Martin Luther's Reformation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Martin Luthers Reformation - Essay ExampleAn ecclesiastical reformer, Luther was born in 1483 and baptized on the feast day of St. Martin of Tours. He was sent to schools in Mansfeld, Magdeburg and Eisenach. After finishing his Masters degree in 1505 from the University of Erfurt, Luther enrolled in police school. He had to chair law school that same year, however, because he encountered a miracle of God during a thunderstorm. As a lightning bolt struck near to him, he cried out, Help, Saint Anne Ill fashion a monk His life was spared, so Luther left law school to enter a monastery.Leaving law school to enter monastery was a bulky change in young Luthers life. He had to believe with all his heart that God had saved him and wished for him to turn to His law instead. Studious as he was, Luther delved into Gods slipway with total concentration. He realized that mans reason was enough as law. Thus, the concept of sovereign selfhood was reborn after Christ. Luthers law has been refer red to as a lawless law given that it refers to the free mind needing no set of rigid laws to abide by. The theologian believed that universal law was written on the heart of man, and rigid reminders to be it - as in the case of public law - were foolish at best (Bork). In effect, Luthers concept of sovereign selfhood had to do with being angiotensin converting enzyme with Christ, and this was utterly logical from the point of view of a servant of God who had had the Gospels seep into himself. Luther first came into contact with the humanists, especially Melanchthon, Reuchlin, and Erasmus, at the time of the disputation of Leipzig in 1519. It was humanism, in fact, that had compelled Luther to go to the sources, that is, the Scriptures to find the truth for himself. Luther immersed himself in the study of the Bible. He in like manner had to know about the early Church before terms deal penance and righteousness could take on new meaning for him. The great theologian was convinc ed that the Church had lost sight of essential facts from the Scriptures that, in truth, both servant of God is potentially the Son of Man. The Scriptures now told him clearly the doctrine of justification by faith alone had been particularly ignored by the Church. Luther also began to teach at this time that salvation is only a gift of Gods grace through Jesus Christ, and this gift is received entirely by faith. Martin Luther was one of the inspirations for the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. In the year 1517, the man had posted 95 theses on a church door as an invitation to debate. Luther was challenging trusted portion of the Roman Catholic doctrine and number of specific practices. From the church door in Wittenberg, the movement gained adherents in the German states, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Scotland and parts of France. Change was called for, and until now before Luther, prominent personalities such as John Wycliffe (1330-84) and John Huss (1369-1415) had raised their voice. Could one look at the Address to the Christian Nobility as a repudiation of the Fourth Lateran Council How and why What were the consequences of this address for lay-church relations and how did it affect the rise of the early modern state What role did Calvins doctrine play in the development of early European political theoryLuthers Address to the Christian Nobility of the German nation opens with the words The Romanists,