Evaluate the impact of Martin Luther on Christianity, making a clear judgment supported by Luther's writings MAIN AREAS: how did luther: - Challenge the Roman Catholic Church - Bring about Protestantism - Influence and encourage change in Roman Catholic Church, ie responses of catholic church Martin Luther general Impact areas: - - - - Martin luther brought around the most profound change in the history of the Christian faith It was not Martin Luther as an individual that was a threat to the Church, but rather his influence and ideas. Luther initiated the formation of a group which posed an actual threat to the Church. There were many external factors that aided Luther in his Reformation of the Roman Catholic Church, and these factors interacted to produce the Protestant Reformation. The reformation broke Western Christendom into 2 and then 3 and then 4 so on Catholic Church was ‘revitalised’ after the Protestant reformation. 500 years after the reformation, there is still extremely visible and substantial divisions between Catholic and Protestant Churches With its emphasis on individual interpretation of scripture and a measure of religious freedom, the Reformation marked not only a break between Protestantism and Catholicism, but the beginning of Christian denominationalism as we know it today. While the major branches of Christianity basically hold the same fundamental creed, there are significant differences. For the first time in post Catholic Christianity, Protestantism encouraged people to think for themselves and draw their own conclusions from scripture, rather than willfully accepting the interpretation and teachings of canonical authorities. The cultural and intellectual movements of Humanism, as a tenet of the renaissance, influenced reformers and the general public to think for themselves. CHRISTIANITY BEFORE LUTHER: - - Bible was in latin, Catholic Church controlled the bible completely Indulgences were a payment to the Catholic Church that was said to abolish the sins of the payer. Nearly all Christains in Europe were Catholics, and Roman Catholicism was the dominant religion Church was the most powerful economic and political force on the continent Climate of questioning, not just within the church, much of this stemming from the renaissance tenet humanism At the time of the Reformation, europe was undergoing severe paradigm shifts. The Renaissance began to encourage free thinking, the invention of the printing press revolutionized media. The Catholic Church began to steadily lose power as these events took place as the papacy heavily relied on theological dogmas. Even before the Reformation, theologians like Wycliff, and Hus started to voice opposition to the Catholic Church, the pope, and many of its doctrines. All these phenomena eventually snowballed into the Protestant Reformation started by Luther. other reformers like Wycliffe and Hus paved the way for Luther both in that they made attempts at reform and in that Luther's objections did not inspire the church to make a proper response because he was just another red flag. - Even before the Reformation, theologians like Wycliff, and Hus started to voice opposition to the Catholic Church, the pope, and many of its doctrines. All these phenomena eventually snowballed into the Protestant Reformation started by Luther. - Luther’s intense study of the Bible was partly influenced by the Humanist movement of the day. He began to see how this might be applied in a biblical capacity. MARTIN LUTHER: - Evolution of Martin Luther’s thinking was very shaped by St Paul the Apostle, particularly in one verse “the just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17 - Instead of being depended on the Catholic church for salvation each person could be individually saved by grace. - The idea of salvation by grace instead of works and merit was a major change in Christianity. MAIN IDEAS - Scripture alone - Authority of the Bible, not of the Church - Part of this involved making the Bible accessible to all adherents - Roman Catholic Church reiterated that their faith is led equally by scripture and tradition - Priesthood of All Believers - Concept that adherents don't need to go to church to understand the Word of God - And that salvation can be met through personal interpretation of the Bible - Everyone is encouraged to have a personal relationship with God that is not mediated by a priest or by the Pope as in the Roman Catholic Church - Faith Alone - Salvation is achieved through faith, and not through good works or indulgences - “The righteousness of God is revealed from faith” - “The just shall live by faith” - Contradicts the church on their selling of ‘Indulgences’ - “That is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law; faith it is that brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ.” His central teachings shaped the core of Protestantism. Luther’s main ideas focussed on the ability of adherents in having a personal relationship with God and his teachings. The ideas themselves, in nature, left room for personal interpretation. The vocalisation of these ideas by Luther, spurred others with similar thinking to take action. Luther’s idea of a relationship between adherents and God and his teachings was a very subjective thing, which in turn accounts for the emergence of slightly varying understandings of what it is to be a Protestant. This accounts for the many Churches that formed under the broader category of Protestant. He disagreed with the church on many things, namely: - Papal authority (over bible interpretations of over land) - 5 of the 7 Catholic sacraments - Indulgences HOW MAIN IDEAS AFFECTED THE LIVES OF LUTHERAN FOLLOWERS: [i.e shaped the expression of christianity] - If salvation was by faith alone, no longer were people on the treadmill of the law and good works, always trying to please God. They were instead freely forgiven and justified on account of Christ's law-keeping alone. - The emphasis on the God-glorifying nature of common vocations (callings). No longer did people have to become a priest, a monk, or a nun to please God. Now they could make a good shoe and sell it at a fair price: that was their service to God. This in turn freed people to work hard and take pride in their labors. OTHER REFORMERS INSPIRED BY LUTHER: Later reformers, like John Calvin (France) and Swingli (Switzerland) were inspired by Luther’s ideas Swingli: - agreed with Luther in his disagreeance with the Catholic Church over the matter of transubstantiation. He believed it was purely symbolic. - Later founded the ‘Reformed Church’ - - Calvin: took on many of Luther's ideas, but he too gave them a personal touch. He agreed with Luther on his belief about ‘good works’ in that they were not enough to get to heaven. He believed in predestination, that no ‘good works’ or even faith alone, could confirm someone entry to heaven. Later founded the Calvinist Church PROTESTANT CHURCHES INSPIRED BY LUTHER: - One result of the individualism taught by Luther was the formation of multiple branches of Christianity. Today there are 100's of denominations representing Christianity. As a result of the personal nature of the Protestant faith, differing denominational groups have emerged, each holding to distinctive doctrines. All churches under the Protestant faith can be related back to the influence of Martin Luther. These denominations include: - Lutheran Church - Reformed Church - Presbyterian Church - Quakers As the Reformation developed in Germany, various groups in other parts of Europe began to break away from the Catholic Church. Reformed Christianity developed in Switzerland based on the teachings of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin. When it spread to Scotland under John Knox, the Reformed faith became known as “Presbyterianism.” Switzerland was also the birthplace of the Anabaptists, spiritual ancestors of today's Amish, Mennonites, Quakers, and Baptists. LUTHER’S WRITINGS AND TRANSLATIONS. The writings of Martin Luther, or more appropriately the ideas expressed within these writings, altered and influenced the Roman Catholic Church so extremely that the effects are still visible in today's modern society. In 1517, Luther compiled 95 theses, outlining the various abusive and ungodly practices of the Catholic Church as it was. Over 2000 editions of Luther's writings appeared between 1517 and 1596, reaching millions because of the printing press. Most influential of these writings was the first publication of the Bible into German. Hundreds and thousands of copies of this bible sold throughout Germany, and for the first time in the history of Christain faith, ordinary people were able to discuss and interpret the meaning of passages. - 95 Theses, published 1517 - 95 points of disagreement/ideas with the Church - Written in a questioning tone, rather than an accusing tone. - Translations of the Bible and of prayers/hymns - Proposals for Reform (1 and 2) - “every Christian man should open his eyes, and not be misled by the hypocritical Roman bulls and seals, stay at home in his own church and be content with his baptism, his Gospel, his faith, his Christ and with God.” - Open letters (to Pope Leo X and Melenchon) - “I cannot bear with laws for the interpretation of the word of God, since the word of God, which teaches liberty in all other things, ought not to be bound.” - “Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger” - August 1521. This quote highlights Luther’s evolution in terms of his beliefs. At the start of his religious journey, he felt that he could never be cleaned of sin. This evolution was inspired by his own personal interpretation of the Bible and the scriptures, and in reading said scriptures, he came to one of his main ideas; that of justification by faith alone. - ‘The Babylonian Captivity of the Church’ - Luther suggested that the sacraments themselves had been taken captive by the church. His writings changed the course of religious and cultural history in the West and were responsible for fractionalizing the Catholic Church and sparking the Protestant Reformation. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH RESPONSE: Revitalisation of Catholic Church practices - Excommunicated Luther from Church Called a council meeting called ‘Council of Trent (1545 to 1563) to respond to Luther's teachings: - Reaffirmed their doctrines, ie everything Luther had taken issue with. - They reaffirmed: - Good Works - Purgatory and indulgences - Transubstantiation - Importance of the hierarchy of the priesthood - Scripture alone wasn’t enough to get into heaven Revitalisation: - They did agree that in some areas (ie corruption) there was room for change or revitalisation - The Council of Trent instituted severe reforms in the practice of granting indulgences, and, because of prior abuses, “in 1567 Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any fees or other financial transactions” The church essentially did 3 things: - Reaffirm its doctrines (went further against what luther was saying) - Campaign to spread Catholic teachings (extreme evangelisation, particularly in the new world ie Trade in Africa and Asia which in turn accounted for the spread of Catholicism in many non-european countries around this time. - Jesuits formed, introducing schools to spread Catholic faith. Were very against protestantism - The Catholic Church of the Counter-Reformation era grew more spiritual, more literate and more educated. New religious orders, notably the Jesuits, combined rigorous spirituality with a globally minded intellectualism, while mystics such as Teresa of Avila injected new passion into the older orders. - Stamp out Heresy HOW DID THE EMERGENCE OF PROTESTANTISM AFFECT CATHOLIC CHURCH: The catholic church suffered in the way of: - Loss of lands that had belonged to the Pope (papal lands) - Loss in authority over many states - Loss in numbers (ie believers, followers and souls) The expression of the Roman Catholic Church had always been one full of artworks and sculptures, but during the emergence of Protestantism, this expression was targeted. - Protestants did not believe in the presence of artworks in churches, and considered them places for personal reflection. - Catholic churches were targeted by many protestants in acts of iconoclasm, wherein all forms of religious inspired art was destroyed. These acts against the Catholic Church can be seen as a direct result of Luther's ideas. Differences in practices between the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant denominations include: - Catholic church practices 7 sacraments, while Protestants (most denominations) only agree with 2 - Papal authority is not agreed with within protestant church, but is the backbone of Roman Catholic Church He disagreed with the church on many things, namely: - Papal authority (over bible interpretations over land) 5 of the 7 Catholic sacraments Indulgences QUOTES: Indulgences: - “they have become excuses for gluttony and drunkenness.” “the pope leads you away from the gifts of God, which you have without pay, to his gifts, which you must buy” Sin: - “St. Paul portrays himself as still a sinner, he says that, because of the incomplete gifts and because of the Spirit, there is nothing damnable in those who are in Christ. Because our flesh has not been killed, we are still sinners, but because we believe in Christ and have the beginnings of the Spirit, God so shows us his favor and mercy, that he neither notices nor judges such sins. Rather he deals with us according to our belief in Christ until sin is killed.” General: - “All I wish to do is to arouse and set to thinking those who have the ability and the inclination to help the German nation become once more free and Christian, after the wretched, heathenish and unchristian rule of the pope.” - “ If the pope has the power to grant you dispensation to eat butter and to absent yourself from mass, then he ought also be able to leave this power to the priests, from whom, indeed, he has no right to take it” - “Let the man who has faith enough to venture this, boldly follow me; I shall not lead him astray. Though I have not the authority of a pope, I have the authority of a Christian to advise and help my neighbor against sins and temptations; and that, not without cause and reason.” - “every Christian man should open his eyes, and not be misled by the hypocritical Roman bulls and seals, stay at home in his own church and be content with his baptism, his Gospel, his faith, his Christ and with God, Who is everywhere the same; and let the pope remain a blind leader of the blind.” (Matt. 15:4) - PART 2, REFORM PROPOSAL Faith Alone: - “That is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law; faith it is that brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ.”
