NORTHWESTERN PUBLISHING HOUSE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

Transcription

1 Armin W. Schuetze NORTHWESTERN PUBLISHING HOUSE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

2 Second edition, 2005 First Edition, 1983 Cover design: Jim Jankowski Illustrations: Jim Jankowski All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise except for brief quotations in reviews, without prior permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Control Number Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI , 2005 by Northwestern Publishing House Published 2005 Printed in the United States of America ISBN-13: ISBN-10:

3 Contents Preface v 1. The Reformer Born and Educated Birth and Early Childhood Education The Monastery Bible Study 2. The Reformer Begins His Work Against Scholasticism The Ninety five Theses The Heidelberg Disputation 3. The Reformer in Conflict Cajetan Eck Worms 4. The Reformer Takes Pen in Hand To the Christian Nobility The Babylonian Captivity Freedom of a Christian 5. The Reformer Combats the Radicals Wartburg Wittenberg Eight Sermons Against the Heavenly Prophets 6. The Reformer Builds a Church Liturgical Reform Music and Hymns Church Visitation The Catechisms iii

4 7. The Reformer Translates the Bible September Testament The Old Testament On Translating Use of the Bible 8. The Reformer as Confessor The Confession of 1528 Marburg Augsburg Smalcald Articles Endnotes iv

5 Preface Martin Luther: Reformer is not intended to be a biography of Luther, although it contains biographical material. The purpose of this book is to show how Luther became the Reformer and functioned as such. We want to learn to appreciate how much this man of God of the 16th century gave to Christianity in general and to the Lutheran church in particular. He was God s man doing God s work in God s time. The reader will soon become aware of the numerous quotations from Luther, including some of greater length, that are used in the narrative. The frequent use of Luther s own words is by design, to let Luther speak for himself. Even in translation his vigorous, down-to-earth, clear language and the variety of his illustrations communicate his thoughts in a way that is uniquely Luther. They help the reader gain a valid picture of the man and his gifts. Perhaps one or the other reader will want to dip into complete writings from which only snatches here and there could be quoted. The 54-volume edition of Luther s Works provides a wide selection for the English reader. The chronologies at the end of each chapter help to keep the events in each in a proper time frame in Luther s life. Armin W. Schuetze v

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7 Chapter One The Reformer Born and Educated Did Luther just happen? Was it pure coincidence that Luther was the kind of man he was and lived and labored at the time he did? If not one sparrow falls to the ground without the will of the heavenly Father, then those who are worth more than many sparrows are not creatures of pure chance. The One who even counts the very hairs of your head counts each man and woman he creates, gives each person a place in life, and prepares in advance the good works each is to do. God prepared the man, the time, the works. Luther is not a historical coincidence. Birth and Early Childhood Few people are born famous. This happens only to those who are born in king s houses. The world took no special note of Martin Luther s birth on November 10, 1483, soon after 11 p.m., as his mother remembered it. The village of Eisleben didn t realize that its most renowned son had been born. The pope did not fear for his crown as Herod did at the birth of a child in Bethlehem. Hans Luther with his wife, Margarethe, had just that year moved from Thuringia to Eisleben to find employment in this mining region. The birth of a second son to this new family on Long Street was not an event to set the bells ringing in Eisleben. Though Luther gained renown, we do not know much about his childhood. He did not consider it sufficiently important to write about it. When late in life the second part of some of his works was to be published, he finally promised to write an autobiography as introduction. But his death in 1546 intervened, and Melanchthon substituted by telling what he remembered hearing from his famous friend. Some of Luther s table talks and letters contain only brief references to his childhood. The longest single account of his early years by Luther himself appears in a letter written to his friend Spalatin in 1520, and this too is short. In 1519, Luther had defended distributing communion in 1 Chapter 1: The Reformer Born and Educated

