Martin Luther and the German Reformation

Rob Sorensen

Description

A concise, critical study of Martin Luther and his impact on the contemporary world.

 

A concise, critical study of Martin Luther and his impact on the modern world. The book covers Luther’s life, work as a reformer, theological development, and long-term influence. The book is extensively based on the writings of Martin Luther and draws connections between his life and teachings and the modern day world. Intended for use by students, the book assumes no initial familiarity with Luther and would be ideal for any interested person who wants to get to know Martin Luther; one of the key figures in European history.

 

Introduction; 1. Context; 2. Luther's Early Life; 3. The Accidental Reformer; 4. Conflict and Reform; 5. A New Way to Be a Christian; 6. The Final Years; 7. The World Luther Made

 

Informations

• Publié par: Anthem Press
• Date de parution: 07 juillet 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9781783084425
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Martin Luther and the German Reformation
Anthem Perspectives in History
Titles in the Anthem Perspectives in History series combine a thematic overview with analyses of key areas, topics or personalities in history. The series is targeted at high-achieving A Level, International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement pupils, first-year undergraduates and an intellectually curious audience.
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Gladstone and the Logic of Victorian Politics
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King John
An Underrated King
Graham E. Seel
The Creation of Modern China, 1894-2008
The Rise of a World Power
Iain Robertson Scott
Martin Luther and the German Reformation
Rob Sorensen
Anthem Press
An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company
www.anthempress.com
This edition first published in UK and USA 2016
by ANTHEM PRESS
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or PO Box 9779, London SW19 7ZG, UK
and
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Rob Sorensen 2016
The moral right of the authors has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sorensen, Robert A. (Robert Allen), 1951- author.
Title: Martin Luther and the German Reformation / Rob Sorensen.
Description: New York: Anthem Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016021079 | ISBN 9781783085651 (pbk.: alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Luther, Martin, 1483-1546. | Reformation.
Classification: LCC BR332.5.S63 2016 | DDC 284.1092 [B]-dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016021079
ISBN-13: 9 781 7830 8565 1 (Pbk)
ISBN-10: 1 78308 565 7 (Pbk)
This title is also available as an e-book.
CONTENTS
Definition of Key Terms
Introduction
1. Context
1.1 The Late Medieval Church
1.2 Crises of the Late Middle Ages
1.2.1 Famine, plague and revolt
1.2.2 Church schism
1.2.3 Early reform movements
1.2.4 The impact of humanism
1.3 The Holy Roman Empire
2. Luther s Early Life
2.1 Family and Early Childhood
2.1.1 Young man Luther
2.2 Early Education
2.3 Nominalism
2.4 Monk and Professor
2.5 Justification by Faith
3. The Accidental Reformer
3.1 The Indulgence Controversy
3.1.1 What is an indulgence?
3.1.2 Tetzel s plenary indulgence
3.1.3 Did Luther actually post the 95 Theses ?
3.1.4 Power politics
3.2 The Heidelberg Disputation
3.3 Friends in High Places
3.4 The Leipzig Debate
3.5 1520: The Decisive Year
3.5.1 Excommunication
3.5.2 Political support for Luther
3.5.3 The key writings of 1520
3.6 The Diet of Worms
4. Conflict and Reform
4.1 A Year of Exile
4.1.1 The Wartburg
4.1.2 The Bible in German
4.1.3 Radicalization of the reform movement
4.1.4 Return from exile
4.2 The Peasants War
4.3 Zwingli and the Conflict over the Eucharist
4.4 Erasmus and the Bondage of the Will
4.5 The Augsburg Confession
5. A New Way to Be a Christian
5.1 Basic Themes in Luther s Theology
5.1.1 Justification by faith alone
5.1.2 The authority of scripture
5.1.3 The priesthood of all believers
5.1.4 The sacraments
5.1.5 Two kingdoms
5.2 Marriage and Domestic Life
5.3 The Development of the Lutheran Church
5.4 Music
6. The Final Years
6.1 Home Life
6.2 Physical and Emotional Illnesses
6.3 Polemics and Controversies
6.3.1 Islam and the Turks
6.3.2 The question of the Jews
6.3.3 Philip of Hesse and bigamy
6.4 The End
7. The World Luther Made
7.1 Long-Term Impacts
7.1.1 The spread of Lutheranism
7.1.2 The growth of individualism
7.1.3 Nationalism and politics
7.1.4 Social welfare and education
7.1.5 Women and the family
7.2 Questions about Luther s Legacy
7.2.1 Antinomianism-does human behavior matter at all?
7.2.2 Why was Luther successful?
7.2.3 How Lutheran was Luther?
7.3 Concluding Thoughts
For Further Study
Notes
Bibliography
Index
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
ANFECHTUNG: A word used by Luther to describe his spiritual struggles. It can mean temptation, trial or assault.
ANTINOMIANISM: The idea that righteous behavior is unnecessary because the grace of God can save you regardless of your sinfulness.
BAPTISM: One of the traditional Christian sacraments, baptism is a ceremony in which a person is immersed in or sprinkled with water to signify the forgiveness of sins and admission into the church. In the sixteenth century, baptism was almost universally a ceremony performed on newborn infants.
CARDINAL: A high official in the Catholic hierarchy, appointed by the pope as one of his chief assistants and advisors. Cardinals also elect a new pope upon the death of the previous pope.
CATECHISM: A short instructional work designed to teach people the basics of Christianity.
CLERICAL CELIBACY: The idea that members of the clergy ought to remain unmarried and should refrain from sexual relations.
CONCILIARISM: A late fifteenth-century movement that claimed that supreme religious authority lay with church councils rather than in the person of the pope.
ELECTOR: One of seven princes of the Holy Roman Empire who could vote in elections for emperor.
EUCHARIST: One of the traditional seven sacraments. The Eucharist is the symbolic meal of bread and wine that were also mystically Christ s body and blood.
EXCOMMUNICATION: The official act of revoking a person s membership in the church.
FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION: The idea that a believer is declared righteous, but not actually made righteous.
GOSPEL: Literally good news, the term was used by Luther to refer to the central teachings of Christianity and particularly the doctrine of justification by faith alone.
HERESY: Belief or teaching that is contradictory to the official teachings of the church.
HUMANISM: A movement seeking to revive the culture and scholarship of ancient Greece and Rome through returning to the original sources and languages. Humanists also emphasized the value and ability of the individual human being.
ICONOCLASM: The opposition to the use of images in Christian worship.
INDULGENCE: Official remittance of penance for sins, available for purchase from the church.
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH: Luther s central doctrine-that sinners can be reconciled with God not through any act on their part, but rather by having faith that God will act to reconcile them with Himself.
MASS: Can refer either to the Eucharist, or to the church service in which the central element is the celebration of the Eucharist.
MONASTICISM: A religious commitment to poverty, chastity and obedience.
ORTHODOX CHURCH: A Christian church, prominent in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The Orthodox are a historic church not connected with the Roman Catholic Church.
POPE: The title for the Bishop of Rome, the official leader of the Catholic Church.
PENANCE: An act, assigned by a priest, to atone for sin.
PURGATORY: A place for the Christian dead to complete their acts of penance before being allowed to enter heaven.
REAL PRESENCE: The idea that Christ s actual body and blood are present in the Eucharist. Unlike transubstantiation, belief in the real presence does not necessarily imply that the bread and wine are completely replaced.
SACRAMENT: One of the seven rituals believed to convey God s grace to believers.
THEOSIS: The teaching, associated with Eastern Orthodox Christianity, that the believer becomes, through faith, