Above: The cover of an early edition of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism
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In his 39 years as a pastor and reformer, Martin Luther (1483-1546) published an incredible number of books, treatises, sermons, and other writings. Page after page poured forth, as Luther powerfully proclaimed the Gospel. There are 120 volumes in the German edition of his collected works. The printing press was brand new, and Luther was its first best-selling author. In the early 1520’s, Luther’s writings made up one-third of everything in print in all of Germany.
Much of that tremendous output is not nearly as important now as it was when it was first written. Every age has its own unique challenges, and important writings in one age will not necessarily be important or even meaningful in another time and place. Luther himself had hoped that none of his writings would be saved. It was, he believed, the work of every new generation to proclaim the Gospel in their own way in their own time. Luther’s writings have been preserved, although half of the content has never been translated into English. Of the 54 volumes that have been translated into English, most are read only by scholars, some by pastors, and only a few have a wider audience.
But one piece of Luther’s work is still read by millions– his Small Catechism. Luther would have approved of this wide and continued usage. He considered this little pamphlet his favorite and most important work.
This is because along with being a courageous leader and world-changing reformer, Luther was primarily a pastor and a teacher. He was therefore concerned about the spiritual well-being of his people; and his ‘people,’ or sphere of influence, soon included all of Germany, and then, all of Europe, and then, the entire world. When he started looking around at the church outside his life in Wittenberg, he was appalled at what he found. Out in the country the churches were in horrible shape. In his preface to the Small Catechism, he wrote that most people did not even know the simplest things, like the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, or the Ten Commandments. Also, they had no understanding of the Gospel of God’s grace and the gift of salvation. The clergy were often of little help. Many of them, he found, did not know the Lord’s Prayer or the Creed either.
So Luther, who was used to writing mostly long and complex theological treatises, went to work on something short and simple. In the Spring of 1529, the Small Catechism was published, and this little book has been the primary text for the Christian education of Lutheran young people ever since.
The catechism’s five parts contained what Luther considered the five basics of the Christian faith that everyone should know something about. Part One is the Ten Commandments, outlining how God wants us to live. Part Two is the Apostle’s Creed, a summary of what we believe. Part Three is the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer Jesus himself taught us to pray, and the best example of how we should speak to God in prayer. Parts Four and Five describe the two Sacraments; the Sacrament of Baptism, by which God gives us his eternal promise, and the Sacrament of Holy Communion, in which God repeats his promise, forgives our sins, and reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Along with these five main parts, Luther then included several other pages of basic teaching on the Christian Life.
In the Small Catechism, the common person was instructed in what God’s Word says about how to live a Christian life, and how to die with hope in the promises of God. That same year Luther also published a Large Catechism on the same basic outline, containing sermons that further explain each part.
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There are many English translations of the catechism. The link below is one example which contains the entire Small Catechism:
Click to access Luthers_Small_Catechism.pdf
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Here are some links to previous Emailmeditations that contain prayers by Martin Luther that are based on parts of the Small Catechism:
244) Prayers to Pray Along With the Lord’s Prayer (part one)
245) Prayers to Pray Along with the Lord’s Prayer (part two)
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