The Emergence Of Luther's 95 Theorems, So The Beginning Of The Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther approached the doors of the Church in Wittenberg, Germany. He then nailed a piece of paper on it containing Luther's 95 Theorems that would initiate the Protestant Reformation.

Citing History, Saturday, October 31st, Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany, in 1483. Luther is one of the most important figures in Western history. He spent his early years anonymously as a scholar. After graduating from law school, Luther entered the monastery of Sts. Augustine at Wittenberg. He then studied theology.

In this argument, Luther condemned the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking for payment for the forgiveness of sins or what is also called indulgences. At the time, a Dominican monk named Johann Tetzel, commissioned by Archbishop Mainz and Pope Leo X, was in the midst of a massive fundraising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Even though Prince Frederick III banned the practice of paying for penance at Wittenberg, many church members did. They would show Luther the forgiveness they had purchased, claiming that they no longer had to repent of sins.

This of course frustrated Luther. Luther then wrote 95 Luther's Theorems, which were translated from Latin into German and distributed. A copy was sent to Rome and convinced Luther to change the tone. However, in 1521 Pope Leo X officially excommunicated Luther from the Catholic Church.

Undaunted, Luther still refused to withdraw Luther's 95 Theorems before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Germany. Luther's refusal led to the issuance of the Edict of Worms, which declared Luther a criminal and a heretic. The Edict of Worms also gave permission for anyone to kill Luther without consequences.

Luckily, Luther received protection from Prince Frederick III. Luther then began working on a German translation of the Bible, a task that took 10 years to complete.

The term 'Protestant' first appeared in 1529, when Charles V repealed a provision allowing the rulers of every German state to choose whether they would enforce the Edict of Worms.

A number of princes and Luther's supporters protested, claiming that their loyalty to God trumped their loyalty to the emperor. They were known to their opponents as Protestants. Gradually "Protestant" applied to all who believed the Church should be reformed, even those outside Germany.

By the time Luther died, of natural causes, in 1546, his revolutionary beliefs had become the basis for the Protestant Reformation, which over the next three centuries would revolutionize Western civilization.