Course: Church History (1)
Course
Title: Church
History and the Standard of the New Testament
Lesson
Ten
Lesson
Title: Life of Martin Luther
Introduction: Background
Martin Luther 1483-1546
Born: November
10, 1483 in Eiselben
Baptized: November 11, 1483 – St.Martin's day
Luther’s father: Hans Luther
Luther’s mother: Margarethe
Luther's School
Parents moved from Eiselben to Mansfeld where Hans
Luther became a prosperous entrepreneur in copper mining.
He wanted his son to be a lawyer.
Martin attended school in Mansfeld
where Latin was taught until he was fourteen.
Sent to
‘When, in my fourteenth year, I went to school at Magdeburg, I saw with my own eyes a prince of Anhalt, a brother of the Bishop of Merseburg, walk and beg for bread on Broadstreet, with the skullcap of the order of the Barefeet, carrying like a donkey on his back a sack so heavy it bent him to the ground, but his companion walked by him without a burden; this prince alone might serve as an example of the grisly, shorn holiness of the world. He had so castigated himself by going without food and sleep that he looked like the picture of death, nothing but skin and bones. And, indeed, he died soon after, for he could not long bear such a severe life. Whoever saw him could not help gasping with reverence and must needs be ashamed of his own worldly condition.’
After
From
1501 Entered the
1505 Thunderstorm
experience
Luther claimed that
during a thunderstorm, lightning nearly hit him (somewhere between Eiselben and
In terror Luther
called on St.Anne (the mother of Mary) to help him;
vowing that he would then become a monk.
Luther left law school
and entered the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt.
Luther knew entering a
monastery would infuriate his father who wanted his son to be a lawyer.
It was rather clever
that St. Anne was invoked because she was the patron saint of miners (His
father became rich through mining).
It is hard to believe
the story is true.
Luther needed an
explanation to give his father for leaving law school and joining the
monastery.
Hans Luther was
furious.
1505 Joined the
Augustinian Order in
1507 Ordained a priest
1508 Taught at
1510 Sent on a visit
to
From 1512 Became Professor
of Theology at
Between
1512 – 1517 Luther lectured
on the Psalms, Romans, Galatians and Hebrews.
1. Luther attacks the sale of indulgences.
Luther's
'Breakthrough' from the 'Autobiographical Fragment', March I545
'I began to understand that the righteousness of God is the righteousness in which a just man lives by the gift of God, in other words by faith, and that what Paul means is this: the righteousness of God, revealed in the Gospel, is passive, in other words that by which the merciful God justifies us through faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
'And now, in the same degree as I had formerly hated the word
'righteousness of God', even so did I begin to love and extol it as the
sweetest word of all; thus was this place in St. Paul to me the very gate of
paradise…. In the strengthened armour of
such thoughts I began my second interpretation of the Psalms.…'
Albrecht
Archbishopric of
Albrecht became
Archbishop of Magdeburg in 1513 when he was only 23.
Albrecht was not a
priest.
In 1514 he became
Archbishop of Mainz – an office that held one of the 7 votes to elect the
Emperor.
He needed to pay for a
papal dispensation to hold both offices.
Albrecht had to borrow
21,000 ducats from the Fugger German National Bank - Jakob Fugger (d.1525).
Pope Leo needed
finance to complete St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Albrecht was given the
right to sell indulgences.
Half
the money to go to
Johann Tetzel (1465-1519).
Albrecht employed Tetzel as he was the best
seller of indulgences.
Tetzel famously used the phrase
"As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs."
Tetzel was not allowed to sell the indulgences in
Indulgences helped to
finance the
Tetzel sold indulgences close to
Many of Luther's parishoners went across the River and bought these
indulgences.
Luther was outraged
and wrote 95 theses in Latin for debate among scholars regarding the
authenticity of indulgences.
The Castle Church at Wittenberg
As was the custom
Luther nailed his '95 Theses' to the door of the
The '95 Theses' was written
in Latin for scholarly debate.
The '95 Theses' were
translated into German and published.
Within two weeks the
Theses was being read around
The sale of
indulgences quickly diminished.
Tetzel became disgraced and retired to the Dominican
monastery in
Luther's 95
Theses (1517)
'Out of love for the
truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be
discussed at
1. Our Lord and Master
Jesus Christ, when He said repent willed that the whole life of believers
should be repentance.
2. This word cannot be
understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction,
which is administered by the priests.
3. Yet it means not
inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not
outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.
4. The penalty [of
sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the
true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of
heaven.
5. The pope does not
intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has
imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.
Elector
of
Went on pilgrimage to
By 1520 he had the
largest collection of relics in
Founded
1519 Gave his vote to
Charles V
1521 Hid Luther in
Wartburg
It is thought that he
never met Luther personally but he protected him.
1523
Elector
1525 (May 5th) the day
of his death, took communion in both kinds.
2. Luther's Three ReformingTreatises (1520)
1) Address to the Christian Nobility of the
German Nation (1520)
'…if pressed by the temporal power, they have affirmed and maintained
that the temporal power has no jurisdiction over them, but, on the contrary,
that the spiritual power is above the temporal'
Luther rejects the only the clergy have spiritual authority and upholds
the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers.
'…if it were proposed to admonish them with the scriptures, they objected
that no one may interpret the scriptures but the Pope.'
He rejects the claim that the Pope alone can interpret scripture
The Third Wall: Authority to Call a Council
'…if they are threatened with a council, they pretend that no one may call
a council but the Pope'
Luther says any believer can call a council if necessary.
2) The Babylonian Captivity of the Church
(1520)
Luther's tone is aggressive.
It is not reconciliatory.
This treatise moved Luther away from Erasmus.
Luther's understanding of the sacraments is based upon the doctrine of
'justification by faith alone'.
Luther is rejecting the Roman Catholic doctrine 'ex opere operato'
which
regards the work of the sacrament as sufficient to provide grace.
Luther reduced the seven sacraments to three.
He rejected four sacraments outright - confirmation; marriage; holy
orders; and extreme unction (last rites).
But also writes how the three valid sacraments (bread; baptism; penance)
have been abused in their application.
On the Mass
Luther rejected the Thomist doctrine of
transubstantiation.
Luther held that bread and wine remain unchanged but the real presence of
Christ is in the bread and wine.
Luther rejected the doctrine that 'the Mass is a good work and
sacrifice'.
This teaching had caused 'faith in the sacrament to be utterly lost'
and encouraged 'money getting'.
On Baptism
Luther regarded preaching as essential for faith 'to be called forth
and nourished'.
Baptism then signifies two things: death and resurrection; that is, full and complete justification. When the minister dips the child into the water, this signifies death; when he draws him out again, this signifies life.'
On Penance
Luther writes that the sins of a penitent man are forgiven on the basis
of his faith.
'When Christ says, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven" * He means to call forth faith of the penitent man, so that, on the
strength of this work of promise, he may be sure that, if he believes and is
absolved, he will be truly absolved in heaven.'
* Matthew 18:18
3) The Freedom of
the Christian (
The treatise begins with an open letter to Pope Leo X.
The two previous treatises had referred to the Pope as 'antichrist'
The letter shows Luther to be more conciliatory.
'Christian Liberty'
Luther begins this treatise with the words:
'A Christian man is the most free lord of
all, and subject to none;
A Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone….'
The treatise upholds the doctrines of 'the priesthood of all believers',
and 'justification by faith alone'.
'This is that Christian liberty, our faith, the effect of which is, not
that we should be careless or lead a bad life, but that no one should need the
law or works for justification and salvation'
Henry VIII
(1491-1546)
Henry VIII wrote a treatise 'Assertio Septem Sacramentorum' (Asserting
the seven sacraments) in which he opposed the teachings of Luther and upheld
the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church and the supremacy of the Pope.
Henry was given the title 'Defender of the Faith'
Henry kept the title after the split from
The British monarch still retains the title.
The letters FD 'Fidei Defensor' can be seen on British coins by
Burning of the
papal bull (1520)
Papal Bull (
'Exsurge Domine'
(Arise O Lord)
Luther was given 60 days to retract.
The 60 days from when Luther received the Papal Bull expired on
Exsurge Domine
Arise, O Lord, and judge your own cause. Remember your reproaches to
those who are filled with foolishness all through the day. Listen to our
prayers, for foxes have arisen seeking to destroy the vineyard whose winepress
you alone have trod. When you were about to ascend to your Father, you
committed the care, rule, and administration of the vineyard, an image of the
triumphant church, to Peter, as the head and your vicar and his successors.
The wild boar from the forest seeks to destroy it and every wild beast
feeds upon it. Rise, Peter, and fulfill this pastoral office divinely entrusted
to you as mentioned above. Give heed to the cause of the holy Roman Church,
mother of all churches and teacher of the faith, whom you by the order of God,
have consecrated by your blood.
Burning
of the Papal Bull -
Bonfire at
Luther publicly burnt the bull at
1) Canon
law – law under which he was judged. Decretals.
Attack against ecclesiastical authority
2) Summary of theology.
Theologia Summa – Aquinas.
Attack against the teachings of the Scholastics
3) Luther
takes the Papal Bull from his cowl and throws it on the flames.
Attack
against the authority of
Luther was excommunicated by the Papal Bull 'Decet
Romanum Pontificem' on
3. Luther leads the Reformation
Luther
at the Diet of
Upheld the final authority of scripture alone.
(Sola scriptura)
Luther
at the Wartberg (1521- 1522).
He lived as a knight (Junker George).
Luther translated the New Testament into German during the months he was
in the Wartberg.
Very aware of the devil attacking him.
It is said he threw an inkwell at him.
Luther’s
German Bible
Translated New Testament in the Wartburg Castle (1521-1522)
Used Erasmus's 2nd edition Greek
New Testament (1519).
Faith alone
Luther translated Romans 3:28 by adding the word 'alone'.
Luther claimed that the Greek context requires
alone to be added.
‘So halten wir nun dafür, daß der
Mensch gerecht werde ohne des Gesetzes Werke, allein durch den Glauben.’
(Thus, we believe that now man is justified without the works of the law, through faith alone.
Pastoral Duties
Luther was diligent to fulfil his pastoral duties
teaching the ordinary people
Luther regarded his Children's Catechism as one of the most important
works he had written.
The Hymns of Luther
Luther was a gifted musician and singer - played the flute and the lute
There are 36 hymns written by Luther.
23 of these hymns were written between 1523- 1524 and were published in
Johann Walther’s Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn. Luther wrote the Foreword.
Luther also translated Latin hymns, and edited German folk hymns (Leise)
Luther was very familiar with the Psalms and his first hymns were
paraphrases of the Psalms.
Luther's used the tunes of ballads and sacred songs and put his words to
them.
He also introduced the use of instruments in worship.
Luther best known hymn is 'A Mighty Fortress is our God' probably written
at the time of the Protest at
Luther's First Hymn
Luther wrote his first hymn 'Flung to the Heedless Winds' to commemorate
the martyrdom of Heinrich Voes and Johann Esch, two Augustinian monks, who were tried in Antwerp and
burnt at the stake on June 30, 1523.
The last verse says:
'Let men heap
falsehoods all around
Their sure defeat is spawning
We thank our God the word is found
We stand in its bright dawning.
Summer is even at our door,
The winter now hath vanished,
The tender flowerets spring once more,
And He, who winter banished,
Will send a happy Summer.'
Luther marries
Catherine von Bora (
They had six children.
Students from the University stayed in their home. It was from this that Luther's Table Talk
developed.
The students would write the thing they heard Luther say at the table.
Some things are funny, some words are unguarded, but Luther can be heard
speaking in a very relaxed environment.
Luther's Table Talk should be read in this context
Diet of Speyer
Imperial Diet
1526
Elector of Saxony travelled with 700 guests and 400 horses.
Opened June 25, 1526.
Diet sat for two months – made no firm affirmation of faith.
But it rescinded the edict of Worms 1521 and allowed religious freedom to
each estate.
Imperial Diet
1529
In 1529 the Imperial Diet met again Speyer and on April 19 the 1526 edict
was rescinded.
It reaffirmed the Edict of Worms with an Imperial ban on Luther and his
followers.
A letter of protest was made by the princes.
The letter was rejected at Speyer but was then delivered to Emperor
Charles V.
The protest against the 1529 edict of Speyer gave the name Protestant to
those who supported the cause of Luther.
Torgau Articles.
In 1530 Emperor Charles V called for the German Diet to meet at
Elector John of Saxony met with Luther, Melanchthon
and others in Torgau.
A summary of faith known as the 'Torgau
Articles' were made to present to the Emperor at
Veste Coburg
Luther did not go to
Luther used his time to continue his translation of the Bible into
German.
Augsburg Confession 1530
Melanchthon continued working on the confession of faith.
May 11, he sent a completed draft to Luther at
Luther accepted it.
The Lutheran princes at Augsburg gave their approval to the Confession of
Faith which was read publicly on June 25, 1530.
The determination of the Lutheran princes won a great victory for the advance of Protestantism.
4. Martin Luther and the Jews
Anti- Semitism in
Jews regarded as the murderers of the Christ
Inbred in character
to destroy Christ in the
1.
Dispute concerning the Hebrew scriptures: Pfefferkorn and Reuchlin
2.
Luther's writings 'Jesus Christ was born a Jew' (1523)
3.
Luther's writings 'Against the Jews and their Lies' (1543)
Johannes Reuchlin (1455 – 1522)
Advocated Hebrew studies
Johannes Pfefferkorn
(1469 – 1521) way to convert Jews destroy their books.
Dominicans of Cologne agreed
Received authority of
Emperor to confiscate Jewish books.
Pfefferkorn asked for Reuchlin's help.
Reuchlin opposed it.
He recommended Hebrew books be studied at
University for next 10 years.
Reuchlin won.
Melanchthon was the grandson of Reuchlin's sister.
He had been very close to Reuchlin and developed a great ability in language studies.
1516 hearing in
Reuchlin won.
Luther congratulated Reuchlin on his victory.
By 1521 Luther regarded as leader upholding the banner of truth and
reason over superstition and ignorance.
Luther was depicted in a cartoon standing on the side of Reuchlin.
1523 Jesus Christ was born a Jew
Luther attacks antisemitism
Jews
blood relations of Christ.
Jews prevented from receiving Jesus as Messiah through deformed Christianity portrayed by Pope
and Roman Catholic Church.
Reformation brought new purity to Church
Luther expected Jews to accept Jesus as Messiah.
1543 Against the
Jews and their Lies
Twenty years after writing in favour of the
Jews, Luther wrote against the Jews.
Luther was angered by the Jews because they were unwilling even to
consider that Jesus is the promised Messiah in the light of scripture.
His theological argument in his 1543 treatise is reasonable but he wrote in anger against the Jews and in a wrong
spirit.
His 2000 word conclusion bears no connection with the theological
argument of his treatise and it should never have been published.
Luther and Erasmus - The Freedom of the Will
An essay on Luther's Bondage of the Will (1525)