Abstract:
Martin Luther lectured moral philosophy in Wittenberg. He was therefore a well-trained
philosopher in the tradition of Willem Ockham. Throughout his academic career, he respected
the important contribution of philosophy to life. Without philosophy, the world cannot
function properly! He, however, rejected the idea that Aristotelian philosophy should be the
guiding principle of theology. A philosophy that concentrates on what man could and should
do, cannot be the cradle of the New Testament notion of justification without works. The
God of the New Testament could therefore not be discovered by philosophical reflexion, but
should rather be discovered by the preaching of the gospel. Theology, for Luther, is ‘science of
conflict’ – it is in conflict with human logic and science. Theology offers a truth that is not
scientifically intelligible. This truth is a matter for faith and not reason. By saying this, the
importance of human reasoning is not denied.
