Thesis: Leading up to the Reformation, Luther was the first to successfully defy the older church authorities; therefore, he was seen as a significant leader in this religious movement, one of religious upheaval in the 16th century.
· Luther’s revolutionary stance on religious authority
o As a vehement and spiritually uneasy man, he believed that the thought of the awfulness of God was terrible
§ For he believed that God was given no satisfaction if allayment is offered through the church’s sacraments, prayers, and Mass
o A new realization and sense of peace
§ Developed the doctrine of justification by faith alone, which emphasizes what justifies a person is not the good works of the church but rather “faith alone”, where one has an “inward bent of spirit given to each soul directly by God.”
§ One did good deeds because they possessed the grace of God
o Thought that one could NOT obtain God’s grace by paying for indulgences in return for freedom from their punishments of purgatory à Tetzel’s presence within his German town caused Luther to come out of seclusion
o Showed revolutionary stance by posting 95 theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg
§ Which declared that after confession, a sinner is freed of sinful burdens by the inner grace and faith alone rather than by the priest’s absolution; therefore, he states that the priesthood has no necessary function within the spiritual realm and relationship between human beings and God
o Proclaimed that the clergy should marry and demanded that monasticism be eliminated
o Denounced doctrine of transubstantiation and purgatory
o Emphasis of finding Christian truth by reading the Bible individually
· Political support for his beliefs
o Pope Leo X refused him
§ Tried bringing together an assembly of a general church council as highest authority à mistaken way would hurt his cause
o Luther believed that “there was no such authority” to define such a true Christian belief
§ For individuals should read the Bible freely and have own interpretations
o He did call upon the temporal order of Germany, the prince, who willingly accepted for they could assumed more control over religion
§ After Luther was excommunicated, these princes felt the duty to move away from him and repressing a heretic
§ Answering about his excommunication: “I neither can nor will recant anything, since it is neither right nor safe to act against conscience. God help me! Amen.”
o Elector of Saxony and some other north German princes took him under their protection after his excommunication so that he could have “safe seclusion” in which he could continue his works (translate Bible into German)
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