In 1517, a German monk, Martin Luther, posted 95 theses, or propositions, on a church door in Wittenberg. These theses condemned many practices of the Catholic Church. Luther particularly objected to the Church's practice of selling indulgences, or spiritual credits, by which people might gain credit toward salvation in heaven. In Luther's eyes, this practice reflected a corrupt church, headed by a venal papacy, but also a totally mistaken belief that people could gain salvation by specific practices, rather than faith and divine predestination.Luther's attacks were met by Catholic rejection, but Luther continued his efforts, appealing to many groups in Germany for a variety of reasons. Some sincerely agreed with Luther and thought he was pointing toward a true version of Christianity. Others also saw political or social advantages in a new religion. Because Luther and his followers were protesting Catholicism, they were soon called Protestants. A permanent split had opened in Western Christendom.
Lutheranism spread widely in Germany and also in Scandinavia. Other versions of Protestantism, which picked up Lutheran elements but added other doctrines, spread in parts of France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, England, and Scotland, and from these centers spread to North America. Protestantism, and the Catholic response, which included some key reforms within the Church, proved vital in European history not only because of the religious division and ensuing wars, but also because of the role of religious change in spurring new developments in areas as diverse as the economy and family life.
Early in his reformist career, in 1520, Luther wrote (in German, rather than Latin) a "Letter to the German Nobility," which sought to rouse their support.
In it he explained many of his objections to Catholic practices and his growing opposition to the pope. He also implied the need for major changes in church government, in family life, in leisure, and in the economy that foreshadowed important developments in Protestant regions in the decades to come.
The document that I would like you to read is an important statement in the early Reformation, but also a challenge to analysis, in figuring out some of the wider implications of Protestantism. Luther's letter also explains some of the diverse appeals offered through this new religious movement. Finally, the letter offers insight into Luther's own motivation, in what proved to be a determined but very difficult personal crusade. You can click here to read excerpts from this letter, but look carefully first at what I need you to read: section 9 (pgs. 108-110), section 11 (just what is on pg. 111), pg. 114 paragraph 1-pg. 115 paragraph 1, the bottom half of pg. 119, the first paragraph of section 18 (pg. 127), the last paragraph of section 19 (pg. 129), the first two paragraphs of section 21 (pgs. 134-135), and the last paragraph of pg. 163 through the rest of pg. 164. Although this may seem like a lot, it's actually a fairly quick read.
When you have finished reading those excerpts, I would like you all to think about and discuss the following: What are the main objections Luther had to Catholic practice? What kinds of change does Luther seek in the clergy, and why? What aspects of the existing church-state relationship does Luther attack? What kinds of church-state relations might follow from his views? Why does Luther attack pilgrimages? What are more appropriate duties of the good Christian in his opinion? What kinds of economic change does Luther imply? Would the spread of Protestantism affect the European economy? What kinds of changes in family life does Luther imply? What kinds of appeals does Luther offer, explicitly or implicitly, to the various groups in German society? What might motivate various groups to become Protestant? How does Luther relate to a sense of German identity? How would you interpret Luther's own motivation? What caused him to take on one of the most powerful institutions in Western Europe? Did the Reformation cause similar changes in Europe compared to those prompted by the Renaissance or were the two movements very different? How, if at all, did they combine? Your thoughts...
13 comments:
his major issue seemed to be corruptness in the priesthood. he noted how a lot of the priests weren't behaving as they were supposed to. he also didn't like the amount of power the pope had. he didn't think the pope had rights to that much power, as well that the pope had other duties he should have been attending to. i think the part about being sick of people kissing the pope's feet ties in to him thinking the pope has to much power, his own frustration of that it was a silly thing, and could even be that he thought no human should kiss the feet of another. that could kinda tie in to that he thought only god should get that kinda worship. that would also tie in to luther not liking how much importance the catholic church put into saints.
Luther pretty much states in section 9 that the Pope has nothing to do when it comes to politics and that he should not own land, as he cannot be a priest and a lord at the same time. In section 11, he objects to people kissing the pope's feet, because it would make it seem like the pope is more powerful than Jesus. Page 114 is saying that a pilgrimage is an evil thing, because it is not required by God, while caring for your family is, and if you are on a pilgrimage you cannot do care for them. In section 18, he states he despises festivals because instead of honoring saints and God, they are days where so many sins are performed. The only festivals should be on Sundays or celebrated by a mass, he says, which would leave quite a few days open for working. In section 21, he feels that all towns should be able to provide for their own beggars, giving them the necessities, while keeping out all foreign beggars, who will try to steal their money. At the very end, he is pretty much rallying religious people to question the authority of the Catholic Church, and try to make reforms. One very good move on his part was to write this all in the vernacular tongue, German, so that many people in his area could understand it and join his cause. I believe that many poor or middle class people would go to his cause, because it is unfair that the rich should be able to buy their way out of their sims, while the poor have to work to do good, and at the same time provide for themselves. Many rulers who did not like the pope would also join, because the pope would excommunicate them and they would not have the church meddling in the ruling of their country.
