Martin Luther is considered one of the most instrumental individuals in Christian history for his role in the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation that severed the powerful religious, political, and social grip the Catholic Church had upon European society (1). Luther did not set out to be a revolutionary, but simply questioned the church 's marketing of indulgences that offered the buyer or their deceased loved one absolution from the penalty of sin (2). Luther’s famous “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” or “95 Theses” argued against the sale of indulgences, but Luther also ultimately disagreed with many of the fundamental religious philosophies of the medieval Catholic Church. The religious ideas of Martin Luther differed from late medieval Catholicism on key elements of theology: spiritual authority, justification of sin, free will, and the sacraments. First of all, the Catholic Church taught that spiritual authority originated from the Pope; however Luther maintained that the word of God as recorded in the Bible was a higher power that overruled the authority of Rome (3). Luther declared: “The ungodly papists prefer the authority of the church far above God’s Word; a blasphemy abominable and not to be endured; wherewith, void of all shame and piety, they spit in God’s face” (4). Catholic priests served as …show more content…
The Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments: Confirmation, Baptism, the Eucharist, Penance, Marriage, Holy Ordination, and the Last Rites. On the other hand, Luther felt only Baptism and Holy Communion were sacraments because they were the only rituals associated with a promise from God (19). Luther believed for a ritual to rise to the level of a sacrament it must be linked to a promise from God and a sign: "A Sacrament is a human act to which a divine promise has been appended or a visible sign with an accompanying promise"
James Kittelson’s biography on the life of Luther is thought provoking and informative. Kittelson does not have a concise thesis, but as it is a biography the central theme of Luther the Reformer is an insightful narrative of Martin Luther’s life from his birth in Eisleben until his death on February 18, 1546 in Eisleben. Kittelson thoroughly and with great detail and sources explains Luther’s mission to reform the catholic church. Luther the Reformer seeks to condense Luther’s life in a manner which is more easily read for those who do not know the reformer’s story well. Luther is portrayed not only as a theologian throughout the book, but as a person with struggles and connections throughout the Germanic region in which he lived. Luther’s theology is portrayed throughout the entirety of the book, and Kittelson approaches Luther’s theology by explaining Luther’s past. The inclusion of
He was the man that formed the base of the Protestant Reformation. Luther knew he had to take action on this convictions immediately. So on behalf of the rebellion against indulgences and other Catholic doctrine, Luther created a “ Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” or more commonly known as “The 95 Theses.” The 95 Theses were a list of topics to discuss and propose the idea of indulgences. Or as some people would say to protest the sale of the indulgences of the Roman Catholic Church. The main seller of these indulgences was a man named John Tetzel who had promised the Christians that by paying they were “instantly” saved from sin. Legend says that on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses were nailed onto the doors of the Wittenberg Castle Church. Luther knew that this revolt was not violent, but was only intended to educate
Martin Luther is the creator of the 95 Theses which was a major document in the Reformation. The 95 Theses “protest against the sale of indulgences and clerical abuses.” Indulgences state that one can pay for the sins they committed, and also for the sins that will be committed in the future. Even though the 95 Theses rejects indulgence it states that you may be renewed through Christ and you can be baptized to do so. Luther argued that the Christians were being wronged and being tricked into thes...
When he declared Luther a heretic, any adoring Catholic saw Luther as an enemy as well. While Lutheranism spread, other denominations of Protestantism spread as well. Animosity between Catholics and Protestants continued to climb through the later 1500s. Countries began leaving the Catholic faith and converting to Protestantism. For example, England was one of the first countries dismiss Catholicism. In 1547, Henry VIII asked the Pope permission for a divorce, but was denied. So he decided that the Pope no longer had power in England. This created international chaos in Europe. Protestant countries began fighting Catholic countries. Religious sparring happened on foreign ground and at home. France experience problems between French Catholics and French Protestants, each one believing they were the dominate religion. Religious tolerance and intolerance arguments were fought within many countries. Those who wouldn’t convert to the monarchs religion of choice were
In the early 16th century, the church was the most powerful institution in Europe, even stronger than government; however, in 1517, Martin Luther, a professor in Northern Germany, posted criticisms of the church on a chapel door which would cause profound reformation of the religious system in Europe. When the dissent spread out to the world, the Catholic religion was shattered and many people of high social rank, such as king and princes, either defended or opposed Luther’s argument. Also, most people left the Catholic Church and became Protestants. What made everything turn to chaos after Luther published his thesis and what happened after this?
Luther viewed the catechism as the informational foundation for the Christian church. The catechism was a guide for the basic information needed to be a learned Christian. A person who was not intimately familiar with the catechism’s contents should not be seen as a Christian, according to Luther, nor should they be admitted to a sacrament. (This was not only Luther’s
Martin Luther was not fond of the practices the Roman Catholic church of indulgences. Indulgences are a practice where worshippers would pay their priest which granted remission for their sins (“Indulgences."). This practice became increasingly corrupt. In the 95 Theses, Luther, became prominent in the Protestant Reformation due to its humble and academic tone (A&E Television Networks, LLC.). For example, in the second theses he states, “The word cannot be properly understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, i.e. confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.” This means that only god can give salvation, not a priest. He is questioning why we must pay to re...
The church thus far, has protected itself by preventing anyone, other than the Pope, from calling a council to reform. He believes that anyone who finds a problem in the church should be able to call a council. Calling a church council is not contingent on authority, but a spiritual need. Furthermore, Luther delegates the temporal authorities to be best suited to call a council because they are fellow Christians and have power from God to exercise power. In his treatise, he says: “Moreover, they can show nothing in the Scriptures giving the Pope sole power to call and confirm councils.” he says that because we [the clergy and Pope] think that we are the only ones that have a right to call a church council, are heretical. Martin Luther is defying the doctrine of the church that our Lord and Savior has put in place.
Learning about Martine Luther’s ecclesiology was interesting. Martine Luther believed that church was the people of God, the fellowship of believers, or the communion of saints. Triglot Concordia was very confusing and hard to read, so I also read other papers about Martin Luther to help me understand Martin Luther’s ecclesiology. Because Marin Luther is an important figure in the Protestant Reformation when the church was reformed, I was very curious what his theory and doctrine of church. Even Martin Luther never wrote a paper about his ecclesiology or his theory/doctrine of church, it was interesting to see how he emphasize nature of church in different ways.
The Pagan Servitude of the Church – Composed in 1520, this work by Luther is one of his most important contributions to Christian history and theology. In the Pagan Servitude of the Church, Luther addresses critical issues that surround the seven sacraments that the Roman Catholic Church practices, but for this session, only the sacrament of the Eucharist is covered. Luther does not start gently, as he immediately contradicts the norm by advocating for the administration of both elements of the Lord’s Supper to the laity. His argument brings to light opposing comments from other theologians and leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, but Luther overcomes them all with a simple redirection to Scripture. He uses a combination of his interpretation of Scripture from the Gospels and Paul’s epistles along with logic and common sense to declare that the laity should have the right and privilege to partake in both the bread and the wine elements.
Martin Luther is shown to be a very dedicated and self-sacrificing individual, partaking in intense fasting, enduring the discouragement he faced by his family and school teachers, as well as his most memorable act of “shattering the structure of medieval Catholicism” (Bainton 21). His faith, however, was not always unshakable and he had experienced numerous battles with depression and the occasional religious crises. Though he struggled with manic depression throughout his life, his primary struggle was that he believed he could not “satisfy God at any point” (Bainton 46) which was a particular problem since the common belief of the time was that good works led to receiving God’s grace and forgiveness of sins, also known as indulgences. Personally, I find that Luther is an admirable figure considering how he was able to muster the courage to challenge everything the church and society told him was right on top of his reoccurring bouts of depression and spiritual breakdowns.
The Small Catechism of Martin Luther, written in 1529, is a basic instruction book based on Lutheranism and their doctrines. There are six main parts to the book: the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord's prayer, the sacrament of holy baptisms, how to teach uneducated people to confess and the sacrament of the Altar (communion). Each part briefly explains what the topic means and how such topic happens. For instance, in part I Luther writes:
Arguably one of the most recognizable names in Church history, Martin Luther rattled the cages of the legalistic, heretical Roman Catholic authorities, and enabled the masses to encounter God in a more direct way from that point on. The New Westminster Dictionary of Spirituality describes him as, ““An Augustinian Eremite friar and theology professor at Wittenberg, who emerged as the principal guide and spokesman of the Protestant Reformation, giving his name to the strongest wing of that movement… predominantly regarded as church leader, reformer and innovator.” Martin Luther’s life and theology have forever changed and shaped the way Christian’s view and value faith and works through his writing and hand in the reformation.
In 1517, when reformist Martin Luther wrote an indictment of the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church called the 95 Theses, he appealed to many people across Europe. In his indictment he greatly criticized and addressed the selling of indulgences above all. At first, a person would have to do “work of satisfaction” like fasting, prayer, almsgiving, retreats and pilgrimages in return for an indulgence. But when the empire was in need of money to fight off the Ottoman Empire and rebuild St. Peter’s in Rome, the pope allowed indulgences to be sold for money where he would receive half the proceeds and the other half would go to funding. This is when Luther was even more angered by the selling of indulgences since he already believed that salvation could not be obtained by man’s own effort, but more the fact that man would be saved only if God willed it. It was that event that prompted the German monk to post his ideas and beliefs as the 95 Theses and address the abuse of selling indulgences in it.
In 1517 the Roman Catholic Church started the sale of Indulgences. An indulgence was a “ticket to heaven” sold by the Catholic Church. The Church was in search of funds to continue the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome (Gritsch 9), and used the profits made from the indulgences to aid the building (Gritsch 9). The sale of these “easy routes to salvation” (Tingle 16) contradicted Luther’s deeply rooted belief, that individuals needed to secure the remission of God through repentance on their own by studying the Bible. The use of the indulgences enraged Luther. The profit form the indulgences were