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Example research essay topic: Ninety Five Theses Roman Catholic Church - 2,651 words

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Martin Luther was born November 10, 1483 in the town of Eisleben. His mother s name was Margaret Luther, and his father s name was Hans Luther. Hans Luther eventually moved at of Eisleben, because he was disappointed with business prospect. So he moved to Mansfeld to become a copper miner, because they had a lot of mining areas there. Martin Luther than attends several different schools as a child including Mansfeld Lateinschule in March 12, 1491 when he moved to Mansfeld with his father. Boarding school in 1497 at Magdeburg.

Luther than begin attending the parish school of St. George in Eisenanch in 1498. (Reu 37) The following school just named were where Luther received his primary and secondary education. It was not until 1501, at the age of seventeen when Luther enrolled himself into the University of Erfurt one of the best at the time. He began to study liberal arts, a year later in 1502 he received a bachelor s degree, and a master degree in 1505. (Smith 5 - 7) After he graduated his farther wanted him to go to law school at the University. So that summer he started studying Law, but something happen something that would probably change his life for good. He dropped his book, and abandoned his studies.

Several Months Later, after what seems to have been a sudden religious experience he entered an Augustinian Monastery at Erfurt. Luther Made his profession as a monk in the fall of 1506, and his superiors selected him for the priesthood, and was ordained in 1507. (Ritter 27) After his ordination, Martin Luther was asked to go back to college to study theology in order to become a professor at one or the many new German Universities staffed by monks. Luther gradually accepted and in 1508 he was assigned to the new University of Wittenberg (founded in 1502) to give introductory lectures in moral philosophy, and get a degree in theology. He received his bachelor s degree in 1509, when he decided to returned to Erfurt, where he stayed there from 1509 - 1511 to teach and study. (Todd 24) In November 1510 at the age of 26, on behalf of seven Augustinian monasteries, he took a journey to Rome. He Performed the religious duties customary for a pious and was shocked by the worldliness of the Roman clergy. (Todd 33) One year later in 1511 he resumed his duties in Erfurt, soon after he was reassigned to Wittenberg, and was asked to go to College to study for the degree of doctor of theology. In 1512 he received his doctorate and took over the chair of biblical theology, in which he would hold on till death.

Also when he came back from Rome, and while he was at Wittenberg he developed a great spiritual anxiety about his salvation. So he studied the Scriptures, (Mainly St. Paul) he found a loving God who bestowed upon his sinful humans the free gift of salvation, received by faith alone. (Alano 4 - 8) Luther was active as a preacher, teacher, and administrator during these times. He studied the New Testaments in preparation for his lectures, and one day when he was studying them he came to believe that Christians are saved not through their own efforts but by the gift of God s Grace. (Alano 9 - 10) These view right here was crucial in his life, because it turned him against some of the major tenets of the Catholic church, and got him on the way to the Reformation of the Church. Also after getting his doctorate in theology, instead of settling down to a calm and scholarly monkish life or an uneventful university career teaching theology, he began to develop his own personal theology, and began to view other people beliefs and action.

Luther become aware of a view or belief that bothers him. It was from Johanna Tetzel, he was selling indulgences on the border of Saxony in order to raise money for the building of Saint Peter's in Rome. (Smith 42) Indulgences were given by the pope, they forgave sinners. Not for the sins, but the temporal punishment applied to the sin. I was kind of a way for the church to make so extra cash, big business back in the day. This gave way for Luther s " 95 Theses" which he posted on Wittenberg Castle Church Door in October 31, 1517. (Smith 40) Luther theses protested against use of indulgences, so he sent He also sends copies of the theses to a few bishops and some friends. (Smith 43 - 46) His intent was to raise debate, he got little response. Until March 26, 1518 Heidelberg begins.

It was a debate of Luther s ideas at a meeting of the Augustinian chapter. The papal court begins an inquisition in Rome in response to Luther ideas. Luther is tried in his absence on charges of heresy. August 7 Luther is summoned to Rome within sixty days to answer charges against. October 12 Luther begins his interview with Cardinal Cajetan in Augsburg.

Cajetan tells him to recant on what he said, and return to the heart of the church and stop his disruption of church life. Than on October 14 Luther ends his interview with Cajetan, he refused to recant, and he fled from Augsburg the next day in fear of his life. (Smith 46 - 50) Know his propositions were made public, they caused great excitement and were immediately translated into German and widely distributed, but they were a threat to the church. October 30 Luther returned back in Wittenberg and was under Elector Frederick III of Saxony Protection. (Smith 50) In March 29, 1519 Luther Wrote a letter to Pope, it stated that it was not his intention to undermine the authority of the pope or the church, and he was going to recant. (Smith 56) It never got to the pope or something happen. In 1520 Luther begins an intensive period of polemic writings. He begins to use them in debates at Wittenberg and at other cities. It caused an investigation by Roman Curia that led to the condemnation in June 15, 1520 because his teachings and then excommunication on January 1521. (Ritter 93 - 96) Because He burned the condemnation publicly.

Also because of a book he wrote called Freedom of the Christian Man, not really the book but the letter to the pope at the end of the book. He apologized to the Pope but denounce what he sees as false doctrine and corruption. (Ritter 100 - 101) In 1521, April 17 the first hearing of the Diet of Worms began. An official of Trier points to table of books and asks Luther if he is willing to recant. Luther sees that some of the books are his writings on Scripture. These he is unwilling to recant. He asked for a recess. (Smith 104 - 112) April 18 during the second hearing of the Diet, Luther says, "Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other My conscience is captive to the Word of God.

I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me" (Smith 104 - 112) April 25 Diet of Worms is Dismissed, and he was hidden away in a castle in Wartburg where he continued to develop his new church. Under protection of Elector Frederick III of Saxony, Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German and began a translation of the entire Bible. (Smith 126) Disorders in Wittenberg caused by some more extreme followers forced his return to the city in March 1521, and he restored peace through a series of sermons. His opposition to the Peasants' War (1524 - 25) cost him some popular support. Nevertheless, through his forceful writings and preaching, his doctrines spread (Smith 166) Martin Luther stands in history as one of those unique forces, an individual who by force of will and by his ideas changed the world fundamentally. What had started as a furious attempt to reform the church overnight turned into a project of building a new church independent of the Catholic church.

Nevertheless, this small work, "The Freedom of the Christian, " is the theological and ideological core of Luther's thinking; the fundamental term of value, that center around which every other aspect of his thought rotates, is the concept of Freiheit, "freedom, " or "liberty. " (Reu 65) This is not our concept of freedom, but in the eventual turn of time it will give rise to the notion of "individual freedom, " and later "political freedom, " and later "economic freedom. " His protestant view of Christianity started what was called the Protestant Reformation in Germany. Luther's intentions were to reform the medieval Roman Catholic Church. But firm resistance from the church towards Luther's challenge made way to a permanent division in the structure of Western Christianity. Luther lived in Mansfield and was the son of a miner. He later went on to study at Eisenbach and Magdeburg. After studying at these institutions he moved on to study at the University of Erfurt.

Luther started out studying law, but then went on to enter the religious life. He went into the religious life due to the fact that he felt that he would never earn his eternal salvation. He didn't feel that all of the prayer, studying and sacraments were enough. Therefore, Luther felt that he would never be able to satisfy such a judging God. Not being able to satisfy this God meant eternal damnation.

After entering the religious life he later became an Augustinian monk and entered the Augustinian monastery at Erfurt in July of 1505. While in this monastery Luther became a well known theologian and Biblical scholar. In 1512 Luther earned his doctorate in theology and became a professor of Biblical literature at Wittenberg University. Luther took his religious vocation very serious.

This led him into a severe crisis in dealing with his religion. He wondered, "is it possible to reconcile the demands of God's law with human inability to live up to the law. " Luther then turned to the New Testament book of Romans for answers. He had found, "God had, in the obedience of Jesus Christ, reconciled humanity to himself. "What was required of mankind, therefore, was not strict adherence to law or the fulfillment of religious obligations, but a response of faith that accepted what God had done. " In other words he realized that religion is based on love and not fear. Basically, he realized that everyone is burdened by sin because it happens as a result of our weaknesses. He concluded that man could never earn his salvation by leading a blameless life or by performing holy acts. Instead, man's salvation was a divine gift from God resulting from faith in Jesus, especially the saving power of his death and resurrection.

This was known as the protestant doctrine of "justification by faith alone. " The fact that Luther believed this, lead him into his first confrontation with the Catholic Church in 1517. All of this influenced Luther to write his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo X, was trying to raise money in order to build St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. To raise money the Pope offered the sale of indulgences. Basically, these were donations of money that would give partial forgiveness for people's sins.

So, on October 31, 1517, Luther posted these Ninety-Five Theses or propositions on the door of the Wittenberg Catholic Church. These Ninety-Five Theses denied the right of the Pope to sell indulgences for the forgiveness of sins, among other challenges. His authorship of the Ninety-Five Theses would make Luther the leader of the religious movement or reformation towards Protestantism. Pope Leo X forced Luther to appear before Cardinal Cajetan in Augsburg.

Here the Cardinal demanded Luther to take back everything that he said in his Ninety-Five Theses. Luther said that he would if his Theses could be proved wrong by use of the Bible. Later in 1521, Pope Leo X issued a "Bull of Excommunication" towards Luther. Emperor Charles V was expected to enforce the Excommunication. Charles V formed a "diet" in the town of Worms and asked Luther to attend this meeting so that he could be examined. Once again Luther was asked to take back everything that he had said in his Ninety-Five Theses.

Luther refused again and was outlawed. Anyone could kill Luther and they would not have been held accountable to the law for punishment. Luther decided that it would be best to relocate under these circumstances. He had a friend that was an elector of Saxony that helped him escape. So, Luther disguised himself and went off to hide in the castle of Wartburg.

While he was in Wartburg he began translating the New Testament into German. At that time the emperor was occupied with a war waging in France. This distraction helped Luther return to his work with aid of his followers in Wittenberg. Some of his followers went too far carrying out the reform. Luther tried to correct his follower's mistakes and was unsuccessful.

In 1524, this caused the German peasants to use his teachings as a reason to revolt. Luther married Katharina Von Bora, a former nun, in 1525. This displayed his rejection towards living in a monastery as a monk and for clerical celibacy. After this marriage he spent the rest of his life writing, teaching and preaching.

How did Luther view the power of God and what can a person do without God's grace? He believed that God's power was completely beyond man's comprehension and could only be accepted on faith alone. He didn't believe that humans could understand how God with all his greatness become man through Jesus and be susceptible to weakness, sin and death. His thoughts were that man could accomplish nothing without God's grace. Man could not gain his own salvation and therefore God had to send his own son to earth.

While on earth his son would live as a human and eventually die on the cross for our sins. How did Luther view idolatry and why he chose this word? He felt that all participation in church activities like, following religious rules, ceremonies and doing good works were idolatrous. These practices would not help us to gain eternal salvation, but only faith alone in God could do that. He felt that all these religious practices were external from God and were, therefore, idolatrous in nature. What were Luther's views on the Bible?

Luther felt that the Bible, the word of God, was of primary importance in a Christian's life. He felt that over time man had through speculative reasoning distorted the accuracy and true meaning of the Word. He felt that the Roman Catholic Church preferred the Papal authority of the Church above God's Word. How did Luther define faith? Luther defines faith as the absence of all good works. What were Luther's objections to the Pope and other church officials?

He felt that the Pope and other officials of the Catholic Church had no knowledge or comprehension of the Bible or had ever even read it. They were wicked people who were preoccupied with wealth and power, but who never considered accomplishing God's will. What political and social implications came as a result of Luther's teachings? His teachings caused a revolt among the German peasants. They also caused separation within the Catholic Church. How did Protestantism encourage people to view religion on an individual basis?

Protestantism encouraged people individually to decide what they needed to do to be saved. This caused people to stray away from traditional beliefs.


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