home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
HaCKeRz KrOnIcKLeZ 3
/
HaCKeRz_KrOnIcKLeZ.iso
/
anarchy
/
essays
/
term
/
mluther.txt
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1996-04-27
|
22KB
|
347 lines
MARTIN LUTHER
This essay is concerned with Martin Luther (1483-1546),
and his concept of Christianity. Luther began his
ecclesiastical career as an Augustinian Monk in the Roman
Catholic Church. Consequently, Luther was initially loyal to
the papacy, and even after many theological conflicts, he
attempted to bring about his reconciliation with the Church.
But this was a paradox not to endure because in his later
years, Luther waged a continual battle with the papacy. Luther
was to become a professor of biblical exegesis at Wittenberg
where, in 1957, he posted his critique of the Roman Catholic
Church's teachings and practices. This is otherwise known as
The Ninety-Five Theses, which is usually considered to be the
original document of the Reformation. Basically, this document
was an indictment of the venality of the Roman Catholic
Church, particularly the widespread practice of selling
indulgences in association with the sacrament of penance.
Luther's beliefs on the matter was that after confession,
absolution relied upon the sinner's faith and God's Divine
Grace rather than the intervention of a priest. At this point,
Luther did not advocate an actual separation from the Roman
Catholic Church. Instead, Luther felt his suggested reforms
York-3
could be implemented within Catholicism. If this had taken
place, the Protestant Reformation would probably not of ever
seen the light of day--nor would it have been necessary. But
the theological practices being what they were in the Roman
Church, there was little chance at that time for any great
variations to occur within its folds. The Church of Rome was
thoroughly monolithic and set in its ways and was not about to
mutate into something else. If a metamorphosis had occurred
within the Roman Catholic Church, Luther would have had a
different destiny. But Luther's fate was sealed, and his job
was cut out for him.
Concerning Luther and the Reformation, Paul Tillich
states: "The turning point of the Reformation and of church
history in general is the experience of an Augustinian monk in
his monastic cell--Martin Luther. Martin Luther did not merely
teach different doctrines; others had done that also, such as
Wyclif. But none of the others who protested against the Roman
system were able to break through it. The only man who really
made a breakthrough, and whose breakthrough has transformed
the surface of the earth, was Martin Luther. . . . He is one
of the few great prophets of the Christian Church, and his
greatness is overwhelming, even if it was limited by some of
his personal traits and his later development. He is
responsible for the fact that a purified Christianity, a
Christianity of the Reformation, was able to establish itself
equal terms with the Roman tradition" (Tillich 227). Tillich's
York-4
main emphasis, then, is not on Luther as the founder of
Lutheranism, but as the person who broke through the system of
the Church of Rome. Luther shattered the theological
restraints and distortions of the Roman Catholic religion.
This accomplishment amounts to the establishment of another
religion known as Protestantism, a faith that was generated
from the Reformation, with its advocates such as Martin
Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Knox. However,
Luther stood out as one of the Reformation titans in a most
unique manner.
Roland H. Bainton suggests the following concerning
Luther's reforms with regard to the Catholic sacraments; "But
Luther's rejection of the five sacraments might even have been
tolerated had it not been for the radical transformation which
he effected in the two which he retained. From his view of
baptism, he was not a second baptism, and no vow should ever
be taken beyond the baptismal vow. Most serious of all was
Luther's reduction of the mass to the Lord's Supper. The mass
is central for the entire Roman Catholic system because the
mass is believed to be a repetition of the Incarnation and the
Crucifixion. When the bread and wine are transubstantiated,
God again becomes flesh and Christ again dies upon the altar.
This wonder can be performed only by priests empowered through
ordination. . . His first insistence was that the sacrament of
the mass must be not magical but mystical. . . He, too, had no
mind to subject it to human frailty and would not concede that
York-5
he had done so by positing the necessity of faith, since faith
is itself a gift from God, but this faith is given by God
when, where, and to whom he will and even without the
sacrament is efficacious; whereas the reverse is not true,
that the sacrament is of efficacy without faith. 'I may be
wrong on indulgences,' declared Luther, 'but as to the need
for faith diminished the role of the priests who may place
awafer in the mouth but cannot engender faith in the heart"
(Bainton 107). For Luther, the Holy Eucharist of Lord's supper
was really a symbolic act rather than an actual instance of
transubstantiation in which the bread and wine actually become
the body and blood of Christ. That was a magical aspect to
this sacrament which Luther could not accept. According to the
Roman Church, the bread and wine may have the appearance of
such, but their inner substances have literally become the
flesh and blood of Christ. All of this is a literal acceptance
of the words of Jesus at the Last Supper: "And as they were
eating, Jesus took the bread, and blessed it, and brake it,
and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my
body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to
them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the
new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of
sins" (Matthew 26: 26-28). Luther's view of the communion
sacrament was strictly symbolic as is the view of Protestants
to this day. However, this idea was heresy so far as the Roman
Catholic Church was concerned. The sacramental power of its
York-6
priests was no longer necessary if this concept were to
prevail. This is the type of change the Reformation and Martin
Luther wrought. The power of the Roman clergy could not exist
if Luther's concepts were to be accepted.
Because the principal sacrament of the Roman Catholic
Church is the Holy Eucharist of Holy Communion, the fact that
Luther was tampering with it could not help but be looked upon
by the Roman clergy with great dismay. Luther generated the
Protestant belief that this sacrament is a commemoration
through which clergy and communicants raise their spirits by
symbolic remembrance of Christ's life and death. In contrast,
according to the teachings of the Roman Church, Christ's human
body and blood are actually present in the consecrated bread
and wine.
As Bertrand Russell states: "Even more important in the
Middle Ages, was transubstantiation; only a priest could
perform the miracle of the mass. It was not until the eleventh
century in 1079, that the doctrine of transubstantiation
became an article of faith, though it had generally been
believed for a long time" (Russell 408). As Luther saw it, no
sacrament is effective by itself without listening to the Word
associated with the sacrament, and the faith that believes in
it. There is no magical element to any sacrament, including
the doctrine of transubstantiation. Consequently, Luther's
teachings on the sacraments took away the power of the priests
and the special nature of the Holy Eucharist. The Roman
York-7
Catholic mass depends completely on these concepts in order
for the Roman Church to sustain its efficacy as the
representative of Christ on earth. Paul Tillich states: "From
this it followed that transubstantiation was destroyed,
because this doctrine makes the bread and wine a piece of
divine reality inside the shrine and put on the altar. But
such a thing does not occur. The presence of God is not a
presence in the sense of an objective presence, at a special
place, in a special form; it is a presence for the faithful
alone. There are two criteria for this: if it is only for the
faithful, then it is only an action. Then if you enter a
church and the sacrament is spread, you do not need to do
anything, because it is pure bread. If becomes more than this
only in action, that is when it is given to those who have
faith. For the theory of transubstantiation, it is there all
the time. When you enter an empty Roman church, you must bow
down before the shrine because God himself is present there,
even though no one else is present besides you and this
sacrament. Luther abolished this concept of presence. He
denounced the character indelebilis as a human fiction"
(Tillich 236-237).
For Luther to take this position required considerable
courage on his part due to the fact he was facing an
ecclesiastical force of great strength and authority. Luther
did what most kings would fear to do. Thus his reservation
over transubstantiation was monumental, besides being a highly
York-8
important concern, to say the least. After all, as a
Augustinian Monk, who was he to fight the doctrines of the
pope or even attempt any reforms? However, this is the task
which Luther undertook against all odds. Luther's courage and
boldness can be seen in his "Open Letter to Pope Leo X" dated:
Wittenberg, September 6, 1520: "I have, to be sure, sharply
attacked ungodly doctrines in general, and I have snapped at
my opponents, not because of their bad morals, but because of
their ungodliness. Rather than repent this in the least, I
have determined to persist in that fervent zeal and to despise
the judgment of men, following the example of Christ who in
his zeal called his opponents 'a blood of vipers,' 'blind
fools,' 'hypocrites'. . . I have truly despised your see, the
Roman Curia, which, however, neither you nor anyone else can
deny is more corrupt than any Babylon or Sodom ever was, and
which, as far as I can see, is characterized by a completely
depraved, hopeless, and notorious godlessness" (Luther and
Dillenberger 44-45). It would seem statistics would favor the
Church of Rome; however, such was not the situation.
As the central figure of a violent religious rebellion in
Germany, Martin Luther brought forth his principal theological
doctrine about Christianity. According to Luther, mankind is
justified by faith alone, and not by works. On the concept of
this belief in a personal faith instead of the power of the
Roman Catholic Church, Luther favored the abolition of many
rituals and challenged the supreme authority of the pope. For
York-9
this, Luther paid the ultimate penalty the Roman Catholic
Church could inflict, he was excommunicated. Luther then went
before the Diet of Worms, where he took a firm stand
concerning his beliefs and was placed under the ban of the
Holy Roman Empire. All of this entails considerably more
details concerning Luther's concept of Christianity.
Justification by faith, not by works is perhaps Luther's most
important doctrinal contribution to the Reformation, and all
it implies.
According to Luther, salvation is a gift from God, and no
human being can possibly do anything to merit this blessing.
Thus good works are of no avail with regard to the salvation
of one's soul. Therefore, the most a Christian can do is to
have faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is basically
what a Christian is. Because Christianity has only two real
sacraments (baptism and the Lord's Supper), it is necessary
for a person to partake of both in order to actually be a
Christian. Certainly, a heathen or pagan can go around doing
good works, but this means nothing to God. Christ is the
Second Person of the Holy Trinity, with the father being the
First Person of the Holy Trinity, and the Holy Spirit being
the Third Person. However, a Christian should do good works;
yet, this will not save one's soul. God blesses certain
Christian persons with His Divine Grace according to His
Divine Wisdom. Only God knows who will be saved. Nevertheless,
all Christians must conduct their lives according to God's
York-10
teachings for the very reason that they are Christians. God,
in His Infinite Mercy and Judgment knows his own. Only God is
capable of judging His people fairly and wisely. Paul Tillich
states: "I want to emphasize Luther's doctrines of sin and
faith very much because they are points in which the
Reformation is far superior to what we find today in popular
Christianity. For Luther sin is 'Unbelief in the real sin.'
'Nothing justifies except faith, and nothing makes sinful
except unbelief.' 'Unbelief is sin altogether.' 'Therefore the
word 'sin' includes what we are living and doing besides the
faith in God.' These statements presuppose a concept of faith
which has nothing whatsoever to do with the acceptance of
doctrines" (Tillich 245).
Luther believed that mankind is totally depraved; but
this does not mean there is nothing good in humanity. What
this idea really means is that human beings are in continual
conflict with themselves. Modern psychology would say the self
is frustrated and neurotic concerning itself. In order to deal
with this situation, Luther felt faith is something a true
Christian must embrace. This is the faith that Jesus Christ is
the Savior of mankind.
Luther did not feel those persons having a profession
involving violence are doomed to eternal damnation. For
instance, Luther believed a Christian soldier could be saved
even if he killed other people known as the 'enemy.' Luther
provides a soldier's prayer is his essay "Whether Soldiers,
York-11
Too, Can Be Saved" (1526): ". . . But because I know and have
learned from your gracious word that none of our good works
can help us and that no one is saved as a soldier but only as
a Christian, therefore, I will not in any way rely on my
obedience and work, but place myself freely at the service of
your will. I believe with all my heart that only the innocent
blood of your dear son, my Lord Jesus Christ, redeems and
saves me, which he shed for me in obedience to your holy will.
This is the basis on which I stand before you. In this faith
I will live and die, fight, and do everything else. Dear Lord
God the Father, preserve and strengthen this faith in me by
your Spirit. Amen" (Luther and Schultz 135-136). It should be
understood, however, that Luther never sanctioned war, which
he believed was a definite indication of mankind's depravity.
Yet, a Christian soldier may possibly be saved by God's Grace
just as any other Christian may be so blessed.
One of the most important differences between the Roman
Church and Luther's conception of Christianity is the
personal relationship between God and the Christian. In
Catholicism, the Church is an intermediary between God and the
individual. However, no intermediary is needed at all in
Luther's theological approach. This is one of Protestantism's
most significant qualities.
Another very important characteristic of Luther's reforms
is the final authority of the Bible with respect to
theological matters. This is also completely different from
York-12
the Roman Catholic view, which holds that the Church is the
final authority with regard to theological concerns. In fact,
when speaking excathedra, the pope is considered by
Catholicism to be infalliable concerning faith and morals.
Luther could not accept a human being with Holy Orders as the
means through which a Christian reaches God. These are the
teachings that caused Luther to be excommunicated by the Roman
Church and helped to create the Protestant form of
Christianity.
When Luther appeared before the Diet of Worms, he was
asked by Eck, an official of the Archbishop of Trier: "I ask
you, Martin--answer candidly and without horns-- do you or do
you not repudiate your books and the errors which they
contain?" Luther replied, "Since then Your Majesty and your
lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns
and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and
plain reason--I do not accept the authority of popes and
councils, for they have contradicted each other--my conscience
is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant
anything, for us to go against conscience is neither right nor
safe. God help me. Amen" (Bainton 144). Essentially, Luther
provided the Christian with a degree of freedom not at all
present in Catholicism. Luther dared to defy the might and
authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Reformation
was born.
York-13
WORKS CITED
Bainton, Roland H. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. New
York: Mentor, 1950.
Dillenberger, John. Martin Luther: Selection From His
Writings. New York: Anchor Books, 1962.
Russell, Bertrand. A History of Western Philosophy. New York:
Simon and Schuster, 1945.
Schultz, Robert C. and Helmut T. Lehmann. Luther's Works,
Volume 46, The Christianity in Society, III.
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967.
Tillich, Paul. A History of Christian Thought From Its Judaic
and Hellenistic Origins to Existentialism. New York:
Simon and Schuster, 1968.
The Holy Bible. King James Version. New York: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1972.
MARTIN LUTHER
JAY YORK
RELIGION IN AMERICAN LIFE
DR. JOSEPH HOWELL
APRIL 1, 1996
