Martin Luther — "The dog is the most faithful of animals and would be much esteemed were it not s…"
The dog is the most faithful of animals and would be much esteemed were it not so common. Our Lord God has made His greatest gifts the commonest.
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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.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Dogs are deeply loyal, yet we take them for granted simply because they are everywhere. The same applies to life's greatest blessings: air, water, sunlight, family, health. Rarity inflates perceived value, while abundance dulls our gratitude. The quote urges readers to notice that what is ordinary and freely available is often what matters most, and that familiarity should not be mistaken for lack of worth.
Relevance to Martin Luther
Luther, a former Augustinian monk turned reformer, constantly emphasized that salvation and grace were free gifts from God, not earned commodities. His theology of sola gratia mirrors this observation: the most precious things are given generously, not sold or rationed. Luther also loved domestic life, kept dogs at the Black Cloister in Wittenberg, and frequently drew spiritual lessons from household animals and everyday objects during his famous Table Talk gatherings.
The era
In early modern Europe, the medieval Church sold indulgences and treated grace as a scarce, priced commodity requiring priestly mediation. Luther's 1517 Ninety-Five Theses shattered that economy by insisting God's gifts flow freely to ordinary believers. Peasants, townsfolk, and dogs alike shared humble daily life amid plague, war, and poverty, making reflections on common blessings especially resonant in an age when survival itself felt precarious and undervalued.
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