Luther

Religion on the Eve of the Reformation Corruption in the Catholic Church was another factor that spurred people to want reform No doubt the failure of renaissance popes to provide spiritual leadership had affected the spiritual life of all Christendom. Pluralism led in turn to absenteeism: Church Bishops ignored their duties and hired unqualified underlings. Complaints about the ignorance and ineptness of parish priests became widespread in the 15 th century

The Search for Salvation While many of the leaders of the Church were failing to meet their responsibilities, ordinary people were clamoring for meaningful religious expression and certainty od salvation. As a result, for some the salvation process became almost mechanical Veneration of Relics Prince Frederick of Saxony

Frederick of Saxony

Thomas a Kempis Other people sought certainty o salvation in the popular mystical movement known as the Modern Devotion, which downplayed religious dogma and stressed the need to follow the teachings of Jesus. Kempis, author of the Imitation of Christ, wrote that “truly, at the day of judgment we shall not be examined by what we have read, but by what we have done; not on how well we have spoken, but how religiously we lived.” Most sought this within the Church as it existed.

Thomas a Kempis

Luther’s question What must I do to be saved? The answer that Luther came to did not fit within the traditional teachings of the late medieval Church. Catholic doctrine had emphasized that both faith and good works were required for a Christian to achieve personal salvation The traditional beliefs and practices of the Church seemed unable to relieve his obsession with the Salvation question.

L Martin Luther

Penance or Confession The Sacraments were a Catholic’s chief means of receiving God’s grace; confession offered the opportunity to have ones sins forgiven. Luther spent hours confessing his sins, but he was always doubtful. Had he remembered all of his sins? Despite his efforts Luther achieved no certainty of salvation.

Luther’s answer Through his study of the Bible, especially his work on Paul’s epistle (letter) to the Romans, Luther discovered another way of viewing the problem. To Luther, humans are saved not through their good works but through faith in the promises of God, made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Salvation by faith alone. The Bible as the sole source of authority in religious affairs.

Wittenberg, Saxony

The Indulgence controversy The indulgence controversy propelled him into an open confrontation with Church officials and forced him to see the theological implications of salvation by faith alone. Pope Leo X issues indulgence to finance the building of St. Peters Basilica in Rome. John Tetzel, a Dominican monk, sold the indulgences in Germany (HRE) with the slogan “when a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs” Half of the income would go to Albert of Mainz, who had purchased (simony) the office of Archbishop of Mainz, his 3 rd Church position (pluralism/absenteeism)

Tetzel

Luther’s Response Luther was greatly distressed by the sale of indulgences, certain that people who relied on these pieces of paper to assure themselves of salvation were guaranteeing their eternal damnation instead. He issued his 95 Theses, the Theses were a stunning indictment of the abuses of the sale of indulgences. Thousands of copies of a German translation (Print press, Vern)

Leipzig Debate, July 1519 Luther’s opponent was Catholic theologian John Eck Eck forced Luther to deny the authority of Popes and Councils Luther understood now that there would be no reconciliation with the Church He wrote at the beginning of 1520: “farewell, unhappy, hopeless, blasphemous Rome! The wrath of God has come upon you, as you deserve. We have cared for Babylon and she is still not healed: let us then, leave her, that she may be the habitation of dragons, spectres and witches.”

Leipzig debate

Luther’s writings In three pamphlets published in 1520, Luther moved toward a more definite break with the Catholic Church The Address to Nobility of the German Nation A political tract written in German in which Luther called on the German Princes to overthrow the Papacy in Germany and establish a reformed German Church The Babylonian Captivity of the Church Written in Latin for theologians; attacked the sacramental system, called for the reform of monasticism and to allow priests to marry On the Freedom of a Christian Man Short treatise on the doctrine of salvation, Faith alone

Papal Bull Exsurge Domine On 10 December 1520, sixty days after Luther had received a copy of this bull, he and Melanchthon invited the local university faculty and students to assemble that morning at the Elster Gate in Wittenberg. A bonfire was lit and volumes of canon law, papal constitutions, and works of scholastic theology were burned. Luther himself tossed a copy of the bull into the flames. Having done so, Luther is reported to have said, "Because you have confounded the truth [or, the saints] of God, today the Lord confounds you. Into the fire with you!", a declaration which alludes to Psalm 21:9. Luther's act of defiance reflected deeper motives than a mere retaliatory desire to treat these representations of Catholic authority with the same regard that the papal bull had shown for his own books. By burning these works, Luther signaled his decisive break from Catholicism's traditions and institutions

The Diet of Worms 1521 The Church excommunicated Luther in January, 1521 Def: officially exclude (someone) from participation in the sacraments and services of the Christian Church. He was summonsed to appear before the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire at Worms. The Diet was presided over by the recently elected Emperor Charles V (Charles I of Spain). Luther refused to recant (deny his teachings) “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

Luther at Diet of Worms