February 23, 2005

Honors English-World History

The Power Of One -Martin Comment [t1]: Holistic commentary— Luther The writer accomplishes the task of demonstrating Martin Luther’s power to bring about change. The student establishes the historical context and addresses influences that helped shape Luther’s ideology. Luther’s influence on world culture and government is clear. The writer’s treatment of Luther’s technological and economic influence is less evident, although the writer shows an awareness What thoughts cross your mind when you say the of these issues. The student has clearly learned a great deal about Luther and communicates that knowledge effectively. The student exceeds the name “Martin Luther”? Do you think of Martin Luther; standard in terms of writer’s craft. The writer establishes context, creates a persona, and develops reader interest through the use of vivid and precise a German monk from the distant past nailing a piece vocabulary and a lively, engaging style. The student exceeds the standard in analyzing and reporting information; however, this strength is missing in the of paper to a church door? Or do you think of Martin conclusion.

Luther, an extraordinary man who rocked the very foundations of the Catholic Church, the German state, and the world? Luther was an extraordinary man whose life and achievements transformed the culture, technology, government, and economy of not only

Germany, but the world. Comment [t2]: (G) E2a produce report E2a1 establish context, create persona, develop reader interest About Luther E2a2 controlling idea that conveys perspective The student uses relevant focusing questions to engage the reader and establish his/her thesis, point On November 11, 1483, in the town of Eiselben, Germany, Martin Luther was born into one of of view, and voice. To improve the paper, the student should experiment with ways of avoiding first- and second-person pronouns in a formal the most tempestuous and turbulent ages of his country. His birthplace was the province of Saxony, research paper. which was a division of Germany during this time. His father, Hans Luther, was an ambitious copper miner who desired to raise the social standing of his family. In modern times, someone like Hans Luther might be looked down upon for the way he treated his son. Luther wrote years later that his father often beat him and made him sing in the streets for his supper. He was involved with a boy’s choir and they visited townspeople and sang for food, sometimes even on Christmas. (Coffin 172) When Luther was young his father moved him and his mother, Margarethe, to the town of

Mansfeld where he attended his first schools. His father strongly pressured him to receive as much education as he could, and so from a very young age Luther attended school at Mansfeld. In the year

1501 at the age of sixteen, he began going to the nearby university of Erfurt. It was actually a common occurrence for boys this young to go to colleges and universities. However, their curriculum was quite advanced, for they delved deeply into theology, Latin, and the teachings of great thinkers like William of Occam, a Franciscan friar who is most famous today for his idea that the most direct and simple answer is usually the correct one. (Crompton 43)

Luther was an excellent student at the University of Erfurt. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1502 and then his master’s in 1505. At the ceremony for his graduation from the University of Erfurt, he finally earned the approval of his father. Hans came and spoke to him in the respectful form of the word you, Ihr, instead of the more familiar term, Du, as he always had previously. (Crompton 48)

Hans had great plans for his brilliant son. He had aspirations of Luther becoming a famous lawyer, making lots of money and rising high in social status, but all of this changed on July 2, 1505, when Luther told his father that he planned on becoming a monk. It is probable that Hans was very upset, and he grew even more upset as Luther told his father the reason for his decision.

Luther had been traveling on horseback to school after going home to Mansfeld for a few weeks and got caught in a thunderstorm. He became very frightened and cried out for help to Saint

Anne, the patron saint of miners, saying, “Help, St. Anne, I will become a monk!” (Crompton 22) This meant that if she helped him live through the storm, he would become a monk! Was this event an accident or was a higher power at work? Whatever the cause, when Martin Luther joined the monks at the monastery of the Hermits of St Augustine on July 17, a chain of events was set in motion that would shake the very foundations of his entire country. Luther advanced rapidly at the monastery of Erfurt, and after a few months, was ordained as a priest. It was at this point that he began to have doubts about the assurance of his salvation.

In the present day and age, people have a vastly different view of heaven, hell, and sin than

those of Luther’s day. In his time, people spent their entire lives trying to redeem themselves in

God’s eyes through good works and confession to escape the ever-present threat of eternal

damnation. Almost every aspect of the lives of the 15th century Europeans dealt in some way with

the church, which gave the church an incredible amount of power. (Fudge 23) Luther had grown up

in this frantic, fearful world and shared these beliefs. When he became a monk, he tried to purge his

sins by living a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience to God, and by doing good works and

confessing at least once a week in order to justify himself before a seemingly wrathful, angry God.

(Bainton 197)

The life of a monk was extremely demanding and severe. Luther attended prayers at 3 AM,

6 AM, 9 AM, 12 PM, and again at 3 PM, and he ate only two meals every day, the first being at

noon. He also fasted regularly, sometimes not eating or drinking anything for three days at a time!

The amazing and sad thing about this is that he chose to do all of these things and he still felt that he

hadn’t done enough for God to forgive him or deem him worthy of salvation. (Joestal 21)

After taking a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Rome, Luther returned to Wittenberg and was

soon much in demand for his brilliance, love of knowledge, and extraordinary teaching. He received

his doctorate in theology in 1512 and began giving lectures on the letters of St Paul, the apostle, to

the people of Corinth and Galatia. In spite of his popularity and fame, he still felt empty and

hopeless. He felt that there was no way he could redeem himself, even with all of his confession,

prayer, and desperate attempts to free himself of his transgressions. This was his darkest hour, and

he despaired of ever receiving God’s forgiveness or compassion. The freedom of spirit he expected from denying worldly pleasures and doing good works was nonexistent, and he cried out in anguish to a seemingly uncaring, unknown, and distant God. His desperate plea for help was answered with what is known as Luther’s Turmerlebnis, or “tower experience.” (Fudge 3)

While reading a familiar passage of scripture one day, Romans 1:17, Martin suddenly saw something he’d never seen before from the simple words, “The just [or righteous] shall live by faith.”(Crompton 30) He was changed forever.

In an instant, Luther realized the absolute futility and pointlessness of trying to earn salvation. All one had to do was put complete trust in God, and let Him do the rest! Now he had some understanding of a power that he felt could save his countrymen from a life of pointless suffering. This knowledge would eventually take root in Germany and result in the destruction of the Catholic Church’s basis of power. (Foster 369) He couldn’t have known what would come of it in the end, but he was about to ignite a fire of change that would revolutionize the world.

The fire pit was dug, the wood chopped, but still wet…

Luther’s Cultural Environment

At the time of Luther’s revelation, the Holy Catholic Church was in a state of moral decay.

The Renaissance had swept over Europe and brought about a wave of new thinking and expression.

Works of art were commissioned en masse by the Pope, lords, and nobles, and hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and works of architecture were being created. Everyone was encouraged to embrace the ideals of beauty and to try to reach their full potential as human beings, but eventually this philosophy soured. Along with the ideas of freedom of expression came secularism, which was followed by immorality, and things soon got beyond propriety. The Pope himself, the man thought to be God’s second-in-command, was using his power for his own desires and selfish needs. One major example of this was when Pope Pius II declared it “a mortal sin-for which no indulgence

(pardon) was available” for a person to not utilize the alum depositories at Tolfa which he owned!

(Fudge 21)

It was during this time that Luther and a fellow monk were chosen to travel to Rome in order to settle an argument between a different order of monks. He was ecstatic to be able to travel to the

Holy City, and said in one of his journals:

“I would not trade my visit to Rome for a hundred thousand gulden, even though its shameful wickedness is so great I still cannot fully comprehend it. When I first saw Rome, I fell to the ground, lifted my hands, and said, ‘Hail to thee, O Holy Rome.’ Yes, it is truly a holy place because of the sainted martyrs and the blood which they shed there. But…if there is a hell, then Rome must be built on top of it, for every kind of sin flourishes there…” (Crompton 27)

Luther was shocked at the state of the supposedly “Holy City,” and was astounded at the base level to which the church there had fallen. It was then he began to realize the futility of trying so hard to purge his sins in such a fallen world. How could a vengeful, fiery God ever forgive such a sinful nation?

