Humanities 3III. The Reformation

Lecture 9

“Here I Stand”

Outline

• Erasmus and Luther

• The 95 Theses

• “The Three Walls”

Erasmus

• Humanist: teacher, editor and translator ofsacred and secular texts (esp. Greek editionof the New Testament)

• Christianity is not based on human wisdombut on folly (St. Paul)

• The foundation of Christianity is the personof Christ, a God of love and peace

Erasmus on Peace• Erasmus see peace (love, charity) as the

essence of Christianity, symbolized by theperson of Jesus Christ

• “The whole purpose of our religion is peaceand unanimity.” (Letter to ArchbishipCarondolet, January 1522)

• War is “the height of madness” and “sounholy a thing that it is the greatestimmediate destroyer of all piety andreligion” (A Complaint of Peace)

Martin Luther (1483-1546)• Son of a miner• University

education (MA1505)

• 1507 Ordained as aCatholic priest

• 1510-11 Travels toRome where he isappalled by thecorruption he sees

Sistine Chapel(Michelangelo painted ceiling frescos 1508-12;

commissioned by Pope Julius II)

• 1512-46 Professor of biblical exegesis atUniversity of Wittenberg

• Begins to preach the doctrine of salvationby faith rather than works

• October 31, 1517 95 Theses nailed to thedoor of the castle church

• 1518 Pope summons Luther to Rome toanswer for his theses; Luther refuses

• 1520 Publishes An Appeal to the RulingClass of German Nationality

• 1520 Excommunicated by Pope Leo X• 1521 Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor,

convenes Diet of Worms: Luther refuses torelent

• 1524-5 Erasmus publishes Discourse on FreeWill. Luther responds with The Bondage ofthe Will. Peasants’ War in Germany: 100,000die.

• 1525 Marries Katherina von Bora, a nun• 1530 Philip Melanchthon composes the

Augsburg Confession, which codifies thetheology of the Lutheran church

Luther versus Erasmus• Both learned in scripture and eager to bring

about a spiritual renewal in the Catholicchurch based on the example of Christ

• Luther writes in German, identifies with theGerman nation; Erasmus writes in Latin,lives throughout Europe

• Luther is a preacher who is ready to fightfor Christianity against the Church;Erasmus is a scholar who stresses peace andthe unity of the Church

Two Views of Human Nature• Although Erasmus recognizes the depth of

human sinfulness, he stresses thepossibilities of spiritual renewal through theexample of Jesus Christ (the symbol ofpeace)

• Luther regards sinfulness is an irremediablepart of human life; our nature is “fallen”(we bear the mark of Adam’s “originalsin”). Suffering for one’s sinfulness mustbe the basis of a Christian life (symbolizedby Christ crucified)

95 Theses on Indulgences• Indulgences are payments made to the

Church for the remission of sins, especiallyas a means of lessening the time souls mustspend in purgatory

• Indulgences were collected by Rome as away of financing the rebuilding of St.Peter’s Basilica

• In Wittenberg, Luther was spurred to actionby the flagrant sale of indulgences by theDominican Johann Tetzel

Luther’s Main Criticisms

• Indulgences have nothing to do withthe remission of sin. All one can do inthis regard is to make a full and honestconfession of and repentance for one’ssins.

• Absolution is granted only by God; nohuman being has the power to remitguilt. (6, 76)

• The pope has the right to levy financialpenalties as a means of encouragingcontrite attitudes on the part of sinners(12)

• But such “canonical penalties” have noapplication in the case of the dead:“Death puts an end to all the claims ofthe church.” (13)

Key Points of Luther’s Theology

A Christian life is dominated by theconsciousness of sin:“The entire life of believers is to beone of penitence.” (1)“As long as hatred of self abides (i.e.,true inward penitence) the penalty ofsin abides, namely, until we enter thekingdom of heaven.” (4)

