A History of the Reformation in the 16th
Century
Book 2 - The Youth, Conversion and
Early Labors of Luther (1488-1517)
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 1
Martin Luther was born in 1483, the son of a poor woodcutter and
miner. His parents (John
and Margaret) named him Martin since he was born on November 10th,
the eve of St. Martin’s Day. As
soon as Martin was old enough, his parents desired to raise him up in
the fear of the Lord and in the admonition of Christian virtue. This entailed beating him occasionally to the point of blood
believing they were helping him, though later, we find this reflected in
God as cruel and unloving to the cloister monk.
His father had not been trained in school, and so desired this
for his son, ultimately sending him off to become a lawyer.
At school Martin met with flogging as at home, but he also met
with learning. He was
taught the Catechism, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s
Prayer, hymns, and a Latin grammar.
However, these did not help him to find the loving Christ, but
seared the brand of a God of judgment upon his mind and heart.
Since John Luther desired Martin to become a scholar, after his
basic schooling he sent him to the Franciscan school at Magdeberg.
He had to beg for his food, and sat timidly before his
master-teachers each day for instruction.
He was only fourteen years old.
A kind family in Magdeberg took him in, the Cottas, where he
secured a place to stay and eat while in the midst of his studies.
It was a relief to him in many ways, different from the
Franciscan convent and different than his own home in many ways.
His mind was more at rest. Here
he made rapid progress in Latin, in eloquence and in poetry, and
attached himself to one professor in particular names John Trebonius.
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 2
Luther arrived at the Erfurth University in 1501 because of his
zeal for learning, which was evident to all.
He studied the works of Ockham, Scotus, Bonaventure, and Thomas
Aquinas. He was blessed
with a retentive memory and was admired by the students of the
university for this. In
this university he earned his BA, his first degree.
Luther began to study portions of the Bible in his early
university days. He had
only certain epistles and the Gospels to read, and these were given to
all the students respectively for study. At that time, he thought the Bible was that composed of only
those books he had been given of Holy Scripture. He became very sick and thought he would die, but was
encouraged by an aged priest who said that God still had a use for him.
He visited his home in Mansfeldt, but upon his return he was
overcome by a violent thunder and lightening storm that nearly took his
life, or so he thought. With
the bolt of lightning crashing to the ground, he threw himself to his
knees believing God was coming to claim his life, and decided to enter
into the monastic order knowing full well he was not right with God and
could not stand on the Day of Judgment before Him.
Luther told his father that he was leaving law school to become a
monk. Needless to say his
father was furious at the thought.
Luther’s resolve was set, and he had vowed to God that he would
enter the monastery. On the
17th of August, 1505 Luther entered the Augustinian convent
and broke ties with the world.
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 3
As Luther entered the monastery there were adverse reactions from
his friends and especially his father.
His friends thought he was entering a “life” that was
“partially dead” in its denial of so much, and that a genius such as
Luther ought not to kill himself in this way so early on.
His father was furious since he had spent so much hope on him
having the schooling and making something of himself that he had not
obtained in his own youth.
The monks received him with joy, but they put him to work in
order to humble him. He was
tried in many small things, and was cast under a sever apprenticeship of
monkery. He would
fast, beg for money and food with his order, read the Word for days on
end, and began to learn the original languages while here.
He continued to study Augustine, Biel and Peter d’Ailly.
His food consisted mostly of herring and bread, and became one of
the most dedicated and “pious monks” of Rome.
He was reminded by the monks to work righteously before God.
But what righteous acts would his sinful heart offer up to God to
be accepted? In response,
he became dejected to the point that the other monks disliked his
company. Luther’s
“tender conscience” regarded the “slightest fault as a great
sin.” The music of his
friends sometimes pulled him slowly out of his depressed fits, but it
was not enough to clear his conscience completely from the faults he saw
looming over him and before the face of God.
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 4
John Staupitz was the vicar general over all Germany for the
Augustinian order of monks. He had traded learning the sciences and nature for studying
divinity and read profusely, turning continually to Augustine.
He also made friends with Frederick the Wise, who had employed
him in various duties and ultimately founded a small university in the
city of Wittenberg under his direction.
Staupitz was grieved at the state of the church and the
corruption within the arena of moral and of doctrine.
He wrote with passion to correct these things and display
articles on the Christian faith and the love of Christ.
Like many before him, he was not a reformer and did not desire to
go beyond the duties that had been given to him by the church.
However, his affections for people made him a helpful overseer of
the convents and he took a liking to help Martin Luther, the timid and
fearful monk.
