Martin Luther
Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany, the son of Hans Luther, who worked in the copper mines, and his wife Margarethe. He went to school at Magdeburg and Eisenach, and entered the University of Erfurt in 1501, graduating with a BA in 1502 and an MA in 1505. His father wished him to be a lawyer, but Luther was drawn to the study of the Scriptures, and spent three years in the Augustinian monastery at Erfurt. In 1507 he was ordained a priest, and went to the University of Wittenberg, where he lectured on philosophy and the Scriptures, becoming a powerful and influential preacher. Luther began his career as an Augustinian Monk in the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, Luther was initially loyal to the papacy, and even after many theological conflicts, he attempted to bring about his reconciliation with the Church. But this didn't last long because Luther waged battle with the papacy. On a mission to Rome in 1510--11 he was appalled by the corruption he found there. Money was greatly needed at the time for the rebuilding of St Peter's, and papal emissaries sought everywhere to raise funds by the sale of indulgences. The system was grossly abused, and Luther's indignation at the shameless traffic, carri
That was a magical aspect to this sacrament which Luther could not accept. Luther's reforms regarded to the Catholic sacraments. On the concept of this belief in a personal faith instead of the power of the Roman Catholic Church, Luther favored the abolition of many rituals and challenged the supreme authority of the pope. One of the most important differences between the Roman Church and Luther's conception of Christianity is the personal relationship between God and the Christian. When Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms, he was asked by Eck, an official of the Archbishop of Trier: "I ask you, Martin--answer candidly and without horns-- do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?" Luther replied, "Since then Your Majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. He is one of the few great prophets of the Christian Church, and his greatness is overwhelming, even if it was limited by some of his personal traits and his later development. Luther's view of the communion sacrament was strictly symbolic. Luther's courage and boldness can be seen in his "Open Letter to Pope Leo X," "I have, to be sure, sharply attacked ungodly doctrines in general, and I have snapped at my opponents, not because of their bad morals, but because of their ungodliness. Martin Luther: Selection From His Writings. Basically, this document exposed all the wrongs of the Catholic Church from indulgences to immoral behavior of priests. ed on in particular by the Dominican Johann Tetzel, became irrepressible. His first insistence was that the sacrament of the mass must be not magical but mystical. " It should be understood, however, that Luther never approved of war, which he believed, was a definite indication of mankind's continual conflict with in themselves. Luther's ideas and reforms on Christianity were in direct conflict with the Catholic Church.
Common topics in this essay:
Catholic Church,
Jesus Supper,
Martin Luther,
Incarnation Crucifixion,
According Luther,
Roman Catholic,
Christianity Luther,
Wittenberg Endowed,
Roman Church,
Christ Savior,
catholic church,
roman catholic,
martin luther,
roman catholic church,
roman church,
bread wine,
according luther,
lord's supper,
blood christ,
holy eucharist,
luther's reforms,
catholic church luther,
luther paid ultimate,
according roman church,
roman church bread,
|