MARTIN LUTHER INTRODUCTION FROM THE HERITAGE OF GREAT EVANGELISM
The study of church history is one of the greatest intellectual endeavors to be undertaken by man. No doubt those who hate the church or are ignorant of church history will contest the importance of this particular branch of study. Yet one need only examine history beginning with Rome to see the tremendous impact the church has had on philosophy, theology, politics, law, science, and even war. Some of the greatest minds to be found, men who gave rise to great movements, or moved nations, were connected with the church in some way.
Martin Luther is the epitome of such greatness. It is difficult to fully express the importance of this man, for church history has many competitors for such a reputation: Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Calvin, Schliermacher, and Barth, to name a few. While these men excelled in their own ways above their contemporaries, Martin Luther stands as possibly the most influential figure since Jesus Christ. One historian has stated that no other man in history apart from Christ has had more written about him and his thought than Martin Luther.
What has made Luther such a vital link in the chain of history? One should examine his life for the answer. Born in 1483 in Eisleben, Germany, Luther grew up in a period when the intellectual climate was at a high point. The works of great men such as Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Peter the Lombard, Abelard, Ockham, Aristotle, and Plato, were among the primary sources of study. Logic, philosophy, science, theology, law, classical literature and languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew), and political theory dominated the curriculum of the universities. The intellectual environment in the universities challenged young scholars to reach far and above what the typical twentieth-century student must achieve. Luther grew up in this stimulating world.
Luther attended the University of Erfurt (considered one of the most influential schools of the fifteenth century), earning the bachelor of arts degree in 1502 and the master of arts degree in 1505. In 1505 he began to study law, but his heart was really drawn to theological matters. Soon he gave up the study of law and joined an Augustinian monastery in Erfurt. There he became fully immersed in the traditional Catholic faith. His great intellectual bent enabled him to master Greek and Hebrew and to commit to memory most of the New Testament. Ordained as a priest in 1507, he began his career as a university professor at Wittenberg and Erfurt, and he acquired his doctorate in 1512.
Luther became distressed at the selling of indulgences by the pope, so in 1517 he nailed his "Ninety-five Theses" to the door of the Wittenberg church. This noncombative act was the acceptable means for seeking a public discussion on the issues in dispute. The conflicts that resulted eventually led Luther to see the Bible, not the pope, as the sole authority over man. Later he became a true Christian, and from there his relationship with the Catholic church became so strained that he was excommunicated. This separation led to greater conflict, and Luther became the recognized leader of what became the Reformation. Luther's outspokenness signaled the beginning of a new movement-Protestantism-and a new period in history-the Reformation.
Luther wrote extensively on such matters as politics and theological issues in his commentaries on the Bible, sermons, devotional material, and hymns. He also translated the Bible into German. Luther died in 1546, but he left a tremendous mark on history.
His influence truly reaches beyond the sixteenth century. His clear teaching on the authority of the Bible and salvation by faith alone have relevance for Christians today and always.
What started out as a peaceful challenge to the selling of indulgences initiated one of the greatest religious movements in history. Luther's "Ninety-five Theses" (posted October 31, 1517 in Wittenberg) indirectly gave rise to Protestantism. The dominance of the Catholic church was for the first time challenged with such force that she couldn't stop it.
In the "Ninety-five Theses" Luther challenged the selling of indulgences by the Catholic church. Luther merely sought a peaceful means to communicate with Catholic authorities, but a great schism resulted, leading to Luther's excommunication and the beginning of the Reformation.
In the Theses Luther points out that, according to canon law, the pope cannot remit penalties upon souls in purgatory. Luther attacked the greed and avarice found in the church, as well as the false teaching that men could buy their way into heaven. Luther ended the Theses by stating that Christ was the only source of salvation from hell, and that all men should cast their hope upon Him. It is no wonder that these and other charges were not taken well by the Catholic authorities.
Humour
Old Bible
A collector of rare books ran into an old friend who told him he had just thrown
away an old Bible that he found in a dusty, old box. He happened to mention that
Guten-somebody-or-other had printed it.
"Not Gutenberg?" gasped the collector.
"Yes, that was it!"
"Do you know what you have done? You've thrown away one of the first books ever
printed. A copy recently sold at auction for half a million dollars!"
"Oh, I don't think this book would have been worth anywhere close to that,"
replied his friend. "It was scribbled all over in the margins by some guy named
Martin Luther."
Courtesy of http://www.makeitclearnow.org
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