stressing that “he was bitter towards the stubborn rulers and favorably disposed toward the peasant‟s demands, which seemed right and proper to him, though as a minister of the Gospel he felt no competent to adjudge.”
Luther’s Protest
Against the Roman Papacy, an Institution of the Devil in 1544, Luther argued that all the papacy
taught was false doctrine and fustigated the popes‟ actions of exalting themselves over the princes by addressing “the papacy has no basis in Scripture and it was never instituted at the request of the kings of Europe, so it can come only from the devil”.
Luther’s Ally
In his To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, Luther expressed his promising hopes for the emperor and the princes and argued that they should punish the wicked clergy, diminish the malpractice of the Catholic Church and restrain their economic exploitations.
Consequences of Martin Luther’s Ally with the German Princes in Terms of his Protest against the Catholicism and his Early Sympathy and Later Offense towards the German Peasants during the Reformation Yun Wang
Luther‟s Attitudes
* Protest * Ally * Sympathy
Luther’s Protest
In Luther‟s The Open Letter to the Christian Nobility , one of the main arguments was that ” papal primacy, as practiced and understood in his times, was contrary to Scripture … the papacy is a human institution, not a divine one. Christ never made the pope head of the Church universal”.
Thesis Statement:
Luther consistently fought against the supremacy and ultramontanism of the Catholic Church by allying the German princes and won popular supports from the German peasants by sympathizing them for their grievance; however, when they violated the interests of the German princes in the Peasants‟ War, he rebuilt his attitude towards the peasants that they should be condemned and suppressed brutally.
The Backdrop
* Grievances of Germany * Safety Protection * Disillusion
The Gravamina of the German People 1521
“22. Concerning Indulgences. It is also most objectionable
Luther’s Principle
“I am and always will be, on the side of those against whom insurrection is directed, no matter how unjust their cause; I am opposed to those who rise in insurrection, no matter how just their cause;
Байду номын сангаас
Counter-arguments
* Towards Popes * Towards Peasants
Counter-argument 1.
Some argue that Luther‟s attitude towards the pope was swaying from time to time. During the early years, he addressed Pope Leo X fairly respectfully. For example, in September 1520, Luther sent an open letter to Pope Leo X, addressing him as “most blessed father”, constantly Luther expressed that he did not intent to attack or criticize the pope himself and would always serve for him and conduct the Church service.
The Gravamina of the German People 1521
“85. How Priests Take Issues That Should be Adjudicated by
Secular Courts to Ecclesiastic Courts.
There are many legal matters that, according to law, could be settled in either an ecclesiastical or a secular court. It happens often that when a secular judge assumes jurisdiction over a case, an ecclesiastical judge steps forward threatening the secular judge with excommunication unless he surrenders the case. Thus the ecclesiastical judges hear whatever cases they wish. … the ecclesiastical judges, against all laws, boldly usurp such cases, which causes great troubles for secular authority”.
Luther’s Sympathy
Facing the Twelve Articles summarizing the peasants‟ grievances, Luther responded with
Friendly Admonition to Peace Concerning the Twelve Articles of the Peasants in June 1525,
Luther’s Protest
In Luther‟s Treatise on Good Work, Luther argued that “all these works go on apart from faith; therefore they amount to nothing and are absolutely dead … God is served by all things that may be done, spoken and thought in faith”.
Luther’s Ally
In his Concerning Governmental Authority, published in 1523, he argued that “since Paul says here that the governing authority is God‟s servant, we must allow it to be exercised not only by the heathen but by all men. What can be the meaning of the phrase, „It‟s God‟s servant,‟ except that governing authority is by its very nature such that through it one may serve God?... It would even be fine and fitting if all princes were good, true Christians. For the sword and authority, as a particular service of God, belong more appropriately to Christians than to any other men on earth. Therefore, you should esteem the sword or governmental authority as highly as the estate of marriage, or husbandry, or any other calling which God has instituted”