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Who was Martin Luther?
Martin Luther was a German priest who was a major figure in the Protestant Reformation. A professor of theology and a former monk, he is credited to have started the Protestant Reformation in 16th-century Europe which changed the course of Western civilization. He not only rejected several teachings and practices of the Late Medieval Catholic Church, but also vehemently opposed the strong belief that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. Born into a Catholic family, he was interested in theology and philosophy from a young age. Once as a young man he was almost struck by lightning during a thunderstorm. Terrified, he vowed to God that he would become a monk if he escaped alive. Thus he embarked on a life dedicated to religion and earned a Doctor of Theology degree. Initially a follower of Catholicism, he eventually recanted several of his beliefs and proceeded to reformulate some basic tenets of Christian belief that resulted in the division of Western Christendom into two factions: Roman Catholicism and the newly formed Protestant traditions. Pope Leo X and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V were angered by Luther’s actions and asked him to retract all his wittings. He refused to do so and was excommunicated by the pope.
Martin Luther was born to Hans and Margarette Luther on 10 November 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. He was baptized as a Catholic. His father was a leaseholder of copper mines and smelters, while his mother was a hard-working woman.
His father harbored great ambitions for Martin and wanted him to become a lawyer. sent him to a Latin school in Mansfeld in 1488.
Martin received a thorough training in the Latin language and also learned Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, and morning and evening prayers.
He moved to a school operated by the Brethren of the Common Life, a lay monastic order, in 1497. Then he enrolled at the University of Erfurt, one of the most distinguished universities in Germany at that time.
He received a baccalaureate degree in the liberal arts in 1502, and a master’s degree three years later. He was deeply influenced by the works of Aristotle and William of Ockham during his student days.
His father wanted him to become a lawyer but Martin Luther was now growing more interested in religion. An incident that happened in 1505 changed the course of his life. He was returning to the university on horseback one day when he was caught in a thunderstorm. Suddenly a lightning bolt struck near him, and terrified for his life, he prayed to Saint Anna and vowed to become a monk.
As promised, he left the university, sold off his books, and entered an Augustinian cloister in Erfurt. This step greatly infuriated his father.
Later Life
In 1517, Pope Leo X announced a new round of indulgences to help build St. Peter’s Basilica. This move greatly angered Luther who was convinced that the church was corrupt in its ways.
He wrote ‘The 95 Theses’, in retaliation in which he severely criticized certain beliefs of the Catholic Church and called for reforms. He then nailed the text on the university’s chapel door and also shared copies with his like-minded friends for distribution to the masses.
’The 95 Theses’ was widely circulated throughout Germany and Europe, reaching France, England, and Italy, thus heralding the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
As a result, the pope excommunicated Luther in January 1521, in the bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. Luther was now ordered to appear before the Diet of Worms, a general assembly of the estates of the Holy Roman Empire that took place in Worms.
Luther appeared as ordered before the Diet of Worms in 1521. Emperor Charles V commenced the Imperial Diet where Luther was presented with copies of his writings and asked if he stood by their contents. He refused to recant his writings and was thus declared a heretic, an outlaw.
Luther faced the risk of arrest and was helped by his friends in making good his escape. He settled in Wartburg Castle at Eisenach where he continued his works. He translated the New Testament from Greek into German and authored the essays ‘On Confession, Whether the Pope has the Power to Require It’ and ‘The Judgement of Martin Luther on Monastic Vows’.
During his later years he organized a new church, Lutheranism, and gained many followers. In 1533, he began serving as the dean of theology at University of Wittenberg, a post he held until his death.
2 окт 2024