As previously mentioned, the life of a 15th century European was fraught with fear and superstition. Traditional church doctrine taught them that eternal life must be earned and that everyone was predestined for hell. Their lives were spent in the pursuit of piety and salvation, and they tried to purify themselves through the buying of indulgences (pardons that were literally purchased from the church to atone for sin), making pilgrimages (mainly to Rome, the tombs of martyrs, and Jerusalem) going to confession, and paying to view holy relics. The church, naturally, Comment [t3]: E4a rules of English language in written and oral work (H) E4a1 grammar did nothing to dissuade these views with preachers, authors, pardoners, and indulgence salesmen E4a2 paragraph structure E4a3 punctuation E4a4 sentence construction promoting the feelings of condemnation among the people. The general view of God was that he E4a5 spelling E4a6 usage was a distant, angry deity looking for any and every excuse to send someone to hell; so sadly, the The internal structure of the paragraph is strong, with a topic sentence as a controlling idea and supporting details. Sentence construction is varied. The student motivation for righteous living was hellfire rather than a hope of paradise. uses sophisticated vocabulary and defines key terms for the reader. The writer succeeds in creating a “word picture” for the reader. Following the Renaissance in the early 1500s, the nobility of Germany needed more money.

They had poured out their resources into the commissioning of extravagant art projects and funding private wars. With their assets being rapidly depleted, they desperately needed new sources of income and the common people were the ones targeted and exploited. (Crompton 34) Comment [t4]: (O) SS7c causes and effects of a world financial crisis At this point in Germany, religion held sway over every aspect of daily life. Major aspects of The student explains the causes of financial difficulties in the Holy Roman Empire and goes on to attribute the selling of indulgences to this society like education, culture, science, welfare, and health programs were all controlled by the crisis. church. Everything was viewed from a religious world perspective, so the church held more power than the Emperor himself. (Fudge 24) Due to this absolute control, the people readily accepted all the ideas and doctrines presented to them.

During this time of history, the Holy Roman Empire existed only in name. The 11th century marked the Empire’s high point, but by the 13th and 14th centuries it was in a downhill plunge. The kingdom of Germany and the power of the German empire began to crumble as its corrupt rulers abused their power. Counts, dukes, and archbishops still presided over lands technically owned by the empire, but they began to break away and rule them according to their own standards. The divine authority of the Pope and the emperor were waning, and the people could sense it. (Crompton

42)

The Bubonic plague of 1348 killed twenty-three million out of the population of seventy-five million Europeans. Afterwards, many survivors moved into new cities and towns, leaving their homes in the countryside because there was now more room available in the cities from the population drop. City-dwellers became tradesmen and merchants and began making profits, ending up better off than those who had stayed in the countryside ruled over by lords and dukes. Those who had remained in the countryside fared much worse, for with the departure of most of the noblemen’s labor force, much of the rulers’ income was gone. They tried to make up for this by increasing taxes and rents on their serfs, but this completely backfired. The peasants revolted against the tyranny and oppression of the lords and nobles in the greatest international event of 1524-1525: the

German Peasant Rebellion. (Crompton 57) Comment [t5]: (B) SK1g research and analyze information The student shows understanding of cause and effect This tumultuous world was soon to be rocked even further by the impact of the monk from relationships in the information gathered.

Eisleben.

The wood was stacked, the tinder placed. All that was needed was the spark…

Luther’s Ideology

Martin Luther was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant men of the Protestant Reformation.

He spoke fluent Latin from the time he was a young boy, and he received an excellent education at the University of Erfurt and at the monastery of Wittenberg. He had also read many of the works of ancient Latin authors such as Cicero, Virgil, and Livy. (Bainton 395) He had been taught to think at school, to seriously apply his mind and delve deeply into literature and theology and this had a profound impact on his life after his “tower experience.” (Simon 221) Through logical reasoning and careful study of scripture, Luther developed his ideology, the cornerstone being “justification by faith and the priesthood of all believers.” The fundamental principals of his theology were as follows:

