake of a mere nut my mother beat me until the blood flowed. By such strict discipline they finally forced me into the monastery; though they meant it heartily well, I was only made timid by it. They weren’t able to keep a right balance between temperament and punishment. One must punish in such a way that the rod is accompanied by the apple. It’s a bad thing if children and pupils lose their spirit on account of their parents and teachers. There have been bungling schoolmasters who spoiled many excellent talents by their rudeness.... ...These tests were nothing short of torture. Whatever the method that’s used, it ought to pay attention to the difference in aptitudes and teach in such a way that all children are treated with equal love.”

Punishment, children

Young saplings are more easily bent and trained, even though some may break in the process.

At this point I should also mention how many educated men are needed in the fields of medicine and the other liberal arts. Of these two needs one could write a huge book and preach for half a year. Where are the preachers, jurists, and physicians to come from, if grammar and other rhetorical arts are not taught? For such teaching is the spring from which they all must flow. To speak of this here in detail would be too big a task. I will simply say briefly that a diligent and upright schoolmaster or teacher, or anyone who faithfully trains and teaches boys, can never be adequately rewarded or repaid with any amount of money, as even the heathen Aristotle says. Nevertheless, this work is as shamefully despised among us as if it amounted to nothing at all. And still we call ourselves Christians! If I could leave the preaching office and my other duties, or had to do so, there is no other office I would rather have than that of schoolmaster or teacher of boys; for I know that next to that of preaching, this is the best, greatest, and most useful office there is. Indeed, I scarcely know which of the two is the better. For it is hard to make old dogs obedient and old rascals pious; yet that is the work at which the preacher must labor, and often in vain. Young saplings are more easily bent and trained, even though some may break in the process. It surely has to be one of the supreme virtues on earth faithfully to train other people’s children; for there are very few people, in fact almost none, who will do this for their own.

The schools must be second in importance only to the church, for in them young preachers and pastors are trained

Martin Luther on the ordering of civil life

...The schools must be second in importance only to the church, for in them young preachers and pastors are trained, and from them emerge those who replace the ones who die. Next, then, to the school comes the burgher’s(urban middle class) house, for it supplies the pupils; then the city hall and the castle, which must protect the schools so that they may train children to become pastors, and so that these, in turn, may create churches and children of God (whether they be burghers(urban middle class), princes, or emperors). But God must be over all and nearest to all, to preserve this ring or circle against the devil, and to do everything in all of life’s vocations, indeed, in all creatures. Thus Psalm 127 says that there are only two temporal governments on earth, that of the city and that of the home, “Unless the Lord builds the house; unless the Lord watches over the city.” The first government is that of the home, from which the people come; the second is that of the city, meaning the country, the people, princes and lords, which we call the secular government. These embrace everything—children, property, money, animals, etc. The home must produce, whereas the city must guard, protect, and defend. Then follows the third, God’s own home and city, that is, the church, which must obtain people from the home and protection and defense from the city. - 1539

Government, Politics

The world has now become very sure of itself. It relies on books and thinks that if these are read it knows everything

Martin Luther on the trap of books.

"The world has now become very sure of itself. It relies on books and thinks that if these are read it knows everything. The devil almost succeeded in getting me, too, to become lazy and secure and to think: ‘Here you have the books. If you read them you’ll have the answers.’ So the fanatics' and sacramentarians' suppose that because they have read only one little book they know everything. Against such security I pray the catechism' every day like my little Hans' and ask God to keep me in his dear, holy Word, lest I grow weary of it.'" - Summer 1532

Anybody who wishes to be a theologian must have a fair mastery of the Scriptures

Martin Luther on Scripture and the heretics

“Anybody who wishes to be a theologian must have a fair mastery of the Scriptures, so that he may have an explanation for whatever can be alleged against any passage. That is to say, he must distinguish between law and gospel. If I were able to do this perfectly I would never again be sad. Whoever apprehends this has won."

“Whatever is Scripture is either law or gospel. One of the two must triumph: the law leads to despair, the gospel leads to salvation. I learn more about this every day, and Duke George could too. The gospel is life. The pope drove me to this; he opened my eyes to it. It is as Augustine said to himself: the heretics provoke us to search the Scriptures. Otherwise nobody would think about them.”

Monday and Tuesday mornings we have a lesson on the Ten Commandments, the Creed, Lord’s Prayer, baptism, and sacrament

Martin Luther on the Education of the Church

"Namely, on Monday and Tuesday mornings we have a German lesson on the Ten Commandments, the Creed, Lord’s Prayer, baptism, and sacrament, so that these two days preserve and deepen the understanding of the catechism. On Wednesday morning again a German lesson, for which the evangelist Matthew has been appointed so that the day shall be his very own, seeing that he is an excellent evangelist for the instruction of the congregation, records the fine sermon of Christ on the Mount, and strongly urges the exercise of love and good works. But the evangelist John, who so mightily teaches faith, has his own day too, on Saturday afternoon at Vespers, so that two of the evangelists have their own days when they are being read. Thursday and Friday mornings have the weekday lessons from the Epistles of the apostles and the rest of the New Testament assigned to them. Thus enough lessons and sermons have been appointed to give the Word of God free course among us, not to mention the university lectures for scholars." - 1526

Scattered reading confuses more than it teaches. Many books, even good ones, have the same effect on the student.

Martin Luther on Reading Books:

A student who doesn’t want his work to go for nothing ought to read and reread some good author until the author becomes part, as it were, of his flesh and blood. Scattered reading confuses more than it teaches. Many books, even good ones, have the same effect on the student. So he is like the man who dwells everywhere and therefore dwells nowhere. Just as in human society we don’t enjoy the fellowship of every friend every day, but only of a few chosen ones, so we ought to do in our studies. - Between January 2 and 26, 1533

The philosophers did the right thing, when they required their students to remain silent for five years

Martin Luther on role of the student in education

"The philosophers did the right thing, when they required their students to remain silent for five years, that is, not to express opinions lest they become rash in their judgments. Nor is it for nothing that certain times have been fixed in the universities for the granting of degrees. In Paris nobody is awarded a degree in theology who hasn’t worked in that field for ten years. In Erfurt only fifty-year-olds were made doctors of theology. Many took umbrage at my getting the doctorate at the age of twenty-eight, when Staupitz drove me to it. - November 9, 1538

Even though a boy who has studied Latin should afterward learn a trade and become a craftsman

Martin Luther on the education of children

Even though a boy who has studied Latin should afterward learn a trade and become a craftsman, he still stands as a ready reserve in case he should be needed as a pastor or in some other service of the word. Neither will such knowledge hurt his capacity to earn a living. On the contrary, he can rule his house all the better because of it, and besides, he is prepared for the office of preacher or pastor if he should be needed there. It is especially easy in our day to train persons for teaching the gospel and the catechism because not only Holy Scripture but also knowledge of all kinds is so abundant, what with so many books, so much reading, and, thank God, so much preaching that one can learn more now in three years than was formerly possible in twenty. Even women and children can now learn from German books and sermons more about God and Christ — I am telling the truth! — than all the universities, foundations, monasteries, the whole papacy, and all the world used to know. - 1530