Life of Martin Luther

The Life of Martin Luther

Martin Luther lived in a period that had a wide spread desire for reformation of the

Christan Churhc and played the role in the development of Protestantism. Luther was born at

Eislebenin Saxony. Since his father was a miner, it was a great distress on him to send Martin to school and then to the University of Erfurt. That is where he earned his master’s degree at the young age of twenty-one(Erikson, 39). Although his father wished him to study law, Martin, after being terribly frightened in a thunderstorm, vowed to become a Friar. He entered the monastery of the Augustinian friars at Erfurt and was ordained a priest(Erikson, 167). He eventually earned a doctorate of theology. He grew disburbed by the growing abouve of indulgences. The cetrificate granted by the people in return for the payment of a fee to the church. It stated that the sould of a dead relative or a friend of the purchaser would have his time in purgatory reduced by many year’s or cancelled together. Also the person had to by an indulgence. This would allow them to receive their earthly penance, since no one knows that

God’s ultimate punishment will be. The Catholic Church faith now has a doctrine to back the three principles of indulgences(Neil 18) (Underwood 345). the principles of indulgences first one that God mericful, but he also just. Next, Chrust and hte saints, through their inifnite virtue, established a treasury of merits on which the church, through its special relationship with Christ and the saints, can draw. Third, the Church has the authority to grant sinners the spiritual benefits of those meirts(Underwood, 345). Luther idea spread began writing the Ninty-five Theses or arguments against indulgences. That he began posting them on the Wittenberg where he preached. He wanted the public to know that he was debating against important issue. The

Theses stated the simple folk believed that when they have bought the indulgence they have secured their salvation. They also, believed that if the money jingles in the box, souls are delievered from pungatory and all the sins will be foreign through a letter of indulgence(Neil, 21).

Luther fears that urging people to seek escape from divine punishment through indulgences would lead them away from true sorrow for their sins and into a dangerous sense of false security(Judith,21). Luther defined Protestantism as a theological issues. At first was to salvation. The Catholic called salvation as attained through faith and good works. He said that salvation by the faith.