“1)’The Church’ means those who believe in God, 2) Though there may be hierarchies within the church, no Christian is greater than or more important than any other; all vocations are equal, 3) Scriptures are the final authority of all Christians,” 4) And most importantly, “Man [or woman] lives by faith alone. No efforts or works, no matter how virtuous, are enough to save him. Man is saved by the grace of God’s love.” (Simon 376)

Some of these truths should have already been accepted by the church goers of Luther’s day, but the ruling powers had twisted the views of God and salvation to such a degree that the people were hopelessly lost and bewildered. Luther knew the Truth now and decided that something had to be done. On October 31, 1517, he did something that would cause an explosion all over Germany and eventually the world. He wrote Ninety-five Thesis for the purpose of stating plainly the convictions of his heart and also raise theological and scholarly debates with churchmen. (Bucher 1)

These Theses were statements about God, the Bible, and all Christians in the body of Christ that

Luther felt should be commonly understood by the people. Luther wrote them in order to start debates with those who sold indulgences (Simon 49) and to reveal the absurdity of its entire concept when compared with what t he Holy Scriptures actually said. Little did he know that he had just dropped a bombshell.

The wood is dry, the torch is brought close, and the kindling begins to smoke…

How Luther Influenced His Culture

The concept of the indulgence took hundreds of years to develop and had to do with the ideal of sacrament. (Joestal 16) If someone sinned, he or she had to go and confess to a priest, who would absolve their sins but give them a penance (an imposed atonement). An indulgence had to be bought from a priest, pardoner, or indulgence salesman, after being approved by the Pope. An indulgence supposedly had the power to cancel out the penance completely. This quick, mechanical way to escape the worldly penalty of sins was embraced by the people, and also proved a massive marketing scheme.

Another belief held by the people was that of Purgatory. Purgatory was the concept that after death, one is sent to a place of judgment between heaven and hell to pay for the sins committed during one’s lifetime. Access to heaven would not be granted until one had suffered a just amount.

This concept eventually evolved when the Pope made a decree that not only had he approved thousands more indulgences for sale, but also that one could purchase one’s own way out of

Purgatory! One’s relatives, he said, could do this, after the person had died. Not only did the Pope make this decree, he also priced the indulgences so that virtually everyone could afford to buy one!

He priced each indulgence by each person’s rank in society, those of higher standing having to pay more.

“Kings, queens, their sons, archbishops, and other princes of high rank…should pay at least twenty-four Rhenish gulden… Other citizens and craftsmen who have their own income as well as servants, [should pay] one like gulden. Others of lesser means are to pay half of one gulden.” (Crompton 34)

So it went on. The Pope authorized more and more indulgences and also commissioned salesmen to travel around and sell them, the most famous of these men being the notorious

Dominican friar, Johann Tetzel. One of Tetzel’s favorite slogans to use in his sales pitch was, “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from Purgatory springs.” (Columbia 1) As can be expected, Tetzel became one of Luther’s chief adversaries and was the first of many to take up the gauntlet that he threw down. In January of 1528, Tetzel wrote and published a work, his

“Countertheses,” defending the validity of indulgences. (Crompton 39)

As previously mentioned, there was a great need for money by the lords, nobles, emperors, and dukes, due to their massive expenditures on private wars, commissioning art, and attempts to give themselves higher positions in society by buying more titles. The primary way that they found to get these funds was through the people, with indulgences.

Eventually, the opposition to Luther’s Theses from Church authorities increased to the point where Luther was harshly condemned for his supposedly heretical writings. The Pope had no qualms about the Theses in the beginning; only when he began to realize that a valuable source of income was being depleted did he accuse Luther of heresy. The Pope and his consorts realized the effect it was having on the control they held over the people, and also on the economy of Germany, and they began to be afraid. Comment [t6]: (E) SS10 study of global connections and interdependence The impact that Martin Luther made on the religion of Germany and Europe was more The Pope, as the de facto head of most of Europe, felt the economic effects of Luther’s actions in Germany. profound than his influence in any other area. After he posted the Ninety-five Theses, word of them spread like wildfire and Luther said that they “ran through all of Germany in only 14 days.” (Joestal

21) A major reason that the Theses were circulated so rapidly throughout Europe was the innovation of the printing press in 1440. The actual Theses were written in Latin, the language of scholars, but they were translated into German, English, French, and other languages, and so they were read by an even wider spectrum of people than Luther even intended. In the beginning they were tolerated by the Pope and the bishops, and were even supported by some but as more and more people began to read them, anger began to grow in the hearts of the rulers.

