Speaker: See Above
Date & Context:1517, First principles of the reformation. This is about a man trying to stop the sale of indulgences.
Summary: Martin Luther wrote this as a protest against the selling of indulgences, And about how buying these indulgences gives people false hope. Also that what they were selling these indulgences for was wrong. He is also a man of god as you can tell by some of the things he says and also how he ends his intro with "In the name of lord Jesus Christ Amen".
Important Quote: "The Pope has neither the power nor will to remit any penalties except those which he has imposed by his own authority".
I believe that this post just skims the surface of Martin Luther. I feel that it needs a lot more detail on Martin Luther and his bias, as well as more historical detail for the background knowledge.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, it’s important to note that these theses were a reaction to the Catholic Church’s abuse of power and inability to reach commoners. The Roman Catholic Church at the time was the most prominent religion in Europe following the Great Schism. The Schism establish the Roman Catholic Church’s dominance in the West and the Orthodox Church’s prevalence in the East. This provides an underground disturbance amongst people and once the Roman Catholic Church infiltrates the government and disrupts the equal dispersion of wealth, many citizens are already enraged. In this system, commoners were required to pay taxes and other fees to the Catholic Church, enlarging the divide between classes. Martin Luther, as a voice of the people, observed the current state of Europe and saw the need for change. He is noted for his creation of the Bible in the Vernacular (common language instead of fancy stuff), but most importantly he is credited for his 95 theses. These theses were all the corrections that Martin Luther wanted to make to the way in which people practice religion and to top it all off he nailed them to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. The gist of the 95 Theses is that he wanted the Church to stop threatening its followers with an afterlife of Purgatory for any act that they deemed condemnable. He also wanted the Roman Catholic Church to recenter its values around the sole purpose of religion, faith not dominance and power. Thus became the Protestant Reformation!
Important quotes include:
“Christians should be taught that he who sees a needy person, but passes him by although he gives money for indulgences, gains no benefit from the pope's pardon, but only incurs the wrath of God,” because it shows Martin Luther’s disapproval of the church collecting unnecessary profit while the rest of the population whittles away in poverty.
“Any true Christian whatsoever, living or dead, participates in all the benefits of Christ and the Church; and this participation is granted to him by God without letters of indulgence,” because it shows the true purpose of religion and shows that grace is not a selective force.
“And let them thus be more confident of entering heaven through many tribulations rather than through a false assurance of peace,” because it shows that faith is a guide and a practice, not something that is forced and corrupt.
Excellent work on the comment! The 95 Theses is a list a numbered list of grievances - use this to help identify quotes from this document.
ReplyDelete"43. Christians should be taught that he who gives to a poor man, or lends to a needy man, does better than if he bought pardons...45. Christians should be taught that he who sees anyone in need, and passing him by, gives money for pardons, is not purchasing for himself indulgences of the Pope but the anger of God."