Sentence:  But to say that at a moment in history something is new is not necessarily to say that it is modern ; and for this <WSD>statement</WSD> the best evidence comes within the five years following the publication of Utopia , when Martin Luther elaborates a new perception of the nature of the Divine 's encounter with man . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc