On the 31st of October 1517 was the beginning of the reformation when Martin Luther Posted up his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Roman Catholic Church and published in Wittenberg, Germany. The Reformation Became the Basis for the founding of Protestantism, one of the three major branches of Christianity. Luther had far-reaching political, economic and social effects. But the main question is why Martin Luther was able to successfully challenge the church of its religious and political authority? After evaluating the main reasons why Luther had success challenging the church, it is to all appearances that the circumstances were in his favour and available to him during that time. To confirm this hypothesis, the three circumstances will be examined in order for it to be correct.
Reformation in Europe
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?
Martin Luther was a man who was alive between the late 1400’s and the mid 1500’s. He was a man who was very concerned for the welfare and progression of the Catholic Church in Europe at the time. He thought that the way things were run were not according to the Bible, and so he decided to make his opinion public. Because of this, he got a lot of bad backlash from the leaders of the Catholic Church and people in authority. Looking at the situation today, it can be firmly said and justified that Martin Luther was a hero for his work in bettering the Catholic Church.
Martin Luther was a former Priest/Monk and that saw some corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. Luther tried to bring his concerns to the Church in his writing of the “Ninety-five Theses on the Power of Indulgences.” When these question that Luther proposed to the Archbishop of Mainz went unsatisfactorily unanswered in 1517, Luther started defaming the Roman Church and pushed for the utter destruction of the Roman Church. What started out as an internal reform of Church’s discipline, turned into a war against the Roman Church for their total destruction. This was the intent of Luther’s sermon of 1521.
Martin Luther begins the Reformation by posting 95 theses
Martin Luther is viewed as of Western history’s most significant figures in his fight for equality and civil rights. Initially, Luther, born in Germany spent his early years in relative anonymity where he was a monk and also a scholar. However, it is his contribution and scholarly work in 1517 that Luther is mostly renowned for. He wrote a document that was attacking the then Catholic Church’s corrupt practice. This practice was in the form of selling different indulgences to absolve sins that the church believed was a common attribute in the society (Ziegler and Bentley 55).
The Life and Influence of Martin Luther
Thesis: Martin Luther was by far one of the most influential people in Church history. His doctrine on faith and works was instrumental in the success of the reformation and has since become a cornerstone of the church we know today.
Martin Luther was born on November 10th 1483. His father, Hans Luther, had made something out of himself and came to own a copper mine. Desiring to see his own son go even further he pushed him in school.
During the 16th Century there was a religious revolution in Christianity throughout Europe. Martin Luther, a German monk, revolted against the Church because of what he saw as hypocrisy of the Catholic clergy and authority against Biblical beliefs. This was counter acted by the Catholic Church in an internal, peaceful and reform minded Catholic Reformation and by a conflicting and fighting Counter- Reformation to stop the spread of his teachings. Martin Luther believed the Clergy’s blatant disregard of duties and rules and the selling of indulgences justified his revolt while the Catholic Church disagreed both internally reforming the Church though rules and regulations and by counteracting and fighting though enforcement to stop it.
Martin Luther, a German monk, known to many as the “Father of Reformation” did not initially or intentionally, start the Lutheran religion. However, his teachings became the cornerstone of what is known today as the Lutheran Religion. Marting Luther was born in Germany in 1483, became a monk, got ordained in 1507 then began to teach at the University of Wittenberg. Even though Martin Luther was ordained in the Catholic Church he became torn as some of the acts of the church he believed to be wrong. So began the reform.
A reformation can be described as the action or process of making changes in the social, political, or economic institution to improve it, according to the Google dictionary. Martin Luther and the “95 Theses” started a chain of events throughout Europe that would be known as the Protestant Reformation. During the 16th century, the authority and power of the Church was challenged. This led to other denominations being created such as, Lutheranism. Martin Luther and the Reformation influenced the religion in the West and the culture.
Martin Luther a German theologian and religious reformer was the founding figure of the protestant reformation, the break from the Catholic Church, which in many ways marks the beginning of modern Europe. A well-expressed preacher and huge writer, Luther attacked many abuses of the Catholic Church, especially the papacy. The source of his spiritual revelation was not political or institutional but came from his inner fight of conscience. Like other people of his day, Luther was horrified that god would in the end reject him for his sins. He found a word in the bible called “Law” which increased his terror, but he also discovered a word god called “Gospel,” the good news and promise of mercy in Christ, which shed all of his worries. By his words and actions, Luther caused an action that reformulated certain rudimentary Christian belief and the division of Western Church between Roman Catholics and the Protestant traditions. He is one of the most influential person in the history of Christianity.