This essay reassesses the role that historical argument played in Martin Luther's works. It demonstrates the disjuncture between the use which Luther, the Reformer, made of history, and his reservations about the discipline. Luther (1483–1546) did not hesitate to grant historical arguments an important place in justifying the rupture that the Reformation had provoked. Historical arguments were used, but also misused, in his writings; and he encouraged those who claimed to be his followers to make use of the past whenever possible. His humanist adversaries, who had up until then marginalized the discipline of history, were forced to follow in his footsteps. However, in Luther's eyes, historical arguments were part and parcel of his polemical armoury. He often deployed them, and he encouraged his contemporaries to do likewise, but he did not regard them as being of much intrinsic interest. Luther's highly original attitude towards historical argument no doubt helps explain why dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans reached an impasse and why an entente between Erasmus and Luther proved to be impossible.

中文翻译：

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没有历史的教堂？人文主义辩证法语境下的路德与历史论证

本文重新评估了历史论证在马丁·路德（Martin Luther）的作品中所扮演的角色。它表明了改革者路德（Luther）对历史的使用与他对该学科的保留之间的脱节。路德（1483-1546）毫不犹豫地将历史论据放在重要的位置，以证明宗教改革引发的破裂是正当的。历史论据在他的著作中被使用，但也被滥用。他鼓励那些自称追随者的人们尽可能利用过去。他的人道主义主义者一直到那时都将历史学科边缘化，他被迫跟随他的脚步。然而，在路德的眼中，历史论据是他抗争性武装的重要组成部分。他经常部署它们，并鼓励他的同时代人这样做，但是他并不认为它们具有内在的利益。路德对历史论证的高度原始态度无疑有助于解释为什么天主教徒与路德教会之间的对话陷入僵局，为什么伊拉斯姆斯与路德之间的契约被证明是不可能的。