I think that Luther was right. The church was wielding to much power meaning the pope was wielding to much power. And even though the church could have united Europe it wasn't worth it if the people had to kiss the popes feet. It also helped that he gave examples from the bible (even though the people couldn't read it because the church would only write it in latin). So thats another thing that helped him he wrote in the vanacular. It also helps that at this time everyone was questioning everything. And because of this split we have the Europe we do today.
I think Martin Luther's main concern was the entire idea of the Catholic church having power over everyone. The church could say just about anything they wanted to about Christianity and people would have to believe them because the Bible was only in Latin. I think that Martin Luther was truly concerned with the Bible not being available to everyone. He believed that the Bible was the only source of truth, not the Catholic church. He believed that God had not empowered the church to make decisions about admission to heaven.
THAT WAS AWESOME!!! Seriously!! I love this guy! I must say, I am feeling a bit inspired! :D
He disagreed with: -the Pope's authority -pilgrimages being unholy because of leaving family (although I am suprised he did not mention that they were killing) -the role of Preists and others apart of the Church, yielding too much power and greed -holy days being unholy and worshiping saints -pesants everywhere, not being taken care of
He thinks the pope has to much power and is being greedy in what he takes- I loved the metaphor of the chariot falling apart on its way to heaven!
I loved how he mentioned the worship of saints. Some/many of those saints were just transferred to saints from the pagan religions that had been forced to become Christian and so they hit their gods among the saints, such as St. Brigit. :) I guess that shows he is a true Christian because, although he may not recognize that, he is still refusing the worship of saints and just God.
I loved that he kept using anti-Christ and devil to describe the pope. It is like a paradox... It makes his letter all the more vindictive, becuase he is calling their glorious head ruler and religious leader the complete opposite of what he is!
He really knows what he is talking about! He must have been raised with Latin as well and have been noticing and feeling all this treachery his whole life. That is probibly why he said "God compelled (him) to open his mouth."
I guess his German identity can be because of his being against the Church. The other places did not like or want to be apart of the Church but were forced to be, so when he rose against it, he was representing them all, and they all followed his lead.
I may be weird, but I seriously loved his document!
um question.
if he like lead people to not really follow the pope. wouldnt he have lost all his followers too because the people who broke off from the pope like started their own religions didnt they?
or am i just getting this confused here?
well, for luther it wasn't so much about gaining followers for himself. yes, you're right though, with many beginning their own churches, several protestant factions start to emerge all over the place.
i think luther was right in most of the things he disagreed with. especially with the fact that priests werent doing what they should be, by selling salvation and whatnot.. and the fact that the pope has nothing to do with politics.. i was pretty disappointed by the prank earlier... butt... i guess this is one chapter i actually will understand thanks to that lol
He doesnt want the pope to have authority over a king, because then another country's ruler is in charge of your country. He thinks the pope thinks too much of himself, and that the only thing he is appointed to do is preaching. I think that he's also saying that the pope shouldnt be a leader of the country. He says something like how will he have time to be a devoted leader of the church, and rule a country. He also believes that the pope shouldnt get his feet kissed, since he is a sinful man, as are all men. He brings up the point that Jesus washed his disciples feet, not the other way around.
He also is against pilgrimiges, because he points out that the bible doesnt say people need to make pilgrimages, but that they need to stay at home and care for his family and neighbors. He says that if people say they want to make a pilgrimage on account of their faith, they shouldnt be allowed to go, but if they admit that they are curious and want to see other places, they should be able to go.
He also believes that priests should be able to marry.
He believes that the festivals should be gone or moved to a sunday, because the people sin on those days by drinking and partying.
Also, he thinks that cities should have to support the poor so there wont be any beggers.
He concludes by saying that he would rather be punished on the earth then in heaven, so he cant keep quiet about his ideas
Luther does make a point of saying that the church was getting too much power & then the priests of these churches we not behaving the way they were suppose to be. Even for a catholic myself, i do think that it was too much if the pope had about all of the power. but now, things have changed. And the whole thing about festivals/masses on Sunday reminds me of how i learned in bible study classes that on the 7th day of god's creation, the 7th day was a rest day and i guess thats when we go to mass..and now mass on Sunday is pretty much mandatory (well for me) and considered a sin if you don't go on purpose or with a good reason. i do like, however, how martin luther went for what he believed in and set up his own church...even though it caused some problems along the way.
In here, martin Luther was really pissed about the pope thinking he was somwhat equal to god when he was not appointed by god nor should he rule over everyone. Luther described the pope as a con artist by telling lies to the people. From this i get that the pope is a hippocrit and has a false sense of superiority. well, he does have power but according to luther he shouldnt. the pope gets his way into things he has no business being involved in and he makes people do unholy things. now how does it make since for a pope to make his congragation do UNholy things, i.e. kissing his feet. when in fact jesus himself washed other people's feet like a servant would. to me it sounds like luther is more aggravated with mainly the pope, more than the whole catholic church
He was very unsatisfied at the catholic church controling lands politically and economically,and he wanted to have the power.
He exemplified the situations and the solutions for it. the "Kissing Feet" was not right to Luther's standards because people were worshiping( in a way) the pope; just like Jesus. Becuase of this, protestant reformation begins.
i think that luther was right. his main problem/concern was that he didnt like the fact that the catholic church had power over everyone basically. cuz that would have led to more and more problems so it was smart of him to help move on
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