1 Luther (2003) Participant s Guide by Rev. Ted Giese A little about the film: Luther is a film adaption of the life of Martin Luther (1483-1546 A.D.) focusing on Luther s life between 1505 and 1530. Directed by Eric Till, in co-operation with German production companies Eikon Film, NFP Teleart Berlin, NFP and Thrivent Financial, the film is shot in Germany often using historically preserved locations like The Black Cloister, an Augustinian monastery in Erfurt, where Luther took his monastic vows and presided as celebrant at the Lord s Supper for the first time. The film details Luther s move from Law Student, to Monk, to University Professor, to Reformer of the Catholic Church. The film delves into his personal struggles with justification and finding the grace of God in Scripture teachings which had been obscured over time by the encroachment of non-biblical rites, rituals, practices and doctrines within the church. Central to the film is Luther s objection to the unbiblical practice of buying and selling forgiveness in the form of indulgences and the corruption that came along with the practice. Opposition to the sale of forgiveness put Luther at odds with both the Catholic Church hierarchy and with the government of the Holy Roman Empire. When push comes to shove what will Luther do? Will he back down or stand up for what Scripture teaches? Will he be captured and killed for his upsetting of the apple cart of indulgence sales? Herein lies the drama of the film.
2 Based on a True Story: You ve likely watched many films over the years about the lives of famous or infamous historical persons. Biographical films like this can be very hard to make because the writers, producers, and director often have to squeeze a person s whole life, or a significant part of that person s life, into just two or three hours. To do this they have to cut corners, conflate historical events, and leave lots of stuff out. Take anyone s life and there will be a lot of people connected to them, friends, family, and co-workers... sometimes even enemies. Luther is no exception. The film throws a lot of people at you quickly, sometimes with little introduction. Who are all these people? What do I need to know to help keep them all straight? And how well does the film portray them? Johann von Staupitz (1460-1524 A.D.) Luther s Augustinian Father Confessor and the first dean of the faculty of Biblical theology at the University of Wittenberg in 1502. These two things are important to Staupitz relationship with Martin Luther. In the film you will meet him not as a dean in a university but as an Augustinian monk in a cloister. His pastoral heart towards Luther and his ability to recognize the talents and gifts that Luther possessed facilitated his recommendation for Luther to go to Wittenberg. Knowing his historical connection to the University of Wittenberg might help understand why Staupitz was able to make the recommendation. He was also able to direct Luther into the work at the University because Staupitz also held the office of Vicar general of the German Congregation of Augustinians. Overall the film focuses on the Father Confessor side of their relationship and Luther s transition out of the world and into the monastery and then back into the world of the University. As viewers, it might be helpful to know a little extra history around these two men. Here s an interesting detail: Luther in 1512 succeeded Staupitz as the new dean of the faculty of Biblical theology at the University of Wittenberg. Lastly, while the film shows Staupitz to be sympathetic to Luther, he never fully embraced the Reformation that Luther spearheaded. In the end, though the film doesn t show it, he distanced himself from Reformation. Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony (1463-1525 A.D.) What is an Elector? At the time of Luther there were seven Electors (the Archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne, along with the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Duke of Saxony, and the Margrave of Brandenburg) they held the right to elect a King who would then be crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Frederick III later known as Frederick the
3 Wise was the Duke of Saxony. He was favoured by the papacy to be Emperor in the 1519 election and had even received from Pope Leo X the Golden Rose of virtue on September 3 rd, 1518. In the film this Golden Rose is depicted as having been given later than 1518 as a sort of shallow bribe in the hopes that Frederick who had been protecting Luther would turn Luther over to Rome. The way the film incorporates this Golden Rose is dramatic but inaccurate. It is true that Frederick was loved by the papacy before the Reformation began to unfold. He was the founder of the University of Wittenberg and he maintained a massive repository of relics which in 1518 listed 17,443 items. Among the objects were items claiming to be everything from a twig from Moses burning bush, to hay from the holy manger in Bethlehem, to milk from the Virgin Mary. It was claimed at the height of the collection s popularity that veneration of these relics could gain indulgences reducing a person s time in purgatory by 1,902,202 years. Frederick was deeply connected to the whole economy of indulgence sales and relic veneration. As a result he could just as easily been one of Luther s biggest antagonists. Instead, by the grace of God, Frederick was his protector. Even though they often lived in the same city of Wittenberg there is little evidence that they met privately in person. Watch for how the film deals with this last point. Will they meet? If so what might that meeting be like? Historically it is interesting to consider that, like Staupitz, Frederick while protective of Luther never officially became a Lutheran. He died a Catholic five years before the presentation of the Augsburg Confession. Georg Spalatin (1484-1545 A.D.) In 1512 this lawyer/priest became the court chaplain and secretary to Elector Frederick the Wise. One note, while the film correctly shows a close relationship between Spalatin and Luther the film incorrectly says that they knew each other originally from studying law together. While they both attended the University of Erfurt they didn t attend any classes together. Spalatin finished his bachelor s degree there in 1499 and Luther attended between 1501 and 1505. Spalatin did return to the University of Erfurt in 1505 to study Law, but by then Luther had already entered the Black Cloister (the closed Augustinian cloister in Erfurt). Spalatin did however regularly accompany Frederick and did as the Elector s secretary act as a liaison between Frederick and Luther both in person and in letters. The film spends a considerable amount of time on Spalatin
4 and his Roman Catholic counterpart Girolamo Aleandro as medieval men working for the powerful political movers and shakers of the day. Dr. Andreas Karlstadt (1486-1541 A.D.) was the chancellor of Wittenberg University and chair of the theology department. The film provides him with a character arc moving from bored and complacent academic to fervent supporter of Luther only to overstep his place in the Reformation because of his unhealthy zeal for overturning the traditions of the historic church. Karlstadt s overzealousness is portrayed correctly. That said, his reforms in Luther s absences while radical were not so violent as shown on film. Karlstadt also did not forfeit his title of professor until after Luther's return from the Wartburg Castle. Historically Luther had written an interesting critique of Karlstadt comparing and contrasting himself with Karlstadt in this way, [I] approach the task of destroying images by first tearing them out of the heart through God s Word and making them worthless and despised. This indeed took place before Dr. Karlstadt ever dreamed of destroying images. For when they are no longer in the heart, they can do no harm when seen with the eyes. But Dr. Karlstadt, who pays no attention to matters of the heart, has reversed the order by removing them from the sight and leaving them in the heart. For he does not preach faith, nor can he preach it; unfortunately, only now do I see that. Which of these two forms destroy images best; I will let each man judge for himself. (LW 40:84) Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560 A.D.) was a Humanist Scholar and a fellow professor at the University of Wittenberg with Karlstadt and Luther. Melanchthon shows up rather late in the film. You ll know it s him because suddenly about midway through the film a very concerned bewildered and strange looking man emerges from the background. He will feature more prominently later in the film as the Reformers make the case for their faith before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The film doesn t spend much time on Melanchthon but he is a very important part of the Wittenberg University community. As the writer and primary author of the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, as well as the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope he holds a very special place in Reformation history. His contributions to the Reformation stem from his mastery of the Ancient Greek language used in the New Testament which was a result of
5 his Humanist studies. Humanism was interested in the ancient world regarding philosophy, ethics, the arts and theology. They studied both Scriptural and pagan original texts in their original languages. Wary of ancient philosophers like Aristotle, Melanchthon focused much more on Scripture and the early church fathers like Saint Augustine. This isn t very obvious in the film but should this film spark your interest you can rest assured that you will find Melanchthon to be an interesting individual to study more about. Johann Tetzel (1465-1519 A.D.) a German born Dominican Friar and zealous seller of Roman Catholic indulgences. Known for his preaching that when a coin in the coffer rings a soul from Purgatory springs. Indulgences were issued by the church as evidence of the remittance of punishment for and the forgiveness of sin. In 1517, Tetzel became the commissioner of indulgences for Archbishop Albrecht von Brandenburg (1490-1545 A.D.) in the dioceses of Magdeburg and Halberstadt. Albrecht of Brandenburg, one of the seven electors, who later became a Cardinal in 1518, is mentioned in the film but doesn t show up as a character in the film. The selling of indulgences was an effort to get him out of debt. Albrecht who in 1513 was already Archbishop of Magdeburg had borrowed money from Jakob Fugger in order to purchase the bishopric of Mainz. It s rather shocking to imagine the buying and selling of offices in the Church but this corruption was one of the tributaries that run into the river of the buying and selling forgiveness. The film makes Tetzel into a rather obvious villain. In real life he may not have come across as such. He was a faithful follower of a system that had become corrupt and his faithfulness to the Catholic Church hierarchy and his personal belief that what he was doing was good right and salutary put him at odds with Luther who did not condone the buying and selling of indulgences. Luther even believed Tetzel might be operating outside the supervision and authority of Roman Catholic Church hierarchy. Once exposed, Luther believed that Tetzel and his profiteering would go away from Germany. Prior to his work of selling indulgences in Germany, Tetzel was a Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition in Poland charged with the task of judging heresy. Within two years of Luther posting his 95 Thesis criticizing Tetzel s practice of buying and selling forgiveness, Tetzel died shunned and discredited in a Dominican monastery in Leipzig. In the film Tetzel simply fades out of the story. Pope Leo X (1475-1521 A.D.) Pope (1513-1521 A.D.). Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici took the name Leo X when he was elected Pope in 1513. He came from an influential Italian family, the House of Medici, who ran the Medici Bank in the city state of
6 Florence. The Medici family s interests included finances, politics and art and architecture patronage. At the time the Roman Catholic Church stood at the intersection of these interests. It is no wonder that this famous Medici son, Pope Leo X, would end up embroiled in a public dispute with Luther over the sale of indulgences for the forgiveness of sins. Doubly so when you remember that Leo had authorized Albrecht of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of Magdeburg and Mainz, to sell those indulgences to pay back a loan to another one of the Great European banks, the Fugger Bank, which was run by the German House of Fugger. Lastly it s good to consider that coming from the rich and powerful Medici family Leo while outwardly pious was not particularly reserved. He was well known for boar hunting and stories of his corruption floated around him even though he was well liked by many Catholics of the time, especially in Italy. In the end his preoccupation with his family business and the secular politics with which the Church was entangled negatively impacted his ability to implement reforms in the Church. And while the film makes him into an obvious villain historically he was a more complex individual. Nevertheless Leo was by no means innocent or blameless in the unfolding events of the Reformation. Regardless of positive character traits absent from the film it is accurate to say that Pope Leo X was no friend to Luther. Girolamo Aleandro (1480-1542 A.D.) A Venetian scholar and humanist, studied in the Greek language, prior to being a papal delegate hot on the trail of exposing Luther as a heretic, Aleandro had been the rector of the University of Paris and in 1519 had been appointed as librarian of the Vatican. The film paints him as a shrewd antagonist of Luther s with a real zeal for Luther s downfall. This is an accurate portrayal. While in real life there may have been less hand wringing and villainous mustache twirling (Think Snidely Whiplash) he nevertheless was actively working to bring Luther down. The film ends in 1530 with the presentation of the Augsburg Confession and as a result Aleandro ends up being the victim of an historical inaccuracy. Nearer to the end of the film Aleandro is shown wearing the familiar red cassock of a Cardinal even though historically he was not elevated to that office until 1536. In fact Aleandro was only made a bishop and priest in 1528. The film does a fine job showing him as ardently devoted to the Roman Catholic Church what the film fails to show is just how accomplished he was as a scholar and man of letters.
7 Thomas Cajetan (1469-1534 A.D.) Like Johann Tetzel the Italian Cajetan was a member of the Dominican Order and like Johann von Staupitz he had held the office of Vicar general of his order but by 1517 he had been elevated to Cardinal. As with Aleandro the film makes him a Cardinal earlier than he actually became one. Aleandro calls Cajetan a cardinal in their initial meeting which in the film is depicted to have happened around 1513. Historically his cardinalship didn t predate Leo X election to Pope. In fact it was Leo X who elevated Cajetan to the office and in 1518 Cajetan was sent by Leo X as Apostolic legate to Germany. He was sent primarily to confer special authorities to Albrecht of Brandenburg following Albrecht s purchase of the bishopric of Mainz and then also to deliver a sword blessed by the pope to Charles V s predecessor Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519 A.D.) who isn t shown in the film. Eventually Cajetan as Apostolic legate to Germany ended up represent the pope interests during the election of Emperor Charles V in 1519. Along the way he was given the task of meeting with the Augustinian monk and university professor Martin Luther, a meeting the film does show. Cajetan was considered well suited for this as he had a reputation for being a reasonable man and was himself a scholar: Before being elevated to the ranks of Cardinal Cajetan had taught in various universities in Italy even debating fellow university professors on hot button theological issues of his day. As a scholar Cajetan however was not as inclined towards the works of Augustine as Luther was having lectured for many years on the theological writings of Thomas Aquinas. What does this mean? Simply put they came from two different schools of thought within the Catholic tradition and this likely contributed to their inability to find a consensus. The film presents him as perturbed and irritated by Luther. Emperor Charles V (1500-1558 A.D.) The paternal grandson of his predecessor Emperor Maximilian, the young Charles V was the last monarch to be a crowned Emperor. In the 1519 elections he defeated his fellow candidates who included such venerable men as Frederick the Wise Elector of Saxony who had turned down the position, Francis I of France (1494-1547 A.D.) his perennial adversary, and the outlier Henry VIII of England (1491-1547 A.D.). Charles V was the last emperor to receive a papal coronation (in 1530). 1530 is also the year of the diet of Augsburg. Between 1519 and 1530 Charles had more on his mind than Luther and the German monks call for reformation. In the forefront were Charles struggles against the invading Turkish armies of the Ottoman Empire backed by Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566 A.D.) which came at him through the country of Hungary pressing all the way to the gates of Vienna
8 in Austria on the East of his empire; and his struggles against the armies of Francis I of France in the west. The last thing Charles needed was unrest in the middle of his empire in the Germanic lands, the unrest created by the public reception of the teachings of the Lutheran Reformers and the financial pressures created by the collapsing indulgence market drew Charles V attention to Luther. The film makes the teaching of Luther at the diet of Worms (1521) and the presentation of the Augsburg Confession at the diet of Augsburg (1530) into the main event at these diets (legislative assemblies) when in reality they were pieces in a bigger puzzle that Charles V was attempting to master, important pieces but not the only or even the most important pieces to him. For the purposes of the film it is good to remember the relationship between Charles V and the older Frederick the Wise Elector of Saxony. Charles was particularly indebted to Frederick as Frederick leading up to Charles election served as president of the Imperial Council of Emperor Maximilian and upon Maximilian s death Frederick was the acting king in Maximilian s place until the election of a new Emperor took place. The film fails to show just how much political influence Frederick had at his disposal and just how indebted Charles was to him. Frederick had also pressured Charles V to pay back a long outstanding loan to Saxony in order to help secure Frederick s vote and endorsement with his fellow electors. Katharina von Bora (1499-1552 A.D.) In 1504 at the age of five young Katharina was sent by her father to the Benedictine cloister in Brehna for education by the age of nine she was moved to the Cistercian monastery in Nimbschen, near Grimma, to live with her maternal aunt and carry on her education. It is not insignificant to consider that a person remembers few things prior to the age of five; as a result Katharina s living memory would not have likely remembered a time outside monastic life. If it had not been for Luther she might have lived her whole life in the Cistercian monastery in Nimbschen. Ironically her education provided her the ability to read which allowed her eventually to contemplate the writings of Martin Luther and choose to leave the Cistercian order and monastic life. While the film doesn t spend very much time on Katharina s life, she is an important individual within the Reformation. Her relationship with Luther is of great historic importance and in the context of the film she is an example of the impact that Luther had on every level of society from Emperors to politicians and lawyers to Popes and all kinds of clergy, monks, nuns and people in every imaginable vocation in life. You are about to be thrown right into the story: Often films in this genre include scenes about the main character s childhood in the opening act. This film doesn t do that. While Luther s father features prominently in the
9 first part of the film, details about Luther s childhood and early life are largely absent. It seems that you as a viewer are expected to know something about the man before watching the film. So what is going on as the film begins? It s 1505 and you are introduced to Luther caught in a violent thunderstorm on his way home from the University of Erfurt, where he was attending law school, to visit his parents in Mansfeld Germany. Fearful for his life in the midst of the storm Luther prays to Saint Anne, the patron saint of miners (Luther s family was involved in mining), begging for her help. In return for getting through the storm with his life Luther promises in his prayer to leave law school and join a monastery to become a monk. Eventually his opinions about praying to saints and monastic vows and orders would go through drastic changes in light of the Gospel but as the film opens he lives under the mediaeval Roman Catholic Church s worldview and teaching which had obscured the good news taught in Scripture. After the film we ll have a chance to look at Luther and some additional details about the film. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for Your work in the life of the Church and Your illumination of the Good News of Your Son Christ Jesus life, death, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sin, the gift freely given which is not purchased with silver or gold but with His precious innocent blood that was shed in love for me and all sinners, in His name we pray. Amen.