Martin Luther
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ChurchChurch HistoryHistory ChurchChurch HistoryHistory IntroductionIntroduction toto ChurchChurch HistoryHistory st rd TheThe AncientAncient ChurchChurch AD 11st-3-3rd centuriescenturies th th TheThe RiseRise ofof ChristendomChristendom AD 44th-5-5th centuriescenturies th th TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges AD 66th-10-10th centuriescenturies th th TheThe AgeAge ofof CrusadesCrusades AD 1111th-13-13th centuriescenturies th th TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AD 1414th-15-15th centuriescenturies th ConquestConquest andand ReformationReformation AD 1616th centurycentury th th TheThe AgeAge ofof EnlightenmentEnlightenment AD 1717th-18-18th centuriescenturies th TheThe AgeAge ofof RevolutionRevolution AD 1919th centurycentury th TheThe ModernModern AgeAge AD 2020th centurycentury st TheThe PostmodernPostmodern AgeAge AD 2121st centurycentury ChurchChurch HistoryHistory IntroductionIntroduction toto ChurchChurch HistoryHistory st rd TheThe AncientAncient ChurchChurch AD 11st-3-3rd centuriescenturies th th TheThe RiseRise ofof ChristendomChristendom AD 44th-5-5th centuriescenturies th th TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges AD 66th-10-10th centuriescenturies th th TheThe AgeAge ofof CrusadesCrusades AD 1111th-13-13th centuriescenturies th th TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AD 1414th-15-15th centuriescenturies th ConquestConquest andand ReformationReformation AD 1616th centurycentury Martin Luther TheThe ReformationReformation AtAt thethe turnturn ofof thethe century,century, thingsthings gotgot worseworse 15131513 MediciMedici PopePope LeoLeo XX tooktook powerpower inin RomeRome LeoLeo lovedloved beingbeing PopePope becausebecause ofof thethe powerpower andand luxuryluxury thatthat itit broughtbrought himhim His extravagant—and morally corrupt—lifestyle actually bankrupted the Roman Catholic Church So he began selling off anything that people would buy—statues of the apostles from the Vatican, cardinals' birettas, holy offices, furniture, dishes, silverware, etc. He also sold indulgences by the score, for pretty much any sin that people could financially afford to commit His Grand Commissioner for Indulgences, Johann Tetzel, coined the phrase, “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from Purgatory springs...” Some priests just couldn't take it any more TheThe ReformationReformation TheThe ChurchChurch getsgets aa much-neededmuch-needed ReformReform 15171517 MartinMartin LutherLuther protestedprotested withwith 9595 ThesesTheses LutherLuther waswas bornborn inin 14831483 toto aa middle-classmiddle-class familyfamily inin SaxonySaxony HisHis fatherfather wantedwanted himhim toto bebe aa lawyer,lawyer, soso hehe sentsent himhim toto thethe bestbest schoolsschools hehe couldcould findfind toto learnlearn Latin,Latin, philosophy,philosophy, andand argumentationargumentation In the process, he learned a great deal about the classical philosophers, but felt that they had little to do with understanding what it meant to be a good Christian TheThe ReformationReformation TheThe ChurchChurch getsgets aa much-neededmuch-needed ReformReform 15171517 MartinMartin LutherLuther protestedprotested withwith 9595 ThesesTheses LutherLuther waswas bornborn inin 14831483 toto aa middle-classmiddle-class familyfamily inin SaxonySaxony HisHis fatherfather wantedwanted himhim toto bebe aa lawyer,lawyer, soso hehe sentsent himhim toto thethe bestbest schoolsschools hehe couldcould findfind toto learnlearn Latin,Latin, philosophy,philosophy, andand argumentationargumentation AtAt thethe ageage ofof 23,23, hehe waswas almostalmost struckstruck byby lightninglightning duringduring aa thunderstorm,thunderstorm, andand realizedrealized thatthat hehe waswas absolutelyabsolutely terrifiedterrified ofof dyingdying withoutwithout knowingknowing wherewhere hehe stoodstood withwith GodGod Since he was riding on horseback at the time, he promised Saint Anna that he would become a monk and serve God He took the black robes of an Augustinian friar, and resigned himself to an unhappy life Luther later wrote about his agony living as a monk, saying, “I lost touch with Christ the Saviour and Comforter, and made of him the jailer and hangman of my poor soul” TheThe ReformationReformation TheThe ChurchChurch getsgets aa much-neededmuch-needed ReformReform 15171517 MartinMartin LutherLuther protestedprotested withwith 9595 ThesesTheses LutherLuther waswas bornborn inin 14831483 toto aa middle-classmiddle-class familyfamily inin SaxonySaxony HisHis fatherfather wantedwanted himhim toto bebe aa lawyer,lawyer, soso hehe sentsent himhim toto thethe bestbest schoolsschools hehe couldcould findfind toto learnlearn Latin,Latin, philosophy,philosophy, andand argumentationargumentation