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The Reformation · October 1520

The Babylonian Captivity of the Church

Martin Luther · 1483–1546

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What it is

A reduction of the seven sacraments to two or three, and an argument that the mass is a promise to be received rather than a sacrifice to be offered.

Why it lasted

The book that made reconciliation impossible. Erasmus said the breach was now irreparable, and Henry VIII wrote against it.

Where to read it

Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.

These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.

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