Martin Luther

This essay is concerned with Martin Luther (1483-1546), and his concept of Christianity. Luther began his ecclesiastical career as an Augustinian Monk in the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, Luther was initially loyal to the papacy, and even after many theological conflicts, he attempted to bring about his reconciliation with the Church. But this was a paradox not to endure, because in his later years, Luther waged a continual battle with the papacy. Luther was to become a professor of biblical exegesis at Wittenberg where, in 1517, he posted his critique of the Roman Catholic Church's teachings and practices. This is otherwise known as The Ninety-Five Theses, which is usually considered to be the original document of the Reformation. Basically, this document was an indictment of the venality of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the widespread practice of selling indulgences in association with the sacrament of penance. Luther's belief on the matter was that after confession, absolution relied upon the sinner's faith and God's Divine Grace rather than the intervention of a priest. At this point, Luther did not advocate an actual separation from the Roman Church. Instead, Luther felt his suggested reforms could be implemented within Catholicism. If this had taken place, the Protestant Reformation would probably not have ever seen the light of day--nor would it have been necessary. But the theological practices being what they were in th

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sacrament, and the faith that believes in it. There is no magical element to any sacrament, including the doctrine of transubstantiation. Consequently, Luther's teachings on the sacraments took away the power of the priests and the special nature of the Holy Eucharist. The Roman Catholic mass depends completely on these concepts in order for the Roman Church to sustain its efficacy as the representative of Christ on earth. Paul Tillich states: "From this it followed that transubstantiation was destroyed, because this doctrine makes the bread and the wine a piece of divine reality inside the shrine and put on the altar. But such a thing does not occur. The presence of God is not a presence in the sense of an objective presence, at a special place, in a special form; it is a presence for the faithful alone. There are two criteria for this: if it is only for the faithful, then it is only an action. Then if you enter a church and the sacrament is spread, you do not need to do anything, because it is pure bread. If becomes more than this only in action, that is when it is given to those who have faith. For the theory of transubstantiation, it is there all the time. When you enter an empty Roman church, you mu

Category: Philosophy - M