Luther was summoned to disputes and debates and succeeded in answering the arguments and accusations against him. (Simon 265) A major event in April of 1518 was when Luther preached a sermon entitled, “A Sermon on Indulgences and Grace.” (Joestal 22) In it, he presented a clear, definitive explanation of the concept of indulgences, which enabled the people to further grasp the complete and utter delusion of it all.

After several years, those in power refused to put up with Luther’s “heresy” any longer, and he was summoned to the city of Worms by Emperor Charles to be questioned concerning his writings. Heresy was one of the most dangerous things to be accused of back in that day, because if one refused to recant the heretical statements, it was punishable with burning at the stake. (Simon

106) Luther knew this, and he bravely chose to travel to Worms and face the council and the

Emperor. This scene in history is often what comes to mind when one thinks of Luther. He was asked if he had written the Theses and he responded that he had. The next question however, meant Luther’s life or death; the emperor asked him if he wished to recant, and after a moment’s pause, he responded with the immortal words that would go down in history as the first time anyone had ever publicly defied the Pope, and the words that would revolutionize a nation:

“Since your majesty and your lords demand a simple answer, I shall give one without horns or teeth. Unless I am convicted by the testimony of Scripture and evident reasoning I am convinced by the Sacred Scriptures I have cited-for I believe neither solely the pope nor the councils, for it is evident that they have erred often and contradict one another. My conscience is captured by the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not revoke, since to act against one’s conscience is neither safe nor honest. Here I stand, I can do no other, so Help me God. Amen!” (Ranke 384)

After making these profound statements, Luther became famous to the people and infamous to the supreme rulers. It was becoming quite dangerous for him, so his good friend Frederick the

Elector (or Frederick the Wise) had him spirited away to his castle of Wartburg in Saxony, in a type of voluntary house arrest. He remained there for more than a year, disguised as a member of aristocracy under the alias, Junker George, (Columbia 1) but during this time, he made enormous contributions to the German religion and language, the most profound being his translation of the

Bible into German. (Manns 391)

At this time, all Bibles in German were written in Latin and could be read by few (mainly the clergy), so Luther decided that the Bible should be read and studied by everyone in his country. To grasp the actual importance of his Bible on the culture of Germany, one must realize that his version of the Bible had a greater impact on the German language than the impact of the King James Bible did on the English language! (Grimm 447)

In addition to this, Luther’s socio-religious concepts and philosophies began laying a new basis for German society, and his writings helped repair the standards of modern German. The reason for this is that during the Middle Ages, the standards of education had sunk very low (which partially explains why the people accepted the teachings of the church without question). The people simply didn’t know any better and this caused their language to suffer. Few of them could even read because the majority of books and teaching resources were in Latin! (Bainton 275) Luther strongly encouraged education and through his works and teachings, and so in the people began to grow a desire for knowledge and education.

Luther did an enormous amount of work during his lifetime, an amount actually equal to the work it took five men to do in England! He created a prayer book, catechism, hymnbook, and a completely new sermonic style. (Manns 392) In England, similar works were created, but it took the combined efforts of Tyndale, Cranmer, Latimer, Watts, and the Westminster Divines to complete them!

Luther’s impact in the arena of education and thought was monumental. His influence combined with the new innovations and attitudes of the Renaissance were crucial to the development of scholasticism in Germany. (Bainton 278) As a result of the Reformation, during Luther’s life many new universities were founded, including the Universities of Greifswald, Freiburg in Breisgau,

Ingolstadt, Trier, Mainz, Tubingen, Wittenberg, and Frankfurt on the Oder. (Bainton 279) Luther’s teachings were dissected and studied by his students at the University of Wittenberg, and after his death on February 17, 1546, there were hundreds of debaters and interpreters of his teachings and philosophies. (Simon 282)

The wood is lit, smoke curls upward, and the flames rise higher…

How Luther’s Ideas Were Dispersed and How They Continue to

Influence the World Today

After many years, Luther’s ideas had spread all over Europe, primarily by means of the printing press. It was an invention of such magnitude that its importance was rivaled during the Middle Ages only by the development of gunpowder! (Manns 168) The innovation of the printing press profoundly affected the way Luther’s work was distributed, due to its speed, efficiency, and reliability.

Since the invention of books, people had always written and copied them by hand; a very tedious process which took lots of time to complete and was extremely expensive. To actually own a book was a privilege enjoyed by only the very rich, but when Johann Gutenberg developed the press, that would all change permanently. Through the power of exact duplication, books could be replicated exactly without fear of error (which frequently happened in Luther’s time). In just a fraction of the time it took to duplicate a single book, many could be printed and they all would be exactly the same. Presently in America, the country that invented mass-production, things like that are taken for granted, but one should remember and think about what it was like back when things too more time and effort to do.

Although Luther’s Theses were written in Latin, the language of scholars, the printing press made it possible for them to be widely distributed and they reaching every corner of Christian

Europe, solely during the winter of 1517-1518! (Crompton 38)

Luther’s ideas were also spread by the young men who studied under him at the University of

Wittenberg, and by the ruler of Scandinavia, King Frederick I. (Bainton 180) During the age of the

Renaissance, it was highly fashionable for young men, such as students and prospective merchants, to tour Europe and become well-rounded by learning of the arts, science, math, and philosophy.

They traveled around the countryside and visited various universities and were lectured to by some of the finest minds of the age, including Luther. After being taught by him, they would continue their tour of Europe, spreading his ideas as they went. (Columbia 1) Comment [t7]: (D) SS9a beliefs, values, and attitudes shape change The student identifies how Luther’s beliefs, values, and attitudes were spread and caused change. One of the first countries that were converted to Luther’s religious doctrine (which came to be known as “Lutheranism”) was Scandinavia. Several students had returned there and told King

Frederick about Lutheranism. He became a devout follower and then encouraged Lutheran preachers to spread the Reformation all over his country. Eventually his son Christian became a follower as well and when he grew up, founded a new Lutheran church order in Scandinavia. In

1536 Lutheranism became the country’s state religion, and it spread from there. Holland followed suit and became a Lutheran country, and since at that time it controlled Iceland, Norway, and

Sweden, it became their religion as well. In this fashion, Lutheranism continued to spread and eventually reached around the world. (Grimm 429)

Even to this day one can see Martin Luther’s economic influence, particularly with those of the Lutheran. Throughout his lifetime, Luther was a very diligent, productive man, and in his later years there was hardly a time when he wasn’t preaching, counseling, praying, writing letters, teaching, or studying scripture. (Bryan 1) I recently returned from a five-month trip to Stuttgart,

Germany and they are without a doubt some of the hardest-working people I have ever known. They have laws, rules, and jobs for everything, and are always up and active from the crack of dawn until they finish their work. It was an amazing experience to witness a culture so different from ours that has such amazing focus and determination to get the job done. Luther passed this ethic of industriousness on to his followers and one can see this trait in the work habits of Protestants, especially in Germany. World economy was influenced in a major way by Protestantism and by

Luther’s philosophies. The work ethics of Protestantism actually contributed to the development of the spirit of capitalism in the world today! (Weber 1)

Luther was one of several men in the late 1500s to the early 1600s who ignited the

“Protestant” movement, and they include John Calvin of Scotland and King Henry VIII of England. These men each made significant contributions to the religions of their countries, but none as great as those of Luther. As he had done, Calvin and Henry emphasized that the Catholic Church had too much power and corruption and as a result of their efforts. and Luther’s, this movement was begun.

