His life
Then in 1510 he was sent on a business trip to Rome, and went to many churches, and saw many relics. Martin did not feel less sinful seeing the relics and tried to pray, but the words did not come to him. That made him think “Who really knows if it is so?” Then he went back home and taught at the university of Wittenberg.
He worked hard for hours and wondered how could he teach any religion when he did not know the answers himself. So there was one person that he could talk to, it was Dr. von Staupitz. Dr. von Staupitz told him “ Read the words, until they make himself clear to”, that made Martin read the bible until he understood. He said that faith only mattered, not visiting relics, fasting, or crawling up 28 sacred stairs.
Martin didn’t waste time and lectured about it in the churches and everyone was excited of the lectures. Then one day a German monk named Tetzel came and sold things on the border of Frederick’s territory where he wasn’t supposed to sell in Wittenberg and Martin was mad. He was mad because the pope’s money-bag is heavier than the richest merchants and he thought that the pope should build the Cathedral with his own gold instead of the poor’s gold that they used to buy the things Tetzel was selling, and he sent angry letters to the pope. The pope said lies about Martin and opposed against him, but the townspeople was on Martin’s side.
Then the great debate began, everyone knew the name Luther, and the Germans were tired of their money being shipped off for churches, and that the churches owed 1/3 of of Germany's land. After a year and 1/2 after Martin nailed his theses on the church, 1/2 of Germany complained to the churches, and then a monk was put in place to defend the church and challenged Martin to a great debate. Martin accepted. .
At the debate the monk said "Are you the only one that knows anything? Is the Church all wrong except for you?' and Martin answered "I answer that God once spoke through the mouth of an ass. I am a Christian scholar, and I am bound the truth ...I will be the slave of no one ... council , university, or pope" The debate took 18 days until the duke needed the hall for a ball.
Pope Leo warned Luther to recant his statements within 60 days or be excommunicated from the church, on June of 1520. Martin replied by making a flyer, and then people went crazy about what the pope said, and Leo was threatened and then sent a message the emperor saying "Obey the commands of the church." That brought Martin to the Diet of worms, princes, members of the German assembly that were Martin's judges.
When the jury happened he says that every thing that he said comes from the bible and before the diet of worms voted there was many more weeks of angry debating. Many were impressed by his words and stood up to him, but the diet voted that he was guilty and the emperor and princes banned him from Germany. Martin ran away, but got kidnapped by servants of Frederick who planned the kidnapping to bring him to the Wartburg castle to stay away from Charles' V soldiers. After 1 year Martin decided to grow a beard, translate the bible to German, and start a mammoth project.
Because of Martin's ideas and arguments monks, priests, and nuns started to break some catholic rules like not marrying people, or saying mass in Latin. In March 1522, went back to the city bravely, because he was still under the ban, and started to lead the revolution he started, because the Turks kept the Germans busy with threats of invasion.
By 1524, 1/2 of Germany joined Martin and called their religion Lutheran. The church had surprising power and wealth supported by many German prince, knights, and the lands the Lutheran noblemen claimed. The peasants have not forgotten, to Luther freedom meant only each man's right to worship God in his own way. "To the peasants, it also meant freedom from the lords who owned the lands they worked, sold the crops they grew, and forced them to live in poverty."
Late 1524, peasants of southern Germany rose and marched to battle and their leaders were certain that Martin was their side, but when Martin found out he sided with the nobles because his plans were with the religion not government. The battle ended in 1528 and the peasants still blamed Martin, and then Catholic noblemen started to blamed him. "Fortunately for Luther, his support of the nobles had won many of them to his side enough to protect the new church in Germany."
In 1525 Luther got married to Katherine von Bora, a young nun who supported the Lutherans in Wittenberg. She and a group of nuns escaped from their convent, and Luther found husbands for her friends, and for 2 years trying to find a husband for Katherine before it occurred to him that he wanted to marry her. "They had 6 children of their own, and adopted 4 orphans. From 1533 to his death he worked as the dean of the theology faculty.
He worked hard for hours and wondered how could he teach any religion when he did not know the answers himself. So there was one person that he could talk to, it was Dr. von Staupitz. Dr. von Staupitz told him “ Read the words, until they make himself clear to”, that made Martin read the bible until he understood. He said that faith only mattered, not visiting relics, fasting, or crawling up 28 sacred stairs.
Martin didn’t waste time and lectured about it in the churches and everyone was excited of the lectures. Then one day a German monk named Tetzel came and sold things on the border of Frederick’s territory where he wasn’t supposed to sell in Wittenberg and Martin was mad. He was mad because the pope’s money-bag is heavier than the richest merchants and he thought that the pope should build the Cathedral with his own gold instead of the poor’s gold that they used to buy the things Tetzel was selling, and he sent angry letters to the pope. The pope said lies about Martin and opposed against him, but the townspeople was on Martin’s side.
Then the great debate began, everyone knew the name Luther, and the Germans were tired of their money being shipped off for churches, and that the churches owed 1/3 of of Germany's land. After a year and 1/2 after Martin nailed his theses on the church, 1/2 of Germany complained to the churches, and then a monk was put in place to defend the church and challenged Martin to a great debate. Martin accepted. .
At the debate the monk said "Are you the only one that knows anything? Is the Church all wrong except for you?' and Martin answered "I answer that God once spoke through the mouth of an ass. I am a Christian scholar, and I am bound the truth ...I will be the slave of no one ... council , university, or pope" The debate took 18 days until the duke needed the hall for a ball.
Pope Leo warned Luther to recant his statements within 60 days or be excommunicated from the church, on June of 1520. Martin replied by making a flyer, and then people went crazy about what the pope said, and Leo was threatened and then sent a message the emperor saying "Obey the commands of the church." That brought Martin to the Diet of worms, princes, members of the German assembly that were Martin's judges.
When the jury happened he says that every thing that he said comes from the bible and before the diet of worms voted there was many more weeks of angry debating. Many were impressed by his words and stood up to him, but the diet voted that he was guilty and the emperor and princes banned him from Germany. Martin ran away, but got kidnapped by servants of Frederick who planned the kidnapping to bring him to the Wartburg castle to stay away from Charles' V soldiers. After 1 year Martin decided to grow a beard, translate the bible to German, and start a mammoth project.
Because of Martin's ideas and arguments monks, priests, and nuns started to break some catholic rules like not marrying people, or saying mass in Latin. In March 1522, went back to the city bravely, because he was still under the ban, and started to lead the revolution he started, because the Turks kept the Germans busy with threats of invasion.
By 1524, 1/2 of Germany joined Martin and called their religion Lutheran. The church had surprising power and wealth supported by many German prince, knights, and the lands the Lutheran noblemen claimed. The peasants have not forgotten, to Luther freedom meant only each man's right to worship God in his own way. "To the peasants, it also meant freedom from the lords who owned the lands they worked, sold the crops they grew, and forced them to live in poverty."
Late 1524, peasants of southern Germany rose and marched to battle and their leaders were certain that Martin was their side, but when Martin found out he sided with the nobles because his plans were with the religion not government. The battle ended in 1528 and the peasants still blamed Martin, and then Catholic noblemen started to blamed him. "Fortunately for Luther, his support of the nobles had won many of them to his side enough to protect the new church in Germany."
In 1525 Luther got married to Katherine von Bora, a young nun who supported the Lutherans in Wittenberg. She and a group of nuns escaped from their convent, and Luther found husbands for her friends, and for 2 years trying to find a husband for Katherine before it occurred to him that he wanted to marry her. "They had 6 children of their own, and adopted 4 orphans. From 1533 to his death he worked as the dean of the theology faculty.