Staupitz comforted Luther as much as he could.
Staupitz told him that God would use him for great things because
of the manner of trials He is laying upon him.
Luther though was taken up far too much with the fear of judgment
to receive such comfort. Staupitz
reminded him of the Creed, “I believe in the forgiveness of
sins.” This Luther used
daily in hoping to find relief from his torment, and it seems at this
point God truly converted the fearful monk.
To
take his mind off his “problems,” Staupitz put him to work in
studying Scripture, and counseled him to enter the priesthood.
After being ordained, he wavered at his first mass, where his
father was present. Staupitz
then sent him to Wittenberg to become a Doctor of Theology and to
lecture for the University there.
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 5
Frederick
founded the University at Wittenberg in 1502, and it ultimately was the
breeding ground for the Reformation through Luther’s preaching,
teaching and writing. A few
months after Luther arrived here he obtained the Bachelor of divinity
and devoted himself to biblical theology.
He began teaching the Penitential Psalms and then the book of
Romans. In doing so, he found the shining light in being justified by
faith alone. The verse in
Habakkuk repeated in Romans by Paul was a divine and supernatural light
into the recesses of his heart.
He was strengthened by it and his conversion to the
“Protestant” faith was complete, though he did not know it yet.
After
his usual lecturing, Staupitz pressed him to begin preaching for the
Augustinian church that sat in the middle of the town.
Luther declined, but Staupitz insisted.
Luther was pushed into the position and afterward became
comfortable in the office. The
chapel was packed with hearers. It
became too small to hear him preach since throngs of people came to hear
every message he prepared. The council of Wittenberg then desired him to
come and preach in the city church as their chaplain.
“The impression he produced there was greater still.”
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 6
Though
Luther was teaching and preaching regularly as the theologian and
chaplain of the city, Staupitz sent him to Rome.
There were some problems that he thought Luther was best suited
to help and aid in the monastic orders there.
He became sick along the way and thought he would die, and was
saddened he would perish in a foreign country.
He became despondent for a time, but the Gospel rang in his heart
and he remembered that the just shall live by faith.
The Lord did not take his life and restored him to continue his
life-changing journey to Rome.
Luther
at first believed all the stories told him and was seduced by the
appearance of righteous works. He
was a good monk and attended mass and sought out penitent works through
the relics that were strewn through the city.
However, the more exploitation he witnessed, the more he despised
Rome. He saw their abuses
and their mockeries in full view and thought they lived in contempt of
the vows of the church. In
seeing first hand the abuses of relics, indulgences and the clerical
immorality, Luther, at this point, had a turn of convictions.
Every step closer to these manipulations strengthened his resolve
as one who believed justification by faith alone.
It culminated in his penitential works up the steps of Pilate’s
Staircase, and after feeling as though a voice echoed in his heart,
“The just shall live by faith!” he ran from the scene and from the
wickedness of those works.
It
was in Rome that God gave Luther a real sense of what Christianity was
about. He had gone to help
a monastic order resolve some difficulties, and yet left with the
echoing of salvation in his heart that could not escape the
contemplation of his mind.
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 7
Luther
returned to Wittenberg and he was sorrowful at the state of the
“holy” city of Rome. Seeing his despondency Staupitz and Frederick the Wise
decided that Luther should take the Doctor of divinity degree.
He recoiled at the thought, but was pressed by every side and
thought it was his duty to seek the degree.
Andrew
Bodenstein was, at this time, teaching at Wittenberg.
He had been arch deacon in the city of Carlstadt which is why
church historians refer to him as Carlstadt.
He was envious of Luther and would not think of Luther but
beneath him. Carlstadt, though, conferred on Luther the highest dignity of
the university, to be Doctor Luther, on October 18, 1512.
From
the point that Luther became a Doctor, he no longer studied doctrine
simply for himself, but now, he studied for the church.
He corresponded with Erasmus and Reuchlin and took upon himself
their enemies with his pen, as well as the schoolmen who praised
Aristotle. He deemed these
scholastics “Pelagian” and wrote against them for the truth.
Here we see some of the fiery sparks of the Reformation beginning
to flame.
At
this time Frederick the Wise made George Spalatin his secretary,
chaplain, the tutor for his nephew.
He became Luther’s friend and acted a liaison between Luther
and the princes. Luther, on
occasion, would console Spalatin because of his melancholy about the
difficulties of the day in the Reformation swirling about the country,
and his involvement with so many on both sides of the theological
stratum.
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter8
Luther’s
teaching had become solid in the arena of faith, and whether he spoke in
the chapel or classroom the people listened.
