Martin Luther and the Ten Commandments in the Large Catechism‪.‬

In the coming months and years, there is bound to be plenty of discussion over Martin Luther's understanding of the Sixth Commandment, especially as it pertains to modern questions about homosexual relations. On one hand, it is very simple. Luther said next to nothing about such behavior, except to condemn it in the most general terms. Like others of his age, he was extremely reticent to talk about any sexual sins, even while he seemed to delight in scatological expressions that leave modern folks longing for censorship. On the other hand, if one inquires after Luther's approach to the Ten Commandments in more general terms, the answer suddenly becomes more complicated and far more interesting for historians and theologians. This essay examines one small piece of Luther's wide-ranging commentary on the Ten Commandments within his catechisms in the hopes of gaining more clarity on Luther's interpretation of the commandments and the role they played in his overall theology. (1) These particular documents, standing between expositions in the Personal Prayer Book of 1522 and A Simple Way to Pray of 1536, have the additional advantage of having been included in The Book of Concord of 1580. Thus, they provide an important confessional voice for the current deliberations.