Concerning Christian Liberty
by Martin Luther
CONCERNING CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
LETTER OF MARTIN LUTHER TO POPE LEO X
Among those monstrous evils of this age with which I have now for
three years been waging war, I am sometimes compelled to look to
you and to call you to mind, most blessed father Leo. In truth,
since you alone are everywhere considered as being the cause of
my engaging in war, I cannot at any time fail to remember you;
and although I have been compelled by the causeless raging of
your impious flatterers against me to appeal from your seat to a
future council--fearless of the futile decrees of your
predecessors Pius and Julius, who in their foolish tyranny
prohibited such an action--yet I have never been so alienated in
feeling from your Blessedness as not to have sought with all my
might, in diligent prayer and crying to God, all the best gifts
for you and for your see. But those who have hitherto endeavoured
to terrify me with the majesty of your name and authority, I have
begun quite to despise and triumph over. One thing I see
remaining which I cannot despise, and this has been the reason of
my writing anew to your Blessedness: namely, that I find that
blame is cast on me, and that it is imputed to me as a great
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