Between and , however, Martin experienced a religious crisis that would take him from the study of law forever. A dangerous accident in , the death of a friend a little later, and Martin's own personal religious development had by changed his focus.
Then, on July 2, , returning to Erfurt after visiting home, Martin was caught in a severe thunderstorm and flung to the ground in terror; at that moment he vowed to become a monk if he survived. This episode changed the course of Luther's life.
Two weeks later, against his father's wishes and to the dismay of his friends, Martin Luther entered the Reformed Congregation of the Eremetical Order of St. Augustine at Erfurt. Life as a monk at Erfurt was difficult. Luther made his vows in and was ordained officially given a religious position in the church a priest in No longer in disagreement with his father, he was then selected for advanced theological study at the University of Erfurt.
In Luther was sent to the University of Wittenberg to lecture in arts. He was also preparing for his doctorate of theology while he taught. In Luther was sent to Rome, Italy, and in received his doctorate in theology. Then came the second significant turn in Luther's career: he was appointed professor of theology at Wittenberg. He was to teach throughout the rest of his life. In Luther published his lectures on Peter Lombard — ; in — those on the Psalms; in — on St.
Paul's Epistle to the Romans; and in — on the epistles to the Galatians and Hebrews. Besides instruction and study, however, Luther had other duties. From he preached in the parish church; he was regent head of the monastery school; and in he became the supervisor of eleven other monasteries. The doctrine of justification, taking shape in Luther's thought between and , drew him further into theological thought as well as into certain positions of practical priestly life.
The most famous of these is the controversy causing opposing viewpoints over indulgences. A person who committed a sin would buy an indulgence from the church to avoid punishment—especially punishment after death. In a great effort to distribute indulgences was proclaimed throughout Germany. In Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses for an academic debate on indulgences on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg.
This was the customary time and place to display such an article. They were given widespread fame and called to the attention of both theologians and the public.
News of Luther's theses spread, and in he was called before Cardinal Cajetan, the Roman Catholic representative at Augsburg, to deny his theses. Refusing to do so, Luther returned to Wittenberg, where, in the next year, he agreed to a debate with the theologian Johann Eck — In , he returned to Eisleben and enrolled in a school, studying grammar, rhetoric and logic. He later compared this experience to purgatory and hell. In , Luther entered the University of Erfurt , where he received a degree in grammar, logic, rhetoric and metaphysics.
At this time, it seemed he was on his way to becoming a lawyer. In July , Luther had a life-changing experience that set him on a new course to becoming a monk. Caught in a horrific thunderstorm where he feared for his life, Luther cried out to St. The decision to become a monk was difficult and greatly disappointed his father, but he felt he must keep a promise.
The first few years of monastic life were difficult for Luther, as he did not find the religious enlightenment he was seeking. A mentor told him to focus his life exclusively on Jesus Christ and this would later provide him with the guidance he sought.
At age 27, Luther was given the opportunity to be a delegate to a Catholic church conference in Rome. He came away more disillusioned, and very discouraged by the immorality and corruption he witnessed there among the Catholic priests. Upon his return to Germany, he enrolled in the University of Wittenberg in an attempt to suppress his spiritual turmoil. He excelled in his studies and received a doctorate, becoming a professor of theology at the university known today as Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
Through his studies of scripture, Luther finally gained religious enlightenment. Finally, he realized the key to spiritual salvation was not to fear God or be enslaved by religious dogma but to believe that faith alone would bring salvation. This period marked a major change in his life and set in motion the Reformation. 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. Luther then became involved in the controversy surrounding the Peasants War - , the leaders of which had used Luther's arguments to justify their revolt.
He rejected their demands and upheld the right of the authorities to suppress the revolt, which lost him many supporters. In , Luther published a complete translation of the bible into German, underlining his belief that people should be able to read it in their own language. The translation contributed significantly to the spread and development of the German language. Luther's influence spread across northern and eastern Europe and his fame made Wittenberg an intellectual centre. In his final years he wrote polemics against the Jews, the papacy and the Anabaptists, a radical wing of the reforming movement.
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