Psychology of Faith• “Defective piety or love in a dying person is

necessarily accompanied by great fear, which isgreatest where the piety or love is least” (14)

• “This fear or horror is sufficient in itself, whateverelse might be said to constitute the pain of purgatory,since it approaches very closely the horror ofdespair.” (15)

• “There seems to be the same difference between hell,purgatory, and heaven as between despair,uncertainty, and assurance.” (16)

• Although salvation is not earned throughcharitable works, they are essential to aChristian life (43-45)

• A Christian’s relation to God does notdepend on the mediation of the pope: “AnyChristian whatsoever, living or dead,participates in all the benefits of Christ andthe Church; and this participation is grantedto him by God without letters ofindulgence.” (37)

Against the Pope (50-51, 81-90)• 81. This unbridled preaching of

indulgences makes it difficult for learnedmen to guard the respect due to the popeagainst false accusations, or at least fromthe keen criticisms of the laity;

• 82. They ask, e.g., Why does not thepope liberate everyone from purgatoryfor the sake of love…?

Against Erasmus?• 92. Away, then, with those prophets who say

to Christ’s people, “Peace, peace,” wherethere is no peace.

• 94. Christians should be exhorted to bezealous to follow Christ, their Head, throughpenalties, deaths, and hells;

• 95. And let them thus be more confident ofentering heaven through many tribulationsrather than through a false assurance of peace.

Luther’s Teaching• sola fide (“by faith alone”): we come to God by faith

and not by reason; we have no ability to fathomGod’s omnipotence.

• sola scriptura (“by scripture alone”): God’s will isrevealed in scripture, which we understand throughfaith.

• sola gratia (“by grace alone”): no human beingmerits salvation. Even if we had free choice (whichwe don’t), we could not earn salvation through ouractions. God’s grace alone renders our actionsmeritorious, and grace is given without regard to ourapparent degree of goodness (“election”).

An Appeal to the Ruling Class(1520)

• Allusion to Erasmus in Salutation?(“Perhaps I owe God and the world anotheract of folly...”)

• An appeal to German nobility to rallyaround the cause of reform and to persuadeCharles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, tobreak with the pope.

• Fundamentally, a political document: whatis the legitimate relation between churchand state?

The Three Walls• Secular authorities have no jurisdiction

over the Church: the spiritual issuperior to the secular

• No one except the pope is competent toexpound scripture

• No one except the pope can summon achurch council

Against the First Wall• There is no separate “religious class”: all

Christians belong to it• “Priests” are merely representatives of the

people (“office-bearers”)• Secular rulers have an authority that is

independent of the pope: princes serve God,not Rome

• Religious office-holders (including thepope) are not exempt from secular authority

Against the Second Wall

“[E]ach and all of us are priests because weall have the one faith, the one gospel, oneand the same sacrament; why then shouldwe not be entitled to taste or test, and tojudge what is right or wrong in the faith?…Why then should we not distinguish whataccords or does not accord with the faithquite as well as an unbelieving pope?” (43)

Against the Third Wall

• No scriptural authority supports the claimthat only the pope can convene a churchcouncil

• The most famous church council thatestablished the basis of Catholic theology,the Council of Nicea (323), was convenedby the emperor Constantine

• Thus, Charles V should be seen as having asimilar authority

Statement to the Diet of WormsApril 17, 1521

“I do not accept the authority of popes andcouncils, for they have contradicted eachother. I am bound by the Scriptures that Ihave quoted and my conscience is captive tothe Word of God. I cannot and I will notrecant anything, since it is neither safe norright to go against conscience. Here I stand,I cannot do anything else. God help me.Amen.”

Outcome

• On May 25, 1521, Charles V issued theEdict of Worms, declaring Luther an outlawand a heretic and banning his writings

• To protect him, Frederick the Wise, theelector of Saxony, seized Luther on his wayback to Wittenberg and installed him inWartburg Castle, where he began histranslation of the New Testament intoGerman