1. Martin Luther Ms. Stiles

2. Background Luther was the son of a wealthy miner His father wanted him to become a lawyer Got stuck in a lightning storm & prayed to St. Anne (patron saint of distressed travelers) to save him 1511: moved into an Augustinian monastery in Wittenburg Got a doctorate in theology Began teaching at the University of Wittenberg

3. Teachings Luther was obsessed with sin  he was concerned with how to attain forgiveness & salvation 1510: He went to Rome on monastery business & was horrified by what he saw: – Religious corruption – Sales of indulgences

4. Teachings Luther’s thinking was essentially a total rejection of traditional church doctrine (also took a more pessimistic tone) He argued that “the moral virtue that God commands of humanity does not exhibit itself in good deeds or works. For if this were true, people could never know if they had done enough good works to merit salvation.”

5. Teachings Luther felt that God accepts all believers in spite of, (not because of) what they do Began to preach salvation by faith rather than through works Really, really, really hated indulgences (and John Tetzel  thought that Tetzel was taking advantage of the poor & the ignorant) – felt that the sale of indulgences went against Scripture Luther detested materialism in the Church – Felt that the rich could afford indulgences, while the poor had to sacrifice Created class division & injustice Thinking was heavily influenced by Erasmus

6. Justification by Faith Alone Reformation ideas sprouted from the inability of the Church to provide personal & intellectual satisfaction – What movement gave people a renewed interest in academics? Luther was conflicted – Felt that he was very sinful & that God demanded perfection (according to the Medieval Church) – Felt that it was impossible for him or any other human to achieve that level or perfection

7. Justification by Faith Alone “The righteousness that God demands did not result from many religious works and ceremonies, but given in full measure to those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ, who alone is the perfect righteousness to satisfy God.” – What does Luther mean with this quote? – Who is made obsolete by this way of thinking?

8. 95 Theses October 31 st 1517 Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg – This may or may not have actually happened  Luther’s ideas were already being discussed & someone else probably printed & posted them Urged church reform & simplification – Like Erasmus – Wanted to make Baptism & Eucharist the only sacraments

9. 95 Theses Luther claimed the clergy & the popes corrupted the “true” church Saw his 95 Theses as academic freedom that was open for acceptance or refutation, not as a challenge to the Pope’s authority He's got 95 Theses and the Pope ain't one

10. Church Response Luther was summoned to Rome to respond to a charge of heresy Frederick the Wise (founder of the University of Wittenburg & Luther’s boss) consulted with Erasmus about Luther’s charge “He has committed a great sin-he has hit the monks in their belly and the Pope in his crown” Frederick arranged for Luther to be tried in Augsburg, not Rome, in hopes that it would be a fairer trial Luther refused to recant (take back his works/writings) The Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation The Babylonian Captivity of the Church The Freedom of a Christian Luther argued that the German princes should put an end to Roman activity in Germany

11. Excommunication Luther was excommunicated (kicked out of the Catholic Church) on January 3, 1521 Diet at Worms (April 1521) – Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ordered Luther to recant his works – He refused again – Charles V had Luther and his followers (now known as Lutherans) outlawed & ordered his books to be burned

12. Excommunication Frederick the Wise feared for Luther’s safety – Arranged to have him kidnapped & hidden in a castle in Wartburg While in hiding, Luther used Erasmus’ Greek bible and the Latin bible to translate the bible into German The printing press helped move Luther’s vernacular bible all over Germany & the rest of Europe – Having the bible in the vernacular made it so that the Church was no longer the sole authority on the bible, but that common people could now interpret it for themselves