Video of the lecture ‘How clear is the Bible? Authority and argument in the Reformation dispute over truth’ by historian Volker Leppin

Historian Volker Leppin spoke at the Cluster of Excellence about the illusion of the Bible’s unambiguity and the resulting Reformation conflicts in the 16th century. In his evening lecture ‘How clear is the Bible? Authority and argument in the Reformation dispute over truth’, he discussed the tension between the claim to infallible authority and the necessity of interpreting the Bible.

Volker Leppin has been Professor of Historical Theology at Yale University since 2021. His research focuses on the Middle Ages and the Reformation period, in particular on the person and theology of Martin Luther, about whom he published a biography in 2006. Leppin argues that the Reformation should not be understood as a sharp break, but rather as a development rooted in medieval thought.