I am persuaded that without knowledge of literature, pure theology cannot at all endure, just as heretofore, when letters have declined and lain prostrate, theology, too, has wretchedly fallen and lain prostrate… Certainly it is my desire that there should be as many poets and rhetoricians as possible, because I see by these studies as by no other means, people are wonderfully fitted for the grasping of sacred truths and for handling it skillfully and happily.
– Martin Luther, Letter to Eoban Hess
