This edited volume contains complementary essays on the Leipzig debate of 1519, along with a translation of theologically significant sections from the debate. The editors argue that Leipzig and its effects “were arguably more pivotal for the Protestant Reformation than the dissemination of Martin Luther's famed indulgence theses in the autumn of 1517” (1).

The articles are split into two groups. The first group focuses upon the context of the debate, aiming to show that this was a “late-medieval debate carried out by late-medieval theologians on the basis of late-medieval theological categories and sources within the late-medieval church” (5). These essays highlight the important role of Karlstadt in the written exchanges that preceded the debate, along with his contributions to the debate itself. Differences between jurists and theologians of the late medieval period are highlighted for their role in defining the terms of ecclesial authority.

The second half of the volume displays the effects that Leipzig had on the ensuing Protestant Reformations. A majority of the essays in the second section take Luther's handling of issues regarding authority as their starting point. During the debate, Luther questioned the authority of church councils and the pope while giving praise to Jan Hus. These essays display how Luther's statements were interpreted by both Protestants and Catholics in the polemic battles following Leipzig. The essays demonstrate that the Leipzig dispute laid the foundation for the ensuing debates over papal authority, conciliar authority, scriptural authority, and the theology of the Hussites (Bohemians).

This volume of essays achieves its purpose. It manifests the importance of Leipzig as a late-medieval disputation in which the protagonists argued using late-medieval categories. However, it also demonstrates that Leipzig paved the way for many of the ecclesial debates that would rage throughout the sixteenth century.