Context

Martin Luther's Passional Christi und Antichristi was published in 1521 in Whittenberg Germany. However, this pamphlet was not Luther's first work. By 1521 Luther had published many works that depicted his disapproval of the Catholic Church. One of his most famous works was his Ninety-Five Theses in which he explained the problems he had with the Catholic Church, especially the purchasing of indulgences. The Ninety-Five Theses was published in 1517.

The Passional Christi und Antichristi explains Luther's understanding and beliefs regarding the Catholic Church and his disapproval of the papacy. In this pamphlet, Luther claims the Pope is the Antichrist; however, Luther was not the first to connect the Pope to the Antichrist. In Medieval times, it was believed that the Antichrist was living on Earth. Antichrist was an established figure in Medieval times and the Catholic Church and was believed to be God’s opposition and would be worshiped and possibly show himself as God. This lead some individuals to believe that the Pope was the Antichrist. One reason people thought this was because the pope persecuted good Christians and they knew that the “true Christ” would never persecute good, simple Christians. Christians were advised to be aware that the Antichrist was living among them. John Wycliffe and Jan Hus believed the Pope was the Antichrist. 

Later, when Luther examines the papacy and the Antichrist, he found this previously established connection between the Pope and the Antichrist which sparked his works and teaching that the Pope was the Antichrist. Luther believed Christianity and the Catholic Church would be undermined by the Antichrist and would cause the Church to fall. Luther declared that the Antichrist would show himself in a place of God, for example, the Catholic Church, which lead him to assume or declare the Pope as the Antichrist. Furthermore, Luther believed the Pope's teachings were "antichristian" and therefore concluded that the Pope was the Antichrist. 

Martin Luther rejected the papacy which was highly controversial during the 1500s in Europe because of the importance of religion during this time. The Catholic Church was was a very large and important presence in Europe during Medieval times. Because of the controversial nature of Luther’s previous works and beliefs, he was banned by the papal for several months in 1520. Furthermore, the Catholic Church started to censor printed information because they wanted to contain the spread of information, especially information that disapproved of or spoke negatively about the Catholic Church. Luther's Passional Christi und Antichristi was not specifically banned or censored by the Catholic Church; however, works similar to his that opposed Catholic teaching and beliefs or works that negatively reflected the Catholic Church were frowned upon and censored. While Luther's works were never explicitly censored, the Catholic Church did outwardly disapprove of his works. Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther from the Church due to Luther's teachings. The papal wanted their members and supporters to disregard information that went against their beliefs or attacked their leaders, such as Luther's works. 

Furthermore, Luther's works, especially the Passional Christi und Antichristi, were considered to be propaganda. Supporters of the Catholic Church responding by writing pamphlets that countered Luther's teachings to show their support of the Pope and the Catholic Church. Because of the previous invention of the printing press, people were able to make and distribute these pamphlets. During the Reformation, the printing press and the popularity of pamphlets lead to the distribution of propaganda. Pamphlets were an easy way to quickly and effectively spread information which made it a popular method to spread propaganda during the Reformation. Luther's Passional Christi und Antichristi is in the form of a pamphlet which made it very easy for Luther to circulate his message.