In essence, a “Protestant” was, and remains, a follower of any western church that is separate from the Roman Catholic Church. (Weber 49)

Martin Luther influenced many things for the better, but Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor of Germany in 1870, along with other German leaders, used Luther and his writings (mainly on the

Peasant Revolt) as their motivation to found a New Germany. (Crompton 78) During the revolt,

Luther wrote a pamphlet telling, “Whoever can, to stab, smite, and slay [the rebelling peasants]. If you die in doing it, good for you! A more blessed death can never be yours, for you die while obeying the divine word…” (Luther)

Bismarck and the other radicals pictured Luther as a great nationalist, and one of the first of the “true Germans,” but in fact they were completely taking his words out of context. Luther’s vision was for people to be just and submissive to God, instead of being domineering and controlling. (Crompton 79) Comment [t8]: (C), (D) SS8c appraise effects of philosophies on governments Luther’s influence on economy can also be seen in Germany today in the collection of taxes SS9a beliefs, values, and attitudes shape change The student has identified far-reaching influences of Luther’s beliefs, values, and attitudes on later to support the Lutheran and Catholic churches. (Bryan 1) government.

Luther also made a great impact on government. The basis of his teaching encouraged democracy rather than the rule of the state by a king or emperor, or rule by church government.

(Simon 315) He had seen that hierarchical rule was slowly breaking apart in Germany because it sometimes became more of a dictatorship and a position of tyranny, primarily in the church. The clergy had dominance over everything before Luther spoke out against them, including kings and emperors. The Pope was thought to be incapable of sin and was also said to be second in command under God himself! This was too much power for a single man to possess, which is why Luther supported the formation of a German democracy so that everyone could have a voice to speak out against injustices. Comment [t9]: (F), (N) E1c comprehends informational materials E1c1 restates and summarizes information As far as worldwide cultures are concerned, Luther made by far the greatest impact on world E1c2 relate new to prior knowledge E1c3 extends ideas E1c4 makes connections to related topics or religion. His ideas, and the Reformation that swept Europe because of them, touched many, many information SS6a changes in beliefs systems over time The student correctly recognizes that Luther nations. His greatest achievements were undoubtedly the writing of the Ninety-five Theses and the had an influence on politics; however, the student’s reference to democracy indicates an incomplete understanding of the translation of the Bible into German, both of which made huge differences to the people of Germany political/historical context. and eventually the world. The Reformation could not have happened without Luther’s Bible translation and also the invention of the printing press, because the press allowed the Bible to eventually be shared to millions of people, so that they could read the Scriptures for themselves and interpret their meaning. (Bainton 236)

Today, Lutheranism is prominent in Northern Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and

Germany. Many other western nations are predominantly Protestant because of him. He probably never expected that his beliefs would someday be followed by so many around the globe! (Fudge 53)

Sadly, the feelings of Anti-Semitism in Germany also stem partially from a tract Luther wrote towards the end of his life, entitled “Jews and Their Lies.” Back in the Middle Ages, the Jews were despised and shunned because those of the Catholic faith believed that they were the ones responsible for the murder of Jesus Christ. Luther never appeared to be a strong Anti-Semitist, but when he published that tract, everyone was astonished at the vehemence in which he condemned them. He told the people to spit on them and curse them and generally, to treat them like dogs!

(Fudge 13) No one is sure why Luther seemed to be angry with them, but unfortunately his feelings were somewhat passed on to his followers and even today, Anti-Semitism is prevalent in Northern

Germany. On a brighter side, Luther influenced the feelings of humanism and love of arts in Germany through his teachings. He praised the sanctity of life and moral conditions and had a passion for the arts, especially music, which he said ranked next to the Bible as one of God’s greatest gifts. One hymn that he wrote is still sung in churches everywhere today, entitled, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our

God.” (Simon 249) Since he was a child, Luther was known for having a wonderful voice and a love for music and singing. He also (like a typical German) had a certain fondness for good food and beer!

The reason that the Reformation was able to happen was through the dynamite technology of the printing press. Without it, none of Luther’s religious pamphlets, books, sermons, hymnals, letters, pictures, and cartoons would have probably have even circulated outside of Wittenberg!

