Baban chinedu biography of martin luther

His thinking, while remarkably consistent, does develop over time. He nuances his positions on various issues as he faces challenges which his own Reformation theology generated. Thus, knowing what issues he is facing and when is important when reading him. The benchmark biography of Luther in English is the three volumes by the German historian, Martin Brecht.

These look rather forbidding: nearly pages of text, excluding notes. It was my first introduction to the Reformation and remains a favourite. Bainton was a radical thinker himself, not doctrinally sympathetic to Luther but rather emotionally so: he knew what it was like to be a beleaguered outside, a man at war with his times. Thus, he writes on Luther with considerable passion.

A more recent short biography is that by the distinguished Lutheran historian, Martin Marty, in the Penguin Brief Lives series. He was shocked by the lack of piety he found there. Luther also had a strong sense of his sinfulness. He studied the Bible diligently and he came to disagree with some of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Luther believed that salvation was obtained by faith only. It cannot be earned by good works.

Baban chinedu biography of martin luther

Then in October , Martin Luther wrote 95 theses. He objected to the sale of indulgences documents written by the Church releasing individuals from punishment for their sins. Indulgences could be bought by the living on behalf of the dead who were believed to be in purgatory. Copies of the 95 theses by Luther were distributed across Germany and then across Europe.

He denied there were seven sacraments as taught by the Catholic Church. Luther also believed in the priesthood of all believers. Luther also sent a copy to Archbishop Albert Albrecht of Mainz, calling on him to end the sale of indulgences. Aided by the printing press , copies of the 95 Theses spread throughout Germany within two weeks and throughout Europe within two months.

The Church eventually moved to stop the act of defiance. In October , at a meeting with Cardinal Thomas Cajetan in Augsburg, Luther was ordered to recant his 95 Theses by the authority of the pope. Luther said he would not recant unless scripture proved him wrong. The meeting ended in a shouting match and initiated his ultimate excommunication from the Church.

Following the publication of his 95 Theses , Luther continued to lecture and write in Wittenberg. In June and July of Luther publicly declared that the Bible did not give the pope the exclusive right to interpret scripture, which was a direct attack on the authority of the papacy. Finally, in , the pope had had enough and on June 15 issued an ultimatum threatening Luther with excommunication.

On December 10, , Luther publicly burned the letter. In March , Luther was summoned before the Diet of Worms , a general assembly of secular authorities. Again, Luther refused to recant his statements, demanding he be shown any scripture that would refute his position. There was none. Friends helped him hide out at the Wartburg Castle. Though still under threat of arrest, Luther returned to Wittenberg Castle Church, in Eisenach, in May to organize a new church, Lutheranism.

He gained many followers, and the Lutheran Church also received considerable support from German princes. When a peasant revolt began in , Luther denounced the peasants and sided with the rulers, whom he depended on to keep his church growing. Thousands of peasants were killed, but the Lutheran Church grew over the years. In , Luther married Katharina von Bora, a former nun who had abandoned the convent and taken refuge in Wittenberg.

Luther's friends escorted him to a safe place, Wartburg Castle, preventing the execution of the Edict of Worms. In , Luther compiled the "Large Catechism" and the "Small Catechism", which reflected his understanding of the Christian Gospel and laid the foundation for Lutheranism for many generations. His commentaries on the books of Genesis and Galatians became widely known.

Luther dedicated twenty years to translating the New Testament into German. In his later years, Luther suffered from an illness related to digestion. Luther's mind was exceptionally productive, and he firmly established three greatest truths of the New Testament in Europe, which had been buried under rituals and dead formalism for centuries. Contact About Privacy.