Martin Luther was the pioneer of protestant reform in the Christian religions. Martin Luther was a theologian and religious leader who opposed the religious authority of the Roman Catholic church. Martin Luther's idea and interpretation of religion led to the rise of a new sect in Christianity known as Protestantism.
Martin Luther issued 95 theses that contain a list of prepositions for the academic debate on the ideas of Christian theology. The pope instructed him to withdraw this thesis but the refusal of Martin Luther made him ex-communicated.
Martin Luther
Martin later was born in Eiselben, Mansfeld in the holy roman empire. The name of the father of Martin luter was Hans Luder and his mother was Margarethe.
Martin Luther was born in 1483 in what is presently known as Germany. He was born in a middle-class family, his father wanted him to pursue a career in the field of law. Martin Luther enrolled in the university of Erfurt when he was 17 year old. Martin Luther was not interested in the study of law, he believed that the study of law is meaningless and he dropped out of the university.
Luther was interested in the study of something that has meaning, though he entered into the philosophy but got disillusioned because he believed that God is the ultimate truth and human reasoning is not above the idea of God.
An incident in Martin Luther's life- When he was in some village, the thunderstorm and lightning frightened him, and he vowed to become a monk if he was able to escape the situation. When Martin Luther came out of the horrific situation, he went to become a monk in the St. Agustian monastery. In the monastery he dedicated himself to the religions, he kept fasting and remembering god. The superior of Martin Luther in the monastery was known as Jhon von Staupitz. The superior instructed him to pursue a career in academics, he started teaching theology at the university of Wittenberg.
In medieval Europe, the church had the power to remit the half or full sins of believers against the sum of the money. Pop used to appoint the people for the collection of money through the sale of indulgences.
When John Tetzel (1516) was sent by the roman church to Germany to collect the indulgence. John Tetzel was later appointed general commissioner by Albrecht von Brandenburg. Albrecht was in debt and he had to contribute to the construction of the Roman church basilica in Rome. Albrecht obtains permission from the pop to sell the indulgence and he has to contribute half to the church of basilica.
Martin Luther protested against the practice of the church of remission of sins by collecting money. He wrote to Albrecht von Brandenburg against the sale of indulgences. The letter contains a copy of the 95 theses. Martin Luther did not want to oppose the church but rather seek debate on the issue of the sale of indulgences.
Martin Luther believed that God is alone and who will decide whose sin will be forgiven or who will be punished for his/her deeds. A copy of his 95 theses was later published and spread all over Europe. The people started discussing the idea of reformation.
In 1920 when Martin Luther became famous, he publishes 3 works −
To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation,
On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and
On the Freedom of a Christian.
The most important contribution of Martin Luther to the reformation of the Christian religion is the doctrine of justification of faith. Martin Luther has asserted that faith alone in God will define righteousness. He has revolutionized the idea of the relationship between God and believers. Earlier the Church used to do work of infusion of faith in the person through its institutions but Martin Luther challenged that idea, he declared that believers are the lord of all and subjects to none.
Luther was excommunicated by the Pop and declared a “drunken man”. In 1520, Martin Luther went into isolation when he got to know that he could be assassinated. Though he was warmly welcomed, the people's response gave enthusiasm to Martin Luther to further question the holy roman church.
He started furthering the cause of supremacy of the bible and Christianity over the pop and church, and this further raised eyebrows among the papacy.
The roman emperor died in 1519, and a man belonging to the area of Martin Luther, Frederick the Wise was appointed as the next emperor, he was given the task of keeping Luther silent, but Luther further widened the gap.
In 1920 when Martin Luther became famous, he published 3 works −
To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation,- He called for the German nation to bring reformation in the institution of the church. Martin Luther has urged people to debate the 95 theses he already published.
On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church - The theme of this work is to debate the holy sacrament. Martin Luther argued that only 2 out of 7 sacraments are real while others are for the benefit of the church. He believed that only has the power to decide the sins and punishment for the wrongs of the believers.
On the Freedom of a Christian - He talked about the relationship between god and the believers, he argued that only believers should pray to god. He said, “a believer is a lord to all and subject to none”. He further tried to curtail the power of the holy roman church.
Martin Luther was born in the time of the Renaissance, it is a time when the values of European society are changing, and the traditional institutions of economy, society, and religion are transforming by the new institution. The role of Martin Luther in changing the nature of the Christian religion was greatest, he reformed the religions and raised questions about the authority of the church.
Q1. Which period of European history is known as the renaissance?
Ans. The period between the 15th century and 16th century was a period of the enlightenment or renaissance. The period is known as the major transformation of European social, political, and economical systems.
Q2. Which countries of Europe are protestant majority countries?
Ans. According to globaleconomy.com, the protestant majority of countries in Europe are
Denmark
Sweden
Finland
Norway.
Q3. What was the Economic system of medieval Europe?
Ans. The economic system of medieval Europe was feudal. Agriculture was the primary economic activity. The feudal lords used to control the land and serfs used to work on them.
Q4. How is the French revolution linked to the period of enlightenment?
Ans. The French revolution of 1789 was a major event in the history of Europe and the world. The French revolution was based on the ideas of the enlightenment period, the idea was of “liberty, equality, and fraternity”. These ideas were given by the enlightenment philosophers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Jhone Lock, Mills, etc.
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