Author Archives: Matthew Phillips

Flattery Gets You Nowhere

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Matthew Phillips

“I prefer to be frank and not have anyone misled by flattery. I can testify that although my shell may be hard, still my kernel is soft and sweet.  I wish no one harm, but desire everyone to carefully consider … Continue reading →

Posted in gospel, grace, Martin Luther, Reformation | Leave a comment

Mercy in Moderation

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Matthew Phillips

In 1534 Martin Luther published a commentary on Psalm 101.  He used this commentary as an opportunity to write a manual for the Christian prince.  In August 1532, John Frederick the Magnanimous became the Electoral Duke of Saxony with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Aristotle, Cicero, Martin Luther, Politics | Leave a comment

Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Matthew Phillips

On April 14, 1521 Martin Luther wrote the following words in a short letter to Georg Spalatin from Frankfurt-am-Main: I am coming, my Spalatin, although Satan has done everything to hinder me with more than one disease.  All the way … Continue reading →

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The Special Function of History

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Matthew Phillips

“Now the special function of history, particularly in relation to speeches, is first of all to discover the words actually used, whatever they were, and next to establish the reason why a particular action or argument failed or succeeded.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Polybius, Rome | Leave a comment

A Virgin Shall Conceive

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Matthew Phillips

“Perhaps at the time the angel came, she was holding [the text of] Isaiah in her hands; perhaps she was then studying the prophecy which declares: Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and his name will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Aelred of Rievaulx, Mary, medieval, theology | Leave a comment

How Students Deceive Themselves

Posted on February 28, 2021 by Matthew Phillips

“For the first step in learning is the capacity to doubt, nor is there anything so inimical to learning as the presumption of one’s own erudition or excessive reliance upon one’s own wits: the one takes away our interest in … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning, liberal arts, Pietro Paulo Vergerio, Renaissance, teaching | Leave a comment

The Perversity and Ingratitude of the World

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Matthew Phillips

“For the perversity and ingratitude of the world is so great that it often repays evil to those who have deserved good from it and sometimes even treats them very rudely; on the other hand, it elevates and honors the … Continue reading →

Posted in Martin Luther, Reformation | Leave a comment

Delusion Makes You Happy

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Matthew Phillips

“If Folly is any judge, that man is the happiest who is most thoroughly deluded.  May he remain in that state which comes from me alone and is so widespread that I doubt whether there can be found one person … Continue reading →

Posted in Erasmus, happiness, Renaissance | Leave a comment

Burning the Bull

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Matthew Phillips

“Greetings.  On December 10, 1520, at nine o’clock in the morning, all the following papal books were burned in Wittenberg at the eastern gate near the Church of the Holy Cross: the Decretum, the Decretals, the [Liber] Sextus, the Clementines, … Continue reading →

Posted in Martin Luther, Reformation | Leave a comment

The Origin of Indulgences

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Matthew Phillips

A close reading of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses demonstrates that he was calling into question not only the doctrine of indulgences but also the late medieval sacrament of penance. Luther focused on the interior nature of repentance instead of sacramental penance … Continue reading →

Posted in Crusades, Martin Luther, medieval, Peter Abelard, Reformation | 2 Comments