He relied heavily on the Holy Scriptures which obviously gave him
his authority. The people
saw him not only as a preacher, but as a preacher with a heart for the
people and for the Word of God delivered to them.
As a result, Wittenberg became a beacon of light for all of
Germany – the Gospel of faith had been recovered.
Luther
then published a work in 1516 by an anonymous mystic theologian entitled
German Theology. He loved the mystics, though he himself did not
ascribed to their theological system, because it was a refreshing change
from the dry schoolmen of the time.
Luther read Erasmus thoroughly, and though he saw some genius in
his work, he believed Erasmus catered to men rather than to God.
Just because Erasmus was a scholar, that did not make him a
Christian.
Luther
desired to bring back two important aspects that seemed distant in
theology – the helplessness of man and the omnipotence of God.
He knew, though that there was an important connection in the
free work of man, or in his free moral agency, and the sovereign grace
of God. Not only did Luther
believe this to be true theologically, but in seeing the distress of
poor men, and the monks, around him, it moved him to help them see the
truth of the Word of God.
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 9
Before the famous 95 Theses emerged, Luther wrote other documents
against the abuses of the Roman Church.
He published this first thesis as an attack against the sophists
and the Roman Church. Though
this was not the famous Theses, it cause a stir and is considered by
some to be the beginning of the Reformation.
Staupitz was sent to collect some relics for Frederick, and
Luther, in commissioning him in the place of Staupitz, was sent to 40
monasteries to make a visitation. In
each place he tried to make the truth known and took the most of every
opportunity. Luther
returned to Wittenberg after six weeks.
After returning to Wittenberg, a plague broke out in the city and
many people left for fear of becoming sick.
Plagues in these days were of the worst kind with no vaccines and
no real medical attention. With
great courage and a resolve to trust in God’s providence, Luther
stayed in the city to continue his duties, of which was his work on the
Galatian Epistle. This is
where he would begin working on one of the greatest commentaries on
Paul’s letter ever written. He
was not sure if he would be able to finish it before the plague struck
him, for he knew the plague worked quickly and killed those it attacked.
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 10
Staupitz had returned with a serious quantity of relics for
Frederick. Frederick was
pleased at the abundance of fine relics that he had found in the lower
country. Luther, though,
confronted him on this and demonstrated his aversion and hatred of that
which would replace faith. Frederick
respected Luther’s opinion and was not initially troubled by his
stance.
In 1517 Luther came into contact with Duke George of Saxony.
George requested of Staupitz a preacher to come and preach at the
chapel at Dresden. Staupitz
offered this opportunity to Luther took up the opportunity quickly
knowing that preaching the truth before the assembly there would do much
good. The response from the
sermon was mixed. Some
though he was ignorant, others believed he spoke against some of the
women of social stature present, and two in particular believed they
were impressed with a sense of helpfulness from the sermon.
Luther was also invited to come and dine with Jerome Emser –
one of the two who were deeply affected by the sermon.
At first Luther refused but Emser pressed him to enjoy his
hospitality. Luther
attended dinner and talked about the truth that were now welling up in
his heart and consistently overflowing, even to the dismay of some who
spied on the dinner, and listen to the conversations taking place behind
closed doors.
History
Of The Reformation Of The Sixteenth Century: Book 2, Chapter 11
Luther returned again to Wittenberg and took up his duties.
He was especially excited about a group of seven young students
who were ready to take their examinations for a license to teach.
At this time he also published certain theses concerning the
discrediting of Aristotle’s ideas, which he was happy about since he
had a disdain for his works.
Luther also wrote against the Pelagianism of scholastic theology
and published a theses that contained ninety-nine propositions against
their theological views. Luther
ascribes to God all the good that a man can do in this thesis, which is
a direct contradiction again the theology of Pelagius.
Man is entirely dead in his sin, and there is no use in
attempting to fix his heart, rather, he needs a new one.
Though Luther displayed the powerlessness of man to come to
salvation, he did not fall into fatalism in his fight with the Pelagian
schoolmen. The schoolmen
had exalted man’s reason and will, and Luther desired to bring them
back to the Divine truth that man’s reason and will are wicked and
fallen, though functioning.
In writing this these against Pelagianism, Luther desired that it
would fall into the hands of John Meyer of Eck.
Also known as John Eck, he taught in the University at Ingolstadt
and was renown for his theological abilities and learning.
Luther did not send the theses directly to him, but to a mutual
friend and prompted him to deliver them to Eck.
Luther desired to see what Eck thought of his propositions.
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