If someone mentions Martin Luther again to you sometime, I hope you will think about a man who through a lifetime of labor, and a passion for the Truth and for God, revolutionized a nation. His defiance to the Pope was a major landmark in the Catholic Church and his influence on the religion, economy, and culture of his land and the world will never be forgotten. The prosperity of America today is partially due to Luther and his incredible standards, because his teachings went against anything that had ever been done before. If he had never had the intelligence, revelation, and courage to do what he did, how would things be different today? World culture and the government and economy of Germany would be vastly different from the way they are now, and perhaps the world would still be spiritually blind and lost. Comment [t10]: (G) E2a5 excludes inappropriate and extraneous information The flames rise higher and higher, and the fire burns on… E2a7 provides sense of closure The conclusion has many strong elements that address Luther’s long-lasting influence. The conclusion, however, is weakened by the student’s personal reference in the first sentence of the last paragraph as well as a lack of objectivity in the final sentence.

February 24, 2005 Honors English-World History

Comment [t11]: (A), (B) Works Cited SK1f use and cite sources to defend positions SK1g research and analyze information Although the student draws information from a 1) Bainton, Roland H. The Age of the Reformation. Malabar, FL: Robert Krelger Publishing variety of source3s, some of the student’s sources are problematic, specifically items 7, 18, and 21. The Company, 1956. websites referenced give no information which would allow a researcher to determine the credibility of the information. Citations should not be 2) Bryan, Robert. Letter to the author. February 2, 2005. numbered.

3) Bucher, Richard P. Facts About the 95 Theses or the Disputation Against Indulgences. Lexington, KY: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, February 21, 2005. http://www.orlutheran.com/index.html. (February 28, 2005).

4) Coffin, Charles C. The Story of Liberty. Gainesville, FL: Maranatha Publications, Inc., 1987.

5) Crompton, Samuel Willard. Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers: Martin Luther. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2004.

6) Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. Martin Luther. Columbia University Press, 2001. http://www.bartleby.com/65/lu/Luther-M.html. (December 16, 2004).

7) English Bible History. 2003. http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/martin- luther.html. (March 29, 2005).

8) Foster, Genevieve. The World of Columbus and Sons. Sandwich, MA: Beautiful Feet Books, 1965.

9) Fudge, Thomas A. A Week in the Life of Martin Luther; Student Workshop Book. Washougal, WA: Hewitt Home Schooling Resources, January 8, 2002.

10) George, Timothy. Why We Still Need Luther. Illinois: Christianity Today International, 2005. http://christianitytoday.com/holidays/nbw/features/ct6tc013.html. (January 19, 2005).

11) Grimm, Harold J. The Reformation Era 1500-1650. London: The Macmillan Company. 1971.

12) Joestel, Volkmar. Martin Luther: Rebel and Reformer- A Biographical Sketch. Wittenberg, Germany: Drei Kastanien Verlag, 2003.

13) Luther, Martin. “Against the Robbing and Murdering Hoards of Peasants.” Luther’s Works, Vol 46. Ed. Robert C. Shultz. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967.

14) Manns, Peter. Martin Luther. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1983.

15) Melancthon, Philip. A History of the Life and Actions of the Very Reverend Dr. Martin Luther, Faithfully Written by Philip Melancthon. Wittenberg, 1549. Reprint: 1845 by J. Unwin, London.

16) Oxford University Press. Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation: Biographical Essay On Martin Luther. London: 2005.

17) Ranke, Leopold von. History of the Reformation in Germany. Vol 1. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1966.

18) Historicist.com. The Reformation Era 1517 thru 1603. http://historicist.com/history/ref.htm. (January 11, 2005).

19) Simon, Edith. Luther Alive- Martin Luther and the Making of the Reformation. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1968.

20) ---The Reformation. Canada: Time-Life Books, 1966.

21) Walker, Jim. Martin Luther’s Dirty Little Book: On Jews and Their Lies. No Beliefs-For Freethinkers. July 18, 2004. http://www.nobeliefs.com/luther.htm. (January 14, 2005).

22) Weber, Maximilian. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Germany: 1905. (March 31, 2005).