Martin Luther - Part 2

Martin Luther – Part 2

Martin was not executed after the Council at Worms, but was declared an outlaw. This would have given free rein to anyone with a desire to harm him. Luther’s patron, Frederick III “The Wise” actually kidnapped him and took him to his palace for his protection. Luther despised being locked up, but produced many writings there, as well as getting a great start on the German Bible.

It is interesting to note that during Luther’s trial, one of the Papal prosecutors stated, “Sir, if you are successful, there will one day be as many sects of Christianity as there are Christians.”

Once the threats to his life subsided, Luther began to preach and write with great vigor. He showed very little tolerance for deviations from what he considered to be good doctrine. He admitted his own problem with anger, claiming that, when directed against the enemies of God, it helped him to write well, to pray, and to preach. He wrote, “Anger refreshes all my blood, sharpens my mind, and drives away temptations.” He often used harsh profanity in debates and in personal letters, but rarely in his books and pamphlets. As the reformation grew legs, and other brilliant men jumped on the bandwagon, Luther often saved his harshest words for them. On at least one occasion, while in an informal debate in a German pub, Luther threw his guilder of beer at an opponent!

Even while he was still a monk, Martin Luther saw the need for a reformation in terms of marriage. He saw that men were abusive, at least in their attitudes toward their wives. He actively encouraged fathers to free their daughters from convents, which was a capital offense, even assisting one man in 1523 who plotted the escape of his daughter and eleven other young women who were smuggled out of their convent in empty herring barrels. One man in Wittenberg wrote of this, “A wagonload of vestal virgins has just come to town, all more eager for marriage than for life.”

Luther found husbands for eleven of these women, but was unable to find a suitable match for Katherine von Bora, a redhead (in truth, and in attitude) in her mid-20s – well beyond the usual age for marriage. When Luther proposed one older gentleman, she refused, but added that if Martin himself were willing, she would say yes.

Martin was not willing to be married, mostly because he expected the death due to a heretic at any moment. He gave in both to the example he wanted to set for pastors and his parents’ desire for grandchildren, though, and in 1525 the 41-year-old former monk married the 26-year-old former nun. One pamphlet against Luther labeled Katherine a “poor, fallen woman” who had passed “from the cloistered holy religion into a damnable, shameful life.”

The marriage began as a marriage of convenience, a way to poke Catholicism in the eye. Over time, Martin developed a very deep affection and love for her. He once declared, “I would not give my Katie for France and Venice together.” She brought order to Martin’s finances, became an expert in herbal medicines to cure his various illnesses, planted fields, cared for an orchard, harvested a fish pond, managed a barnyard, and slaughtered livestock. Hospitality-minded, she also cared for literally hundreds of boarders over the years.

Katherine seemed to manage Martin’s very life, in many ways – a management he patiently endured and even treasured. He often called her “my lord Kate,” a reference to her stubborn insistence on order and balance in his personal life. Martin, used to solitude in his study, once locked himself in his study for three days, until Katie removed the hinges from the door. The Luthers had six children, whom Martin called his “little heathen from God,” four of whom lived to adulthood. He joyfully shared in the chores of parenthood, even performing the “womanly” task of washing diapers. When Martin died, he broke with the tradition of assigning a man to manage his estate and provide for his wife and children, instead leaving everything directly to Katherine.

Some of Martin Luther’s quotes on marriage:
“There’s a lot to get used to in the first year of marriage. One wakes up in the morning and finds a pair of pigtails on the pillow that were not there before.”
“Of course, the Christian should love his wife. He is supposed to love his neighbor, and since his wife is his nearest neighbor, she should be his deepest love.”
“The Devil cannot bear to see married people agree well with each other.”
“People who do not like children are swine, dunces, and blockheads, not worthy to be called men and women, because they despise the blessing of God, the Creator and Author of marriage.”
“To have peace and love in a marriage is a gift that is next to the knowledge of the Gospel.”
“In domestic affairs I defer to Katie. Otherwise, I am led by the Holy Ghost.”

Martin Luther was an accomplished musician. He was an accomplished lute player, and even tried his hand at composition. It was during one of the most trying times of his life, the year 1527, that Martin Luther wrote one of his most famous hymns. On April 22nd, a dizzy spell forced him to stop his sermon midway. On July 6th, as friends were arriving for dinner, he felt an intense buzzing in his ear. He laid down, then panicked and shouted for water. He felt he was going to die, and took pains to make peace with people there. He obviously recovered, but suffered from bouts of depression.

In August, a plague erupted in Wittenberg. Many people of means fled, but Martin felt it was his duty as a pastor to remain. Remain he did, with his first son and wife pregnant with a second child. His house was transformed into a hospital, and he watched many friends die. His son even grew ill. In November, the plague subsided. Late that year, reflecting on his trials, and on the fact that his 95 theses had been published 10 years before, he penned his most famous hymn – at least that has been translated into English – “A Mighty Fortress in Our God.”

A mighty fortress is our God, A bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood Of mortal ills prevailing: For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask why that may be? Christ Jesus it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His name, From age to age the same, and He must win the battle.

And tho’ this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph thro’ us: The Prince of Darkness grim, We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For lo his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow’rs, No thanks to them abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours Thro’ Him who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also: The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His Kingdom is forever.


Christian History Magazine – two editions on the life of Martin Luther

Martin Luther - Part 1

Martin Luther – Part 1

Martin Luther, born in the late 15th Century, was the son of a copper miner. His father was climbing the ladder of the scant middle class in Germany. Martin showed great academic promise, so his father made arrangements to send him to law school – which would solidify the financial state of Martin, as well as his parents, for the future. He began legal school at age 14, earning his baccalaureate and master’s degrees in the shortest time allowed by the university.

During his time at law school, Martin began to have doubts about his spiritual state, and took a leave of absence from doctoral school in 1505 (at age 21) to discuss this with family and friends. On his ride home, he was caught in a lightning storm and a bolt of lightning hit very close to where he was. In fear he cried out, “Help me, Saint Anne! I will become a monk!” Saint Anne was very familiar to him, as she was the patron saint of miners.

Martin kept his word, and entered the strictest Augustinian monastery he could find, after giving away all his possessions. He was an impeccable student and was very observant. He did not just endure, but he earnestly pursued the prayer, fasts, and ascetic practices such as going without sleep, enduring cold without a blanket, and self-flagellation. He later remarked, “If anyone could have earned Heaven by the life of a monk, it was I.” He was instructed to undertake the study of theology and quickly rose to become one of the Order’s teachers.

As Martin continued to study, he became more fearful of God, and had continued doubts of his own salvation. His teachers taught that God demanded absolute righteousness (“Be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect…”). If you weren’t perfect, you had to repent in a contrite manner, not for the selfish purpose of saving yourself. This requirement for perfect contrition plagued him, because he knew his own works were purely selfish, the desire to save his own skin.

Luther was drawn to Romans 1:17 (which later became the ‘text of the Reformation’), “…the righteous shall live by faith.” Luther knew deep down that he was not righteous, therefore he could not live by faith. Luther, with all his piety, knew his incredible works did him no good. He confessed his doubts to his superior in the Order, and was even told to go out and commit a ‘real’ sin. “You want to be without sin, but you don’t have any real sins anyway…the you must not inflate your halting, artificial sins out of proportion!” Martin’s conscience would not permit this, “Yet my conscience would never give me assurance, but I was always doubting and said ‘You did not perform that correctly. You were not contrite enough. You left that out of your confession.’ “

As he continued to meditate on and study Romans 1:17, he later stated about this: “I was seized with the conviction that I must understand Paul’s letter to the Romans…but to that one moment one phrase in Chapter 1 stood in my way. I hated the idea, “in it the righteousness of God is revealed.” …I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners… At last, meditating day and night and by the mercy of God, I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift from God, namely by faith…Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through gates that had been flung open.”

In 1517, Pope Leo X sent his aide, Johannes Tetzel, on a fund-raising journey. Tetzel offered the sale of indulgences – monetary contributions to limit the stay in purgatory for deceased loved ones. Tetzel preached on emotion, and usually ended his pitch with a catchy jingle, “When the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from Purgatory springs!” This money was used to fund church projects, primarily the vast renovation of St Peter’s Basilica.

Martin Luther was very bothered by the sale of indulgences, in addition to his other struggles. He posted a list of 95 questions, the famous “95 theses” on the door of the church at Wittenburg on All Saints’ Eve. They were written in Latin, and were meant to be a formal introduction to debate on the sale of indulgences and a few other points Luther questioned.

Enter “mass media”. An individual unknown to history made a copy of Luther’s theses, translated them into German, and within two weeks, they were spread across Germany. Martin’s questions proved to be a flashpoint that allowed many individuals to question what they instinctively know to be wrong. By Spring of 1518, Luther was called to Heidelberg to debate the underlying theological issues. The flashpoint issue quickly moved from indulgences to the authority of the church: Did the Pope have the right to issue indulgences?

A number of public debates ensued, and Martin wrote prolifically to buttress his views. Eventually, his opponents were forbidden from debating with him – unless it was on the subject of church and Papal authority. Growing increasingly frustrated, Luther declared “A simple layman armed with the Scriptures” was superior to both Pope and church councils which did not have them. Pope Leo X issued a Papal bull threatening excommunication for Martin and anyone who followed his teachings. Luther publicly burned this, along with a copy of Canon Law. Luther’s writings urges rulers to take the reform of the church into their own hands; reduced the seven Catholic Sacraments to three (baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and penance), then instructed Christians that they were free from the Law of the church, while they were bound in love to their neighbors.

In Spring of 1521, at the urging of the Pope, the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, held a “Diet” – a meeting – in the city of Worms. Martin Luther thought this to be another debate. He was awed to see Charles V himself, surrounded by his advisors and representatives of Rome, bishops, princes, and representatives of great cities. They were all standing around a table piled high with Luther’s writings. This was not to be a debate, but a judicial hearing. He was asked simply if those were his writings, and secondly if he would recant. Martin, taken aback, asked for a day to consider the matter.

The following day, Luther was again ushered into the great hall. He was asked the same questions, and he had a short prepared speech. He repeated it in Latin for the benefit of Emperor Charles V. Then the chief prosecutor demanded a simple answer, “Will you recant or not?” Luther replied, “Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct grounds of reasoning…then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. May God help me. Amen.”