The article examines illustrations in catechetical works of Martin Luther (the Large and Small Catechisms, the Prayer Book, and the Passional) of the 16^th century. The authors analyzed 30 editions (20 editions of the Large and Small Catechisms and 10 editions of prayer books, excluding copies and identical reprints) from the collections of the National Library of Russia, the Bavarian State Library and the Duke Augustus Library. The illustrations for the catechisms were created in collaboration of the Wittenberg theologians, Melanchthon and Luther, with various artists and engravers. However, their approach to illustrations was quite different. Luther rather relied on the medieval tradition, striving only for the true Christian meanings generated by the images. Illustrations in the prayer book and the Passional as well as short titles in the Large and Short Catechism could be used both for meditation and narration. In his turn, Melanchthon developed innovative principles of interaction between text and image: moving through the visual range from general catechetical instructions to specific biblical examples. Such conception was conceived primarily for teaching. However, both types were combined in quite eclectic first editions of the Large and Small Catechisms. Illustrations were too random, some prints were doubled. Errors, however, wandered from publication to publication and even multiplied. However, in separate editions of the 16^th century catechism, they tried to overcome these shortcomings. Duplicate images are replaced in the Augsburg, Leipzig, Magdeburg and Frankfurt editions. In addition, theologian Johann Spangeberg tried to expand the visual range of the catechism, enriching it with illustrations for the Creed section, based on the images of the Passional. Besides, there some editions of the second prayer book with illustrations in the catechetical part. There synthetic editions testify that images of catechetical texts were joint in the minds of contemporaries and formed so called «confessional imagination».