Martin Luther

1. Martin Luther The Man with a Mission

2. Unlikely Religious Hero • Martin Luther was born into a modest family in 1483 in the Saxony Region of Germany. • Dislikes the Humanists because they questioned the power of God • Studied the “Back to Basics” theology of St. Augustine • This was the basis for his building conflict with the Church • Not Greek philosophers, etc • Around 1512, while feeling wracked with guilt over his religious “failing” he received a vision • A voice told him: “The Just shall live by Faith” • This became his central philosophy that shaped the rest of his life

3. That day in Wittenberg • The Church were religious leaders, but they were not good with money. • Popes had been forced to pawn religious icons in order to cover their debts. • The latest was the new church being built in Rome – St. Peter’s • The building was going on and on and was draining the coffers of the Church. • As a solution, Pope Leo X turned to his flock to help him out. • In 1517 the Pope issued a decree that he was offering an indulgence to the faithful • An indulgence is a cash offering to get the Pope to personally ask God to forgive a particular sin. • These were great for the Church as each level was allowed to skim some of cash and keep it. • When the Bishop of Mainz announced the indulgence, Luther was outraged and driven to action. • He compiled a list of 57 grievances (theses) with the Church and nailed them to the church door at Wittenberg

4. Swift Reaction • The Bishop of Mainz was incised • Indulgences went down because of the crazy monk. • The Bishop told the Pope about the monk • He replied, don’t worry, I’ll talk to his boss (head of the monastery) • The Bishop sent for him and threatened him if he did not recant. • Luther used the Bible to justify his issues against the use of indulgences. • To the Church leaders they saw Luther as questioning the authority of the Pope.

5. “The Emperor has no clothes” • The Church moved to suppress the monk and put him on trial. • However, the Elector of Saxony liked what the monk said and offered him protection. • The Electors are the select princes and kings who are allowed to vote who among them will be the next Holy Roman Emperor • The Pope was worried that if he pushed the Elector of Saxony, Leo X might end up not having his candidate for the job accepted. • The Pope backs down and more princes join in and begin to restrict the actions of the Church and push for more control over the local appointments (Bishops, Cardinals)

6. “Wait….That’s not what I said!” • Luther was appalled • He wanted the church to change • He did not openly try to challenge the Pope • Once he started the process the kings and princes jumped in and used this minor crisis to openly challenge the Pope. • The mass of society saw it even more differently. • They saw the power of the Church as ‘un-Christian’ • They saw that they had the right to make a new Church based on the true teachings of Christ • The problem with that is few could read so what the true teachings was left to some interpretation. • This of course left poor Luther wondering initially if he should have slept in that day back in 1517

7. If you can’t Beat them… • By the early 1520s, after a series of failed theological meetings and assassination attempts. • Luther accepts that maybe a new church could exist until the old one is repaired. • Small groups in every city across Europe take this as a green light • They create their own church • They begin to physically attack the Catholic Church as it had started to call itself • CATHOLIC = based on Greek word for Universial