Martin Luther — "Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the …"
Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from Martin Luther
"No other sin exists in the world save unbelief."
"The world is like a drunken peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side, he will fall off on the other."
"Beer is made by men, wine by God."
"Therefore, dear Lords, help here, save here, release here, stab, smite, strangle here, whoever can. And if you die in it, blessed are you; for you die in obedience to God's Word and command (Rom. 13) …"
"A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all."
About Martin Luther (1483-1546)
German theologian whose 95 Theses (1517) launched the Protestant Reformation and broke the Catholic Church's monopoly on Western Christianity. Closely associated with Philipp Melanchthon (Lutheran systematizer) and John Calvin (later Reformer who built on Luther's break). For an intellectual contrast, see Pope Leo X, Renaissance pope (1513-1521) — Leo X's indulgence sales triggered Luther's break and Leo excommunicated him in 1521 — Luther's entire Reformation is structured as a direct answer to the indulgence-funded Vatican Leo represented.
Verification
Confirmed
Found in 2 providers: gemini,grok
2 sources checked
Understanding this quote
What it means
Music ranks just below Scripture as humanity's most valuable gift. Nothing else we create or possess comes close to its worth. Song has a unique power to move the soul, comfort the suffering, teach truth, and lift the spirit. While divine revelation holds the top position, music occupies an exalted second place above all other human arts, crafts, riches, or achievements in the world.
Relevance to Martin Luther
Luther was a trained singer, lutenist, and hymn composer who wrote 'A Mighty Fortress Is Our God' and dozens of chorales. He insisted congregations sing in German rather than listen passively to Latin choirs, making music central to Reformation worship. He believed song drove away the devil and taught doctrine to the illiterate. Placing music second only to Scripture perfectly captures his lifelong conviction that theology and melody belonged together.
The era
In early-modern Europe, the 1517 Reformation was overturning a millennium of Catholic worship where sacred music belonged to trained clergy singing Latin plainchant. Luther's German vernacular Bible (1534) and hymnals democratized faith just as Gutenberg's press spread printed music. Courts, churches, and households were embracing polyphony, the lute, and congregational singing. Declaring music a supreme treasure validated this cultural shift and armed ordinary believers with song as a weapon of piety and protest.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].