AtAt thethe ageage ofof 23,23, hehe waswas almostalmost struckstruck byby lightninglightning duringduring aa thunderstorm,thunderstorm, andand realizedrealized thatthat hehe waswas absolutelyabsolutely terrifiedterrified ofof dyingdying withoutwithout knowingknowing wherewhere hehe stoodstood withwith GodGod Since he was riding on horseback at the time, he promised Saint Anna that he would become a monk and serve God He took the black robes of an Augustinian friar, and resigned himself to an unhappy life Luther later wrote about his agony living as a monk Nonetheless, he excelled at his studies, and within three years, he was called to the faculty of the University of Wittenberg By 1512, he was their resident “Doctor inin Bible”Bible” teachingteaching theologytheology TheThe ReformationReformation TheThe ChurchChurch getsgets aa much-neededmuch-needed ReformReform 15171517 MartinMartin LutherLuther protestedprotested withwith 9595 ThesesTheses LutherLuther waswas bornborn inin 14831483 toto aa middle-classmiddle-class familyfamily inin SaxonySaxony HisHis fatherfather wantedwanted himhim toto bebe aa lawyer,lawyer, soso hehe sentsent himhim toto thethe bestbest schoolsschools hehe couldcould findfind toto learnlearn Latin,Latin, philosophy,philosophy, andand argumentationargumentation AtAt thethe ageage ofof 23,23, hehe waswas almostalmost struckstruck byby lightninglightning duringduring aa thunderstorm,thunderstorm, andand realizedrealized thatthat hehe waswas absolutelyabsolutely terrifiedterrified ofof dyingdying withoutwithout knowingknowing wherewhere hehe stoodstood withwith GodGod InIn 1516,1516, JohannJohann TetzelTetzel camecame toto GermanyGermany toto sellsell indulgencesindulgences toto helphelp thethe bankruptbankrupt ChurchChurch paypay forfor thethe rebuildingrebuilding ofof St.St. Peter'sPeter's BasilicaBasilica Luther found this tacky at best—and immorallyimmorally un-Biblicalun-Biblical atat worstworst “Since the Pope's income to-day is larger than that of the wealthiest of wealthy men, why does he not build the basilica of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of impoverished believers?” TheThe ReformationReformation TheThe ChurchChurch getsgets aa much-neededmuch-needed ReformReform 15171517 MartinMartin LutherLuther protestedprotested withwith 9595 ThesesTheses LutherLuther waswas bornborn inin 14831483 toto aa middle-classmiddle-class familyfamily inin SaxonySaxony HisHis fatherfather wantedwanted himhim toto bebe aa lawyer,lawyer, soso hehe sentsent himhim toto thethe bestbest schoolsschools hehe couldcould findfind toto learnlearn Latin,Latin, philosophy,philosophy, andand argumentationargumentation AtAt thethe ageage ofof 23,23, hehe waswas almostalmost struckstruck byby lightninglightning duringduring aa thunderstorm,thunderstorm, andand realizedrealized thatthat hehe waswas absolutelyabsolutely terrifiedterrified ofof dyingdying withoutwithout knowingknowing wherewhere hehe stoodstood withwith GodGod InIn 1516,1516, JohannJohann TetzelTetzel camecame toto GermanyGermany toto sellsell indulgencesindulgences toto helphelp thethe bankruptbankrupt ChurchChurch paypay forfor thethe rebuildingrebuilding ofof St.St. Peter'sPeter's BasilicaBasilica Luther found this tacky at best—and immorallyimmorally un-Biblicalun-Biblical atat worstworst But that was just one of 95 issues with the Church in general and indulgences in particular that Luther articulated in a letter to his bishop, Albrecht of Mainz TheThe ReformationReformation FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— AccordingAccording toto tradition,tradition, hehe alsoalso postedposted hishis 9595 ThesesTheses onon thethe doordoor toto thethe churchchurch inin WittenbergWittenberg AsAs strangestrange oror aggressiveaggressive asas thisthis maymay seemseem toto usus today,today, rememberremember thatthat WittenbergWittenberg waswas aa collegecollege town,town, andand thethe church'schurch's doordoor waswas essentiallyessentially aa bulletinbulletin boardboard forfor studentsstudents andand facultyfaculty toto postpost theirtheir thoughtsthoughts onon ThinkThink ofof itit asas aa 1616th centurycentury Facebook...Facebook... TheThe ReformationReformation FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— AccordingAccording toto tradition,tradition, hehe alsoalso postedposted hishis 9595 ThesesTheses onon thethe doordoor toto thethe churchchurch inin WittenbergWittenberg AsAs strangestrange oror aggressiveaggressive asas thisthis maymay seemseem toto usus today,today, rememberremember thatthat WittenbergWittenberg waswas aa collegecollege towntown Unfortunately,Unfortunately, wewe havehave nono ideaidea whetherwhether oror notnot thisthis reallyreally happened,happened, sincesince thethe traditiontradition isis basedbased onon anan off-handoff-hand commentcomment mademade yearsyears