The Small Catechism
Der Kleine Katechismus · Martin Luther, 1529
Luther wrote this for parents, not scholars. He was appalled, visiting parishes in 1528, at how little ordinary people understood of the faith they professed. The Small Catechism is his fix: the essentials, in plain language, meant to be memorized at home.
It covers six parts: the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession, and Holy Communion. Each commandment and article gets the same treatment — the text, then Luther’s own question, repeated exactly every time: “What does this mean?”
That line opens the explanation of the First Commandment, and it is the key that unlocks the whole document. Luther is not asking for a list of rules. He is asking what you actually trust to save you — and then walking through, commandment by commandment, what changes when the answer is God rather than money, reputation, or your own effort.
Where to start
Read the Ten Commandments section first. It is the shortest and it sets up everything after it. If you only have ten minutes, read the explanation of the First Commandment and the Lord’s Prayer section.
Read alongside
The library tracks which works answer which. This is the conversation this text belongs to.
The Augsburg Confession
The same essentials, presented to an emperor a year later. Written for a different audience than the Catechism, but never in conflict with it.
Morning Prayer
The catechism was meant to be prayed, not just studied. Luther's own morning and evening prayers grew directly out of it.
Glossary
Law and Gospel, Means of Grace, Justification — the vocabulary the Catechism assumes, defined plainly.