The Meaning Of Luther 's Ideas Through The Eyes Of Others

Though Luther was a revolutionary, many of his actions also dictate a conservative approach, wanting to keep some things the same or even go back to the way they used to be. An important message Luther delivered was that good Christians owed obedience to established

Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career by James M. Kittelson is a biography of the famous German monk turned theologian and reformer, Martin Luther. This is one of the most influential men in history, and as a matter of fact, “In most big libraries, books by and about Martin Luther occupy more shelf room than those concerned with any other human being except Jesus of Nazareth” (Kittelson 9). This fame of Luther’s isn’t only postmortem, “This extraordinary interest in an extraordinary man reaches back almost half a millennium. Even in his own time Luther was a ‘media personality’ the first of such in three thousand years of human history” (Kittelson 9). Luther was a subject of great controversy in his own time, as well as in our, and it has only driven his name and message into the spotlight. No matter or what one aligns himself with, “People still find themselves taking sides on the question of Luther” (Kittelson 9). It is for this reason that James M. Kittelson wrote this survey. He tells us that “The primary purpose of this book is to tell the story of Martin Luther to readers who are not specialists in the field of Luther studies” (Kittelson 10). This book is a general overview of all aspects of Luther, not just a precise dissection of one aspect, which allows for “as faithful a picture as possible of the whole man” (Kittelson 11).

Lorenz Fries stresses this anger in his report to the Archbishop of Wurzburg, as he describes the wealth’s inability to share their profits and income with the poor (Doc 8). The peasants believe they are entitled to a share of wealth because all are considered to be brothers in the public eye of God. Considering Fries’s report is secret, it most likely states his candid opinions (Pov3). Although economic oppression is a crucial factor in pushing the revolt, Protestant influence is responsible for the revolt as well.

Their only real burden was choosing where they held their loyalty; whether Catholic or Protestant, they had a decision to make. A large majority of them saw Protestantism as a way of avoiding responsibilities thrust upon them by the Catholic Church hierarchy. Document 2 brings up the “Twelve Articles,” a list of peasant demands for the Protestant church. However, feeling devoid of responsibility, they did nothing to deserve any cooperation with these demands. While this new-found liberty was exciting for the peasants, they took advantage of it at times, angering the Protestant church with rebellions, specifically Luther himself. Document 3 brings up another example of the Protestant foundation being for everyone. It sought to let peasants be as successful as possible, rather than keeping them in the dark and in poverty as the Catholic Church did. Luther wrote, “Let the government, when it sees a promising boy, have him kept in school; if the father is poor, let it help him with church property.” This conveys Luther’s feelings towards the peasants, wanting them to reach their potential, while still helping the church, and being helped by the nobles. As it would play out, peasants typically converted to Protestantism, and were required to in England (under Henry VIII’s new Anglican Church). This impacted all of their lives, and unlike the Catholic clergy, it was usually for the

Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. It contained a series of 95 complaints that the once monk had with the church. He was steadfast in his efforts to get the church to change. Even refusing to repeal his complaints when threatened with excommunication.

The earliest most famous Protestant reformer, Martin Luther went to the school of Erfurt to study law in 1501, but he quickly became more interested in theology. Luther was exposed to recent humanist writings and read extensively in classical Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. In 1505, he enrolled in an Augustinian monastery. He spent a decade educating and preaching and visited Rome. The Reformation was a religious uprising in Europe in the 16th century, prompted by dissatisfaction with the set Roman Catholic Church, which directed to the formulation of the Protestant branch of Christianity.

Martin Luther grew up in a home with very strict parents. As a result, Luther’s childhood was plagued with anxiety at home and at school. Because his father planned for him to become a lawyer, shortly after receiving a Master of Arts degree from Erfurt University he returned to the university to study law. Consequently, after a life threatening experience in a storm, Luther left the university and joined a monastery. In 1505, Luther became an Augustinian monk and subsequently became a priest in 1507. According to John Dillenberger, “Luther was extremely sensitive to the problem of how to become worthy to receive the grace of God rather than the damning consequences of His righteousness”.

Martin Luther, born in 1483, grew up in a devout Roman Catholic household, where the church stood at the center of his world. However, he suffered at the hand of his parents’ harsh criticism. His father had emerged from the feudal system into the new middle class as a successful Coppersmith. His desire was for his son to also climb the social ladder. To assist with his son’s success, Luther’s father was a fierce judge of the character of his son, and often punished him severely for his failures. From these experiences, Luther developed a low self-esteem and fear of failure, which encroached on every aspect of his life, including his theology.

Martin Luther was one of the most influential people in Christian history, when he began the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. He questioned some of the basic beliefs and principles of the Roman Catholic church and his followers split from the Roman Catholic to begin the protestant tradition. Martin Luther spent a few years at the monastery and finally became an Augustinian monk. Martin Luther gained religious enlightenment through the studies of the scriptures. Martin Luther believed that the key to spiritual salvation was not the fear of God but the believe that faith alone will bring salvation. This thinking set the motion for the reformation. It led to one event after another and also peasant revolts. The following paragraph explain how Martin Luther influenced peasant revolts.

In Document 7, Martin Luther condemns the peasants for their actions. He compares them to raging mad dogs. Martin Luther’s response is predictable because the peasants used his ideals to form the base of their revolt. It all stems from his postings of his 95 theses in 1517 and his attack on indulgences. Martin Luther sought protection in princes, so he spoke against the peasants who had rebelled against these princes in order to continue to have protection. In Document 1, Leonhard von Eck also condemns the peasants. He states that they have been led astray by the demands of the Word of God, the gospel, and brotherly

The uneven compensation for work completed by German peasants fueled their disdain for the nobility. The forced serfdom of the peasants was an undesirable situation to be in, which caused the peasants to question the motives of the nobility. “The Articles of the Peasants of Memmingen” shows how peasants were forcibly repressed into serfdom unless they paid the “lords” a “reasonable amount of money” (Doc 4). The peasants had to pay for their freedom from serfdom, which explains why “they believe the rich should share with the poor, especially those rich persons who had acquired their rich property… or had otherwise won it from the poor” (Doc 8). The peasants realized the oppression that the nobility was putting them through with unfair acquisition of land and of peasantry serfdom that the peasants felt that their

In the middle ages, the church had complete power over the peasants. They had the peasants’ farm land for them and even pay taxes. The church influenced peasants to pay tithes, otherwise known as taxes, by threatening them. The church convinced the peasants that if they did not pay taxes then their souls would go to Hell in the afterlife. The poor had to pay ten percent of their earnings to the vastly rich church every year. All of the peasants are too scared to stand against the church

In the 16th century, European social hierarchy consisted of the superior classes, such as the nobles, who got special privileges, and the inferior classes, like the peasants, who were treated unfairly. This caused social tension and stress between the different social classes. Gradually, the peasants’ anger caused by differences in politics, religion, and economy culminated to create the violent peasant revolts that occurred from 1524 to 1526. The peasants’ belief that God gave them the right to rebel, their desire for a mutually respectful relationship with their lords, their demand for release from serfdom, and their requirement by the lords to do their work are what caused the German peasant revolts to arise. Consequently, the responses

A German Augustinian friar, Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. Luther grew up the son of a miner, but he did not maintain that lifestyle for himself. He lived in a period that had a widespread desire for reformation of the Christian church and a yearning for salvation.

with his 95 Theses. A strict father who most likely did not accept “no” as an