#9351 - Luther Essay Plans - Luther and the German Reformation

Introduction

• 2 aspects to the beginning of the Reformation

Coherent theology for new beliefs

Action based on beliefs / consequences of Luther’s ideas

• 1517 - famous date of apparent 95 theses

• Definition of Reformation - internal development of theology v. external reforms

• Issue of having convenient date of 31 October or 1 November 1517 - can the 'Reformation' merely begin at a certain place and a certain time?

More nuanced view of spreading ideas of reform and coalescing around certain dates

• Further importance of the notion of schism - claimed that he did not want it => yet becomes acceptant of the idea and this can be said to determine later relations

Much more aggressive and eager to immediately condemn

• Other prime mover is the pope - defines whether the Reformation as a schism must occur

95 theses

Attack on indulgences and mercenary church

Repentance

Contrition cannot be bought - indulgences should include ideas of regret

• Some foreshadowing of later radicalism - emphasis on scripture, faith + repentance

Christians being misled + 'treasure' of word of God

Convenient date to provide beginning

Doubt whether there is an actual date

Not 1517

• Carlstadt had also had theses

Catholic remnants + lack of action

• Theology of 1517 was in no way fully developed

• Still accepted purgatory and indulgences - did not question sacrament of penance and very notion of good works

• Importance of repentance

• Still hoped for reform

• Issue of schism - wishes to get reform => hoped that pope was unaware of abuses

• Radical ideas led to Diet of Augsburg + Leipzig Debate (1519)

Justification by faith alone - 1517 => defends at Augsburg 1518

The more important potential 'event' of 1517 - tower moment

• Difficult to date

• 1517 - Justification by faith alone - due to grace of God

The main Christian tenet of faith

1515 lecturing on St Paul’s letter to the Romans + the just living by faith alone => meaning?

• Generally dated before 1518 + c. 1517- described later his tower experience

~ Sat in a tower and gets to Romans 1.17 - ‘the righteousness of God is revealed . . . the righteous shall live by faith’

~ Revealed in the Gospel

~ Reinterpretation - not behaviour but grace of God

~ Onus is on God rather than on humanity

~ Peace to the terrified heart

• It is this which truly refutes indulgences and informed the priesthood of all believers

Underlying doctrine of all Luther's theology

• Central importance of faith - how to achieve salvation => formulated by 1518 with justification by faith

Yet promulgated in the vernacular in 1520 => new religion + reformation

• It was particularly this which informed his aggression in 1518-19

1518 Cajetan + Augsburg 1519

• By 1518, however, Luther was becoming more aggressive

Large group taken to Augsburg - clerk saw them as aggressive

• 1518 Cajetan - Augsburg

Pope could and did err

Justification by faith - 'no one can be justified except by faith'

Uses Spalatin to disseminate certain points to the Elector - letters

• Leipzig 1519 - Eck

Public statement of beliefs

Word of God

Impossible reconciliation with Church

• Critical of Eck's envy

It was only after this - 3 years later - that pope issued exsurge domine, 41/95 theses were heretical

1520 + Excommunication

• 1520 treatises date the real turning point

First proper written message of justification by faith - the main tenet

Vernacular

Beginnings of schism due to exsurge domine - To the Christian Nobility uses the word 'reformation' a lot more => laying down what must be done

Acceptance of schism following Exsurge Domine in June 1520 => martyrdom + schism

• Time when the 1517 theses became the 'Ninety Five Theses'

• Major consolidation of theology => Excommunication

• Beginnings of Reformation - creation of Cranach's etchings

Bob Scribner - major importance of images to spreading ideas

• To The Christian Nobility

First proper definition of priesthood of all believers

Sola scriptura

Intervention of nobility

• Babylonian captivity

3 sacraments

Lord's Supper

• Freedom of a Christian

• First and third were written in German - transition to a vernacular reformer => turning point

• Turning point from reform in tradition of Erasmus - this is what constituted the Reformation

OTBC - 'the breach is irreparable'

1521-2 - radicalising of the Reformation

• Triumphal progress to Worms - already popular by this point

McGrath and biographers such as Oberman - major importance of this event

Luther is risking martyrdom

Yet also first large 'external' event => becoming popular and demand for woodcuts

