Research Paper On Martin Luther

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"Here I stand. I can do no other” Introduction to Church History Christina Crawford Martin Luther was a German priest and a professor of theology who started the Protestant Reformation. He was born November 10, 1483, and died on February 18, 1546 at the age of 62. Throughout his life, he exerted great influence on Christian Doctrine. He taught that salvation was not earned by works, but was a gift of God’s grace received through faith in Jesus Christ. He brought Christians back to the bible, teaching that it is the only source of divine knowledge. His views shook the foundation of the theology of the Roman Catholic Church, which believed that freedom from punishment of sins could be purchased with money. In 1517 he wrote…show more content…
They sold indulgences to Christians – a payment due for committing sins. In 1517 Luther wrote his Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, otherwise known as The 95 Theses. He sent the document and a letter to his Bishop, Albert of Mainz against the sale of Indulgences. “Thesis 86, asks: "Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money?" This and the other theses challenged the authority of the Roman Catholic religion and the Pope. Luther felt that only God could forgive sins, and that indulgences did not absolve the sinner, and nor did it grant them…show more content…
It spread quickly and within months was all throughout Europe. Albrecht of Mainz did not respond to the thesis. Pope Leo X had the theologian Sylvester Mazzolini draft a heresy against Luther, and summoned Luther to Rome. Luther was examined at Augsburg where the Imperial diet was held. The theologian Johann Maier had a goal to expose Luther and invited him to speak at a disputation: a public debate concerning the doctrines of free will and grace. At the disputation, which was between Maier and Luther’s colleague Andreas Karlstadt, Luther said that the popes did not have the exclusive right to interpret scripture. This made him an enemy of the pope. On 15 June 1520, the Pope, in the form of a letter told Luther to recant 41 sentences from his writings including the 95 Theses, and to do it within 60 days or risk excommunication. He refused to do this, set fire to the Papal Bull and defended his actions in Why the Pope and his Recent Book are Burned and Assertions Concerning All Articles. As a consequence, Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X on 3 January
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