We went to Wittenberg over Easter, 2017. We decided to go now because this year is the 500th anniversary of the start of the reformation, when the legend says that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church.
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| Statue of Martin Luther on Market Square in Wittenberg |
Martin Luther was born in 1483 as the son of a miner. In 1501, he began his studies at the University of Erfurt. Four years later, he completed his Masters degree and then began studying law. In 1505, Luther became an Augustinian monk in Erfurt. Two years later, he became a priest. In 1512, Luther earned his doctorate in theology, and he became a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
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| Cast-iron door with the 95 theses |
Martin Luther did not intend to cause a split in the Catholic Church; he wanted to reform the church. Luther was angry about the sale of indulgences, but he never intended to question the church or the pope. In fact, Luther wrote to Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz on October 31, 1517, asking for an academic debate on the issue. He prepared a collection of 95 arguments and points of criticism as a basis for the debate, his 95 theses. Because Luther wasn't a revolutionary, he is sometimes called the last medieval man.
But Luther is also called the first modern man, because his principles were based on humanist philosophy. His Reformation called on people to take responsibility for their own conscience, and so the function of clergy as a link between the believer and God was unnecessary. The thoughts and actions of every Christian were no longer under the authority of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. This was revolutionary.
Luther questioned how God could be only a a judge who punished every wrong deed. He pondered this until he had a realization that God must be a loving God, not a punishing one. Luther's problem with indulgences was that he saw God also as a father who loves the people he created and who sent his son to pay the price for the sin that was separating them from him.
Luther questioned how God could be only a a judge who punished every wrong deed. He pondered this until he had a realization that God must be a loving God, not a punishing one. Luther's problem with indulgences was that he saw God also as a father who loves the people he created and who sent his son to pay the price for the sin that was separating them from him.
Through his study of the Bible, Martin Luther developed four key theological pillars. The first is the Holy Scripture. He saw the Bible as the only benchmark of truth, while the Church at the time also relied on additional texts written by the pope and the synod.Secondly, salvation only comes through God's grace and not by good works. This belief made the selling of indulgences obsolete.
Thirdly, Luther concluded that Jesus Christ, through his death on the cross, which paid the penalty for all sin, is the only bridge between humanity and God.
Finally, we are saved by faith alone, believed Luther. Consequentially, the Church lost its power with Luther's teachings and its hierarchies began to crumble. While his work is indeed revolutionary, Luther himself believed he was simply reinstating old, forgotten principles rather than expressing new and unwelcome beliefs.
Luther probably became famous because the theses critical of the church were printed on a leaflet that was in circulation.
Luther was not the first to translate the Bible but he was the first to use the Greek original as the source text instead of the Latin translation. He translated the historical text with great linguistic skill, poeticism and imagery.
Because everyone was responsible for his own conscience, everyone had to be able to read the Bible, and so everyone had to be able to read. This included girls. More information is available at the following link:
