MARTIN LUTHER AND THE REFORMATION

Luther publishing his "Ninety-Five Theses"

While Europe was going through its cultural Renaissance, some pastors tried to reform the Christian religion and remove certain aspects from the Church they perceived as heresies. This era is called the Reformation. The central figure in the Reformation was a German priest named Martin Luther (1483-1546). Before Luther, there were certain reformers such as Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, and Jan Hus. Luther’s battle against traditional Christianity began with his “Ninety-Five Theses” in which he denounced the Church’s innovations. But he didn’t publicly denounce the Church until Rome excommunicated him in Diet of Worms (1521). Backed by his powerful friends, Luther opened a battlefront against the Church, translated the Bible in German, wrote hymns, married a former nun Katharina von Bora, and became the founder of Protestantism.

The schism between Catholicism and Lutheranism had started after the Edict of Worms. It remained until the Peace of Westphalia (1648) calmed everyone down. The Church had responded to Luther’s attacks on the Catholic religion by initiating a counter-Reformation. The Councils of Trent (1545 and 1563) were called to oppose Lutheranism while Protestants maintained they were the true Christians. Counter-Reformation lasted until the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The Reformation gave rise to other branches in Christianity such as Reformed (Calvinism), Anglican, Anabaptist, and Unitarian churches. Let’s look at the core beliefs of Martin Luther which made him the Church’s bitter enemy.

Luther, in his “Ninety-Five Theses” strongly condemned the Church for selling “indulgences”. He stated that the purgatory wasn’t included in the Pope’s authority so he had no right to forgive people’s sins. He viewed the Treasury of Merit to be an innovation. He propagated the doctrines of sola fide and sola scriptura. Sola fide means that only faith guarantees salvation, not good deeds. Sola scriptura means that the Scripture alone is the source of divine guidance. He rejected the Church’s Seven Sacraments and the Holy Orders. Instead, he preached the idea of the universal priesthood which stated that, since all Christians were baptized, they were all priests and didn’t need any intermediary between them and God. Moreover, everyone had the right to interpret the Word of God. He abolished the practice of mandatory celibacy for priests. He also asserted the doctrines of simul justus et peccator. Catholics believed that baptism washed away the Original Sin and inclination to sin wasn’t a sin. Though Luther agreed that baptism washed away the Original Sin, he maintained that inclination to sin was itself a sin. Quoting Augustine, he declared that human beings remained sinners even after baptism and were justified by grace alone. For Luther, only Christian or Evangelical was an acceptable name for a follower of Christ. Though he hated Jews and supported antisemitism, he believed that Turks must be fought against on secular grounds.

After the death of Luther, Zwingli and Calvin continued the Protestant movement. It soon found its way into the United States. The Reformation can be compared to the Wahhabi movement in Arabia in which the neo-Salafists tried to purify Islam of things they considered to be heresies. Luther is included in the list of the world’s most influential personalities.

The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church:

Popes during the Protestant controversy:

1. Leo X (1513-21)
   He was the son of Lorenzo Medici, the great patron of the Renaissance artists.
2. Adrian VI (1522-23)
   He is the only Dutch pope in history.
3. Clement VII (1523-34)
   He caused the English Reformation when he didn't allow Henry VIII to divorce his wife.
4. Paul III (1534-49)
   He opened the first Council of Trent.