8 both kinds, a practice which had again been introduced in Bohemia a century earlier by the Hussites, the followers of John Hus, the condemned heretic. Luther was accused of being a Bohemian, not only in doctrine but also by birth. His opponents tried to discredit him with slanderous rumors about his origin, involving also his mother. Compelled to defend himself, he wrote: I was born, by the way, at Eisleben, and baptized there in St. Peter s church. I do not remember this, but I believe my parents and the folks at home. My parents moved there from a place near Eisenach. Nearly all my kinsfolk are at Eisenach, and I am known there and recognized by them even today, since I went to school there for four years, and there is no other town in which I am better known. I hope the people there would not have been so stupid that any one of them would call the son of Hans Luther his nephew, another his uncle, another his cousin (I have many of them there), had they known that my father and my mother were Bohemians or other people, rather than those born in their midst. The rest of my life I spent in school and in the monastery at Erfurt until I came to Wittenberg. I was also in Magdeburg for one year at the age of fourteen. Now you know my life and family. I would prefer, however, to be silent about my background, just as Christ was silent when accused before Herod and Annas. 1 The place near Eisenach from which Luther s parents moved was Moehra, 12 miles to the south. His father, being the oldest son, could not inherit the ancestral farm. Custom of the day made the youngest son the heir. Hans had to seek his fortune elsewhere, and the copper mines in the Eisleben region were his choice. Within a year the Luther family moved to nearby Mansfeld, a fact Luther did not see fit to mention. Those were hard and difficult years for his parents. Later Luther reminisced: In his youth my father was a poor miner. My mother carried all her wood home on her back. It was in this way that they brought us up. 2 However, the father was soon recognized as a hardworking man and a good steward of his limited resources. By 1491 he was chosen as one of four men responsible for looking after 2 Martin Luther: Reformer

9 the community s interests in the city council. In the same year he became a shareholder in a mining association and a partner in leasing a foundry. Eventually he had six mineshafts and two foundries. He worked hard but successfully to get from poverty to at least moderate financial security. Hans and Margarethe Luther did not believe in sparing the rod and spoiling the child. In 1537 Luther told his table companions, My parents kept me under strict discipline, even to the point of making me timid. 3 Two incidents impressed themselves on his memory, perhaps because of their severity or uniqueness. Once his mother, for the sake of a mere nut, beat him until the blood flowed; another time his father beat him so hard that he fled from him and harbored a grudge until his father finally won him back. It would be wrong to conclude from these incidents that Luther was an abused child. On the contrary, a strong bond of love prevailed between him and his parents. In commenting on these incidents, Luther expressed some thoughts on discipline. If only cherries, apples, and the like are involved, he said, such childish pranks ought not to be punished so severely; but if money, clothing, or coffers have been seized it is time to punish. Furthermore, one must punish in such a way that the rod is accompanied by the apple. 4 In his parental home Luther experienced pious Roman Catholic life and practice. On the day after his birth, father Hans carried his infant son to the tower room of St. Peter s church for baptism. In his fears and anxieties, Martin learned to pray to the saints, to Mary, and to St. Anne, the patron saint of miners. Melanchthon describes Margarethe as a model to other women in virtues, especially in good manners, the fear of God, and in diligent prayer. 5 But father Luther was not impressed by monasticism and, in fact, opposed holy orders for his son as the height of piety. Serving the church did not have priority over obeying the will of God. Once when Hans was seriously ill, the priest admonished him to leave something in his will to the clergy. The answer was that his large family would need it more than the clergy. Nevertheless, he gave a gift of twenty gulden to the monastery when his son was ordained a priest. 3 Chapter 1: The Reformer Born and Educated

10 Education Luther s formal education began at the Latin school in Mansfeld when he was four years old. Eight years later his father sent him to a school in Magdeburg conducted by the Brethren of the Common Life. This school was widely known to surpass many others, and Hans wanted something better for his gifted son than Mansfeld could offer. Within a year, in 1497, young Martin was sent to Eisenach where he completed his pre-university training during the next four years. Here at Eisenach Luther found the kind of teachers and school that helped him progress rapidly and master his subjects. He found also further stimulation through contacts with several families in town, the Cottas and the Schalbes, living with the former and eating his meals with the latter. These accommodations seem to have been the result of his having sung before the house as a beggar pupil, and because a distinguished lady liked his singing and devout praying in the churches. 6 These homes gave this young student of superior ability opportunity to meet and listen to people whose conversation was stimulating. Among such people was the Vicar of St. Mary s, who was in charge of the Franciscan monastery at the foot of the nearby Wartburg. In 1530, writing in the seclusion of the Coburg castle, Luther remembered Eisenach, where he had studied four years, as his beloved city. Melanchthon, calling to mind how Luther praised a professor at Eisenach who excelled in teaching grammar, reported: Here he rounded out his Latin studies; and since he had a penetrating mind and rich gifts of expression; he soon outstripped his companions in eloquence, languages, and poetic verse. Unfortunately the schools he attended did not lead young Luther to Jesus Christ as his loving and merciful Savior. Later, in a lecture on the words of Galatians 2:20, that the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me, Luther mentioned how hard it was for him to learn that Christ is not a lawgiver but the dispenser of grace. I was imbued from boyhood, he said, so that even at the mention of the name of Christ I would be terrified and grow pale, because I was persuaded that He was a judge. 7 Luther knew from experience the anguish of sin 4 Martin Luther: Reformer

11 apart from the forgiveness of Christ. The schools he attended failed him at a crucial point. The records of the University of Erfurt contain this entry in the spring of 1501: Martinus Ludher ex Mansfelt. This entry, marking his matriculation, was the beginning of Luther s four years at the university. By this time the fortunes of the senior Luther had progressed to the point that my dear father lovingly and faithfully kept me at the University of Erfurt, by his sweat and labor helping me to get where I am, as Luther wrote in The choice of Erfurt University was a good one. It was one of the best, if not the best, in Germany. Capable professors attracted students from all parts of Germany for an enrollment of perhaps two thousand. The saying went: Whoever wants a good education must go to Erfurt. Whoever entered the university first pursued a liberal arts course before entering on any specialized study in medicine, law, or theology. Within a year and a half Luther had completed the work for the bachelor of arts degree, and by February of 1505 he received the master of arts, second in a class of 17. This meant that he had studied logic and dialectic, gained some skill in rhetoric, listened to numerous lectures on works of Aristotle, read numerous Latin classical authors, heard and participated in disputations to sharpen his debating skills, and learned how to make subtle distinctions according to the methods of medieval scholasticism. He was now qualified to teach in a school of liberal arts. Life for a student at Erfurt was carefully regulated. Luther lived in a dormitory called the Georgenburse where all activities, including his religious life, were closely supervised. Times for chapel and prayer were routine, and Erfurt had many religious institutions, numerous monasteries, and churches. Yet Luther commented that at his time in Erfurt not one truly Christian sermon or lecture was heard. Looking back on the education Luther received, one is impressed with the extent of it and its quality. It was as good as any that was available. His alert and wise father recognized Martin s natural gifts. He spared no effort in sending Martin to the best schools, giving him increasing financial support as his resources improved. The result was a man with a quick, logical mind, never at a loss for words when speaking 5 Chapter 1: The Reformer Born and Educated

12 or writing. Already of the Eisenach student, Melanchthon could write, He easily surpassed the other youths who were studying with him in the expressiveness and richness of his language, not only in speaking but also in writing both prose and poetry. 9 A friend from the Erfurt days wrote Luther in 1520: Within our circle of friends in those days we knew you as a musician and a well-informed philosopher. Luther s education was going to serve him well. The plan of Luther s father was that his gifted son should now continue his studies at Erfurt toward a degree in law. Such a degree would open up favorable opportunities for employment so that Martin could become the support of his parents in their old age. In May 1505, Luther began his legal studies. They were, however, soon terminated, and his life took a completely different direction. The Monastery A bolt of lightning and a vow changed the course of Luther s life. On July 2, he was returning from a visit at Mansfeld when lightning nearly struck him at Stotternheim not far from Erfurt. Terrified, he called on the patron saint of miners for help and made a vow on the spot, Help me, Saint Anne, I will become a monk. Afterward I regretted the vow and many advised me against it. But I stuck by it, he reminisced in later years. Once the vow was made he wouldn t break it, even though his father was completely against it. My father almost went out of his mind, Luther said. He reminded Martin of the Fourth Commandment. But within two weeks the monastery doors closed behind Luther. Today you see me for the last time, he told his friends. Was this simply a sudden, spur-of-the-moment action on the part of Luther? This hardly seems likely. Luther had a sensitive conscience. His sin and the wrath of God against sin were very real to him. He had been told that the monk s vow would clean him even as his baptism had done. Where else but to the monastery should he turn when lightning struck? He chose the Augustinian order, the strictest order in Erfurt. Why did Luther take the monk s vow? He himself reported: I did not take the vow for the sake of my belly but my salvation. This is 6 Martin Luther: Reformer

13 what he could write: I was a devout monk and observed the rules of my order so rigidly that I can say: If a monk ever got to heaven through monkery, then I too should have made it. He tells us that he almost killed himself with vigils, praying, reading, and other labors. 10 His efforts did not bring the promised peace. When he took the monk s vow, he did not feel as innocent as a newly baptized child. Try as he might, his life was not perfect, nor did he succeed in loving God perfectly. He would go to confession, only to remember further sins that needed confessing if he was to make the necessary satisfactions. God remained the stern judge who would condemn him. It was only the kindly John Staupitz, the head of his order, who provided some help by directing him to Christ and to his wounds. Luther never forgot all Staupitz had done for him. Even long after Staupitz had left Wittenberg and was avoiding his former protégé, Luther wrote to him, It would not be right for me to forget you or to be ungrateful to you, for it was through you that the light of the Gospel first began to shine out of the darkness into my heart. 11 The superiors in his order soon recognized the gifts of their young brother. Within two years he was ordained a priest. In the fall of 1508, he was transferred to Wittenberg to teach philosophy at the university, founded only six years earlier. Returning to Erfurt in 1509, he lectured on portions of the Bible. Over the winter of 1510 to 1511, he was sent to Rome with another Augustinian brother on important business of the order. Falling to the ground as he first saw the city, he called out, Greetings, holy Rome, holy indeed, because of the blood of the martyrs flowing in her. What an opportunity this presented to him! Going from church to church, he read mass upon mass. If only his father and mother were already dead, he would gladly have rescued them from purgatory with his masses and other excellent works and prayers! Much of what he saw, however, shocked Luther. As he thought back to his visit in Rome, he told his friends: I would not trade my visit to Rome for a hundred thousand gulden, even though its shameful wickedness is so great I still cannot fully comprehend it.... No one can imagine the knavery, the horrible sinfulness and debauchery that are rampant in Rome. 12 He left Rome still a loyal son of the church, but he never forgot what he had seen. 7 Chapter 1: The Reformer Born and Educated

14 In late summer of 1511, Luther was back at Wittenberg. Luther s interest in biblical studies there did not escape the prior of his order, John Staupitz. Although he did not follow Luther later in the Reformation, Staupitz gave direction to Luther s life while a monk. Sitting with Luther under a pear tree in the monastery courtyard, Staupitz said to his young friend, Master Martin, you should earn your doctorate, for you will have some real work to do. Luther objected. He felt any more work would soon end his life. Staupitz, however, persisted. He made the arrangements with the elector, Frederick the Wise of Saxony, the patron of the university, to pay the fees so that Luther might become a doctor of theology. In return Luther had to promise to lecture on the Bible at the University of Wittenberg for the remaining years of his life. About this Luther wrote: I was compelled to become a Doctor, not on my own initiative, but out of pure obedience. Then I had to accept the office of Doctor and swear an oath to my most beloved Holy Scriptures that I would preach and teach them faithfully and purely. 13 He kept this oath and lectured on the Bible at the University of Wittenberg until his death in Bible Study In the late Middle Ages, the Bible was both a much studied and a much neglected book. Students at the university, working toward a degree in theology, spent several years listening to lectures on the Bible. But the average parish priest knew little of the Bible and made no use of it. And the laypeople hardly knew there was such a book. In 1538, Luther said, Thirty years ago no one read the Bible. It wasn t mentioned and could not be understood. 14 When he was 20 years old, he pointed out, he had not as yet seen a Bible and thought that there was nothing beyond the gospels and epistles that were read on Sundays. In the university library at Erfurt, he found a Bible and began to read about Samuel s mother. He was intrigued by the account, but the bell called him to classes. How fortunate he would consider himself if he ever owned such a book! He wanted to read all of it but did not have the opportunity as a university student. The opportunity came as a monk. When he entered the monastery, he disposed of most of the books he had acquired as a student. The 8 Martin Luther: Reformer

15 monks, however, gave him a red leather-bound Bible. This became his favorite reading, and soon he knew what was on every page and could refer to any passage from memory. Luther s first teaching duties at Wittenberg were in the field of philosophy, expounding some of the writings of Aristotle. About this, Luther at the time wrote to a friend at Eisenach, Thank God, all is well with me, except for the studies that have been forced on me, particularly philosophy. I would have preferred from the start to have exchanged it for theology. 15 When Luther at the insistence of his prior, Dr. Staupitz, became a doctor of theology, his duties at Wittenberg were to lecture on the Scriptures. In the fall of 1512, he began with Genesis, a year later turning to the Psalms. Between 1515 and 1518, he lectured on the New Testament, devoting these years to Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. Contrary to what one might expect, it was in the monastery that Luther began reading the Bible in earnest. It was his monastic superior who recognized his special gifts and brought him to the University of Wittenberg, talked him into becoming a doctor of theology, and pledged him to devote his life to studying and expounding the Bible. God works in a mysterious way his wonders to perform! 9 Chapter 1: The Reformer Born and Educated

16 Chronology November 10, birth of Martin Luther in Eisleben November 11, baptism at St. Peter s Church sent to school at Magdeburg attends St. George s school in Eisenach April, enrolls in the University of Erfurt September, receives bachelor s degree February, completes the master of arts degree May 20, begins study of law at Erfurt July 2, the thunderstorm and Luther s vow July 17, enters the Augustinian monastery April 4, ordained a priest October, begins lecturing at Wittenberg back at Erfurt journeys to Rome late summer, back in Wittenberg permanently October, earns doctor of theology begins lectures on Genesis August, begins lectures on Psalms April, begins lectures on Romans October, begins lectures on Galatians March, begins exposition of Hebrews 10 Martin Luther: Reformer