''On the Freedom of a Christian'' (Latin: ''"De Libertate Christiana"''; German: ''"Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen"''), sometimes also called ''"A Treatise on Christian Liberty"'' (November 1520), was the third of

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

’s major reforming treatises of 1520, appearing after his ''Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation'' (August 1520) and the work ''Prelude on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church'' (October 1520). The work appeared in a shorter

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and a more elaborate

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

form. There is no academic consensus whether the German or the Latin version was written first. The treatise developed the concept that as fully forgiven children of God, Christians are no longer compelled to keep God's law to obtain salvation; however, they freely and willingly serve God and their neighbors. Luther also further develops the concept of justification by faith. In the treatise, Luther stated, "A Christian man is the most free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian man is most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone."Albrecht Beutel, "Luther's Life," tr. Katharina Gustavs, in The Cambridge Companion to Martin Luther, ed. Donald K. McKim (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 11.

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Online Edition in the Internet Modern History SourcebookModern scholarly Edition of the original German text (Creative Commons licensed)English Translation of the longer Latin text.On the Freedom of a Christian (English translation of the original German text with a commentary)
in the Taylor Editions: Reformation Pamphlet Series, November 2020. * {{Authority control 1520 books 16th-century Christian texts Works by Martin Luther

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