In the year 1520 Martin Luther...
In the year 1520 Martin Luther, the German reformer, wrote his small treatise titled The Freedom of a Christian. In an open letter to Pope Leo X that preceded the treatise he made a last attempt to reconcile with Rome. He affirms that he has not attacked the Pope as a person but only the corruption that has surrounded the papacy. Seeking to maintain the balance he believes the apostle Paul reflects in his first letter to the Corinthian church, Luther sets forth what appears to be a contradiction but two truths he feels fit together beautifully, namely: