Martin Luther
Gutenberg invents movable type in 1450 (Printing Press).
1483 Luther born in Eisleben (November 10)
1501 Luther begins study at University of Erfurt
1505 Luther plans to attend law school under the wishes of his father.
1505- July 2. Caught in a violent Thunderstorm and pledges to be a monk.
Luther had recently completed a Master's degree and started his law studies at the University of Erfurt. He was on his way back to Erfurt after having visited his parents when he was caught in a terrible thunderstorm a few hours outside of Erfurt. Lightning struck near him and he was thrown to the ground by the air pressure it created. At this moment he called to Saint Anne: "I will become a monk!"
Luther commented on this event later. It is assumed that he had played with the idea of becoming a monk even before the storm hit.
To his Fathers disgust and anger, Luther honored his solemn promise; he had one last party with university friends on July 16 and the next day he entered the Monastery in Erfurt to become a monk.
1507- Studies theology at Erfurt
1510-1511 Visits Rome (Believes it to be “like the holy land” and notices it is a far cry from holy.) Prostitution, Indulgences etc After this experience he tried harder to make sure he was right with God.
1512- Receives a Doctorate and begins as a Professor of Theology at Wittenberg University. Luther Lectures through Psalms, Galatians and Romans.
Luther’s Account of his own Conversion (1515) Romans 1:16-17
“Meanwhile, I had already during that year returned to interpret the Psalter anew. I had confidence in the fact that I was more skilful, after I had lectured in the university on St. Paul's epistles to the Romans, to the Galatians, and the one to the Hebrews. I had indeed been captivated with an extraordinary ardor for understanding Paul in the Epistle to the Romans. But up till then it was not the cold blood about the heart, but a single word in Chapter 1, "In it the righteousness of God is revealed," that had stood in my way. For I hated that word "righteousness of God," which, according to the use and custom of all the teachers, I had been taught to understand philosophically regarding the formal or active righteousness, as they call it, with which God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner.
Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God, and said, "As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are crushed by every kind of calamity by the law of the decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the gospel and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteousness and wrath!" Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience. Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted.
At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, "In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, 'He who through faith is righteous shall live.'" There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me. Thereupon I ran through the Scripture from memory. I also fount in other terms an analogy, as, the work of God, that is what God does in us, the power of God, with which he makes us wise, the strenght of God, the salvation of God, the glory of God.
And I extolled my sweetest word with a love as great as the hatred with which I had before hated the word "righteousness of God." Thus that place in Paul was for me truly the gate to paradise. Later I read Augustine's The Spirit and the Letter, where contrary to hope I found that he, too, interpreted God's righteousness in a similar way, as the righteousness with which God clothes us when he justifies us (Augustine passage included below). Although this was heretofore said imperfectly and he did not explain all things concerning imputation clearly, it nevertheless was pleasing that God's righteousness with which we are justified was taught.”
John Tetzel –
“As soon as a coin in the coffer rings / the soul from purgatory springs." Traveling town to town sometimes even burning his own hands to show the flames of hell and scare the people out of money.
Staging his show in the nave of the local church, Tetzel would announce, 'I have here the passports to lead the human soul to the celestial joys of paradise. The Holy Father [the Pope] has the power in heaven and earth to forgive sin, and if he forgives it, God must do so also'. The cost of the indulgence, Tetzel was quick to point out, was cheap when the alternatives were taken into account. Among the demons and tempests in the medieval world, the indulgence, no matter the price, offered a glimpse of light in a world of darkness. In Germany, Tetzel exceeded his quota, as he always did. Indulgences were most popular among the peasants, yet it also hit them the hardest; they had the least money to spare. Tetzel's indulgence-selling campaign led Martin Luther to act on the frustrations that were consuming his thoughts. When Luther posted his 'Ninety-Five Theses', the sales of indulgences dropped considerably.
The Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, in the Holy Roman Empire, where the Ninety-Five Theses famously appeared, held one of Europe's largest collections of holy relics. At that time pious veneration, or viewing, of relics was purported to allow the viewer to receive relief from temporal punishment for sins in purgatory. By 1509 Frederick had over 5,000 relics, purportedly "including vials of the milk of the Virgin Mary, straw from the manger [of Jesus], and the body of one of the innocents massacred by King Herod."
Later John Calvin said “I suppose the Pope in Rome has so many pieces of the cross that he might build Noah’s ark.”
1517- October 31. Posts the 95 thesis on the castle church door at Wittenberg.
He felt compelled to expose the fraud that was being sold to the pious people. This exposure was to take place in the form of a public scholarly debate at the University of Wittenberg.
Luther protested against what he considered clerical abuses, especially in regard to indulgences.
Luther did not intend on Reforming the church, rather to initiate a debate or discussion assuming the church would be pious and biblical about it. The student or scholar wishing to engage in a disputation would post his points on a bulletin board on the university campus, and the list of propositions would serve as an invitation for a debate. Anyone who disagreed was welcome to publicly dispute the author. Such an exercise served to sharpen the intellect of students as well as to clarify questions among the learned, along with providing instruction to the audience. A student’s academic experience was not complete until he could stand on his own in a disputation.
Heidelberg and Liepzig
The Heidleberg disputation was a chance for Luther to express his findings and articulate his views to his Augustinian monks as well as other students and scholars. This led to the Liepzig (German for disputation) debate where he was challenged by Dr. John Eck on the topics of free will and grace. These ideas led to Luther’s authorship of his famous book The Bondage of the Will. Other topics of discussion where Purgatory, Papal authority and indulgences.
The Burning of the Bull- Luther is condemned for his teachings and the 95 thesis by the Pope so he is given a papal Bull which was a notice that his writings are heretical. He burns it.
1521- The Diet of Worms
Luther was promised safe passage by the church (As was Jan Huss) who was burned as a heretic to the Romans church despite his promise at the Council of Constance in 1415. He was condemned with the pope finding 41 errors with his theology. Luther was commanded to renounce his views.
The Edict of Worms condemned any follower of Luther.
Johann Eck, speaking on behalf of the Empire as assistant of the Archbishop of Trier, presented Luther with copies of his writings laid out on a table and asked him if the books were his, and whether he stood by their contents. Luther confirmed he was their author, but requested time to think about the answer to the second question. He prayed, consulted friends, and gave his response the next day:
Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen
Over the next five days, private conferences were held to determine Luther's fate. The Emperor presented the final draft of the Diet of Worms on 25 May 1521, declaring Luther an outlaw, banning his literature, and requiring his arrest: "We want him to be apprehended and punished as a notorious heretic."[56] It also made it a crime for anyone in Germany to give Luther food or shelter. It permitted anyone to kill Luther without legal consequence.
Upon leaving Worms
Luther's disappearance during his return trip was planned. Frederick III, Elector of Saxony had him intercepted on his way home by masked horsemen and escorted to the security of the Wartburg Castle at Eisenach. During his stay at Wartburg, which he referred to as "my Patmos", Luther translated the New Testament from Latin into German and poured out doctrinal and polemical writings. In this work, one of his most emphatic statements on faith, he argued that every good work designed to attract God's favor is a sin. All humans are sinners by nature, he explained, and God's grace, which cannot be earned, alone can make them just.
1522- Returns to Wittenberg secretly where he begins preaching and converting with his truth on justification by faith alone.
Peasants War breaks Out-
Rebels in Germany during the time of the reformation misunderstood Luther’s intentions and began warring against the nobles in Germany. Luther opposed violence of this sort and ultimately began speaking out against the revolts.
Marriage 1523 (same year as the German New testament Publication).
Katherina Von Bora was 26 years old, Luther was 41 years old when they married. She was 1 of 12 nuns who escaped a convent under Luther’s arrangement.
Children - Hans (Johannes), Elisabeth, Magdalena, Martin, Paul, Margaret
1531-34 Begins translating Old Testament into German
1534- Entire Bible Translated into German and released
1543- Death of his daughter Magdelena
1546- Feb. Preaches his last sermon
On 18 February 1546, aged 62, Luther died in Eisleben. His tomb is in the Castle Church in Wittenberg, beneath the pulpit.
Wir sein pettler. Hoc est verum “We are all beggars, this is true.
Author of “A Mighty Fortress is our God”. Hymn