• Yet dangerous - made comparison to Christ travelling to crucifixion => in favour of truth

• Hus had had safe conduct - yet had still been burnt - precedent

• Major importance of hearing him speak

Duke of Schleswig-Holstein - later King of Denmark

Larger room on the second day

Merchants hear him and spread ideas

• Also importance of letters - Luther creates semi-public documents and expects them to be preached (Lyndal Roper)

1522 => action based on 1520 treatises

• McGrath - Reformation started when Luther returned from the Wartburg to Wittenberg

• Carlstadt's actions in Wittenberg - removal of images + vernacular mass

May mark start of Reformation proper

• Dependent on definition of Reformation

Could be defined as when Carlstadt started to make real changes

• Transition from theology to reality

Conclusion

• Reformation was a continuous process - despite major importance of 1517, it was only a preliminary => only in Latin, aim for reform and reconciliation without desire for schism

More important theological developments in 1517 => yet had to wait until 1520 for these to be disseminated widely

• While Luther is the central character and his aggression influences our beliefs - the pope was the major factor

Excommunication threat in 1520 stimulated major treatises and actual excommunication in 1521 led to Diet of Worms => finalised schism - yet also due to Luther's intractable belief in justification by faith alone

• Reformation only becomes external due to growing interest and vernacular

• Luther becomes more radical and comes to accept potential martyrdom following Exsurge Domine

How revolutionary were the 95 Theses? (2012)

Are the 95 Theses essentially conservative? (2010)

Background - academic discourse

• Indulgences - could convert attrition (fear of punishment) into contrition => contrition was too hard to achieve

Absolution would remove guilt + eternal punishment - yet temporal punishment could still occur on earth or in purgatory

Guilt v. penalty

Venial v. mortal sins

Treasury of merits

Remission of temporal sin + absolution

• 1510 - beginning of new indulgences for building the new basilica of St Peter and to fund Archbishop Albrecht’s two archdioceses

• Purchaser would be granted absolution by a priest - could also buy remission of penalties for the dead without confession or contrition

Major issue of Tetzel

Also conflicted with Elector Frederick's relics

• Luther did not yet deny their validity but questioned their efficacy - necessity of sincere repentance

Penance is an internal attitude

• 1517 - apparently pinned 95 theses to the Church Door in Wittenberg (yet this is from Melancthon’s memoirs) => yet this was a university noticeboard

Written in Latin - for dispute will fellow academics

Debate over whether they were printed - several copies sent in letters

• Part of academic discourse of reform which many had called for e.g. Erasmus

• Carlstadt wrote 151 theses in 1516 => little effect

Hus had previously written against indulgences

• University of Wittenberg had been founded in 1502 - very new university

Luther is not very well respected at this point - theses can only have a limited effect

Purpose of the 95 theses - against Tetzel

• Luther did not intend to be revolutionary - just wanted reform

• Sent a copy to Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz and Magdeburg - wanted him to stop selling indulgences => one aim, not revolutionary

• Not even so interested in basic theology - just against present situation of indulgence selling

• Criticism of Tetzel rather than the Pope

50. Building the pope’s basilica ‘with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep’

• Fleshly rather than spiritual

• 42. ‘the pope does not intend that the buying of indulgences should in any way be compared with works of mercy’

Believes that the pope is unaware

• Against deception of the people - believe they are effectively buying salvation

Radicalism

• 5 + 6. Pope cannot remit any guilt except that which has been remitted by God

Questioning the power of the papacy

• 32. Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned, together with their teachers’

• 62 - true treasure is the word of God

Use of word 'treasure' - implies the treasury of merits given by Christ => given to entire church - writes on these 'keys' in To the Christian Nobility

Pope - intercession rather than power over keys

• 45 - Better to give to the poor than to buy indulgences - indulgences do not make a man better but merely free him from penalties

95 - false security of peace => need 'tribulations'

• Yet much of this was not actually against indulgences - just against wrong approach whereby people did not need to be contrite

• Christians are currently being misled - should be confident of entering heaven

Rhetorical questions + interference

• Idea that pope was unknowing - bones of his sheep to make...