Martin Luther Without the King Jr. Submitted By: Lyndsay Daniels Submitted To: Mr.Melnyk Due Date: Monday, February 20, 2006 Course Code: CHY 4U1 Pages Attached: 5 1
Martin Luther, born on November 10 th of 1483, was the most important historical figure when looking at the Reformation. His father wanted him to become a lawyer to help support the family financially. Luther enrolled at the University of Erfurt in 1501, but then dropped out and joined a monastery in 1505. He decided to become a monk, after a frightful storm, in order to come to peace with God and to gain a better understanding / knowledge of God s will. In 1512 Luther was a professor of Biblical theology at Wittenberg University where he studied / analyzed scriptures. As a result of the Reformation, Martin Luther allowed for the rise of many different faiths, which offered a starting point for the church as scripture was to be interpreted by the people / congregation, not only the pope and priests. Through Martin Luther s thought and beliefs he made a major influence on the change of culture, politics, and the Church. In any society, citizens are obligated to play / fulfill a certain role. With regards to the Church (Catholic) the same needs apply. According to Martin Luther, though, no matter where you stand in society everyone is at an equal distance away from God. Scholar Bruce Shelley says: Luther brushed aside the traditional view of the church as a sacred hierarchy headed by the pope and returned to the early Christian view of a community of believers in which all believers are priests called to offer spiritual sacrifices to God 1. With this quote it shows how Martin Luther allowed for all people to be equal when it comes to worshiping God. He argued that there is really no need for the pope and priests since the insight the Christians want to know about their faith is in the Bible, which does 1 Thompson, Stephen P. The Reformation. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press Inc., 1999. 2
not require the need for priests or the pope to read it. When Luther was excommunicated, the Prince of Saxony took Luther to his castle where he translated the New Testament into German. By doing so, he would allow everyone to read the Bible. Without people having to go to Church and listen to the sermons in Greek to gain insight on Christianity, the value and the need for priests and the pope decreased which then led to the argument that priests are no closer to God/heaven than ordinary people. Through out his years he had claimed that all people who are baptized are spiritually equal in God s eyes. He then argued that monks and nuns were not considered to be at a higher level closer to God if everyone was equal. Because of the thought that the monks and nuns did not have superiority on others members of the clergy should have to abide to the same laws and taxes as ordinary, baptized people. The posting of Luther s ninety-five theses began the Reformation which led to the split of Christianity into Catholic, Protestant, and Anabaptist faiths. Along with this division of religion the politics within the kingdom were put into question. Depending on the European kingdom / power, they would decide which religion was to be taken up; also known as a battle for souls. 2 From the time when Luther posted his theses it gave the battle for souls a new motivation for people to settle in the different faith groups. If the people of one European town did not feel the same about the decision made about which faith was to be practiced they were able to explore and find a colony or land area where they could practise their religion of choice without being mistreated. In 1517, Martin Luther posted the ninety-five theses on Wittenberg s Church door he allowed people to achieve greater knowledge of the theories behind indulgences. The 2 Newman, Garfield. Legacy: The West and the World. Toronto, Ontario: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 2002. 3
Churches in the fifteenth and sixteenth century allowed people to purchase indulgences. The priests used this rhyme to allow sinners to understand how indulgences work: as soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs. 3 Indulgences were developed to be a way of releasing ones sins by giving the priest a certain sum of money. In the beginning stages of indulgences, the money which was given from the sinners was put towards a worthy cause. But in 1515, Pope Leo X allowed his archbishop Albrecht of Mainz to sell indulgences in part to raise money for the building of St.Peter s Cathedral in Rome. 4 Because of this situation Luther decided to post his ninety-five theses attacking indulgences and the true values of the Catholic Church. He thought that if you believed and had faith in God, He would forgive you and your sins would be forgotten. This was otherwise known as justification by faith which was thought up of while reading the scripture of St.Paul in Romans 1:17 and came up with his own interpretation: After I had pondered the problem for days and nights, God took pity on me and I saw the inner connection between the two phrases, The justice of God is revealed in the Gospel and The just shall live by faith. I began to understand that this justice of God is the righteousness by which the just man lives through the free gift of God, that is to say by faith. Thereupon I felt as if I had been born again and 3 Grosshans, Hans-Peter. Fount Christian Thinkers: Luther. Fullham Palace Rd, London: Fount Paperbacks, 1997. 4 Edwards, M. U. Martin Luther. World Book Multimedia Encyclopaedia (CD ROM). Available: World Book Inc. 1998 4
had entered Paradise through wide-open gates. Immediately the whole of scripture took on a new meaning for me. 5 With this he concluded that if a Christian is saved by faith, then the whole mediaeval church, with its ceremonies were really all unnecessary. Martin Luther argued that if salvation and redemption cannot be earned, then it cannot be bought or bargained for, by doing good deeds or paying for indulgences. Martin Luther is a recognized figure in history of Christianity and the world as he symbolizes the split within western Christianity between Protestants and the Roman Catholics. During Luther s time, the invention of the printing press by Guttenberg allowed for his ideas / beliefs to be spread out across the country faster. Not only did his beliefs reach the people, once he translated the Bible into German, it allowed for ordinary people to read and pray in their own time and home. As he had a large influence on the Church he wrote forty-two hymns. He made singing by the congregation a larger part in prayer, as well as helping shape the development of European music. Through out his life, Martin Luther had a major influence in changing the values of culture, politics, and the Church. 5 Thompson, Stephen P. The Reformation. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press Inc., 1999 5
Bibliography Books / Articles Coogan, Michael D. The Illustrated Guide to World Religion. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Edwards, M. U. Martin Luther. World Book Multimedia Encyclopaedia (CD ROM). Available: World Book Inc. 1998 Grosshans, Hans-Peter. Fount Christian Thinkers: Luther. Fullham Palace Rd, London: Fount Paperbacks, 1997. Luther, Elizabeth. Pioneering Spirit: Ontario Places to Worship, Then and Now. Toronto, Ontario: Eglinton St.George's United Church, 2000. Macdonald, Fiona. The Reformation. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 2003. Mullett, Michael. History Through the Sources: The Reformation. Crystal Lake, Illinois: Rigby Interactive Library, 1996. Newman, Garfield. Legacy: The West and the World. Toronto, Ontario: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 2002. Thompson, Stephen P. The Reformation. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press Inc., 1999. Watkins, Bowker. Religions. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University press, 2002. Willis, Jim. The Religion Book: Places, Prophets, Saints, and Seers. Canton, Michigan: Visible Ink Press, 2004. Websites Bates, Laurence. Martin Luther: 1483-1546. 2 Aug. 1996. 10 Feb. 2006 http://www.educ.msu.edu/homepages/laurence/reformation/luther/luther.htm. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. Martin Luther. 18 Feb. 2006. 8 Feb. 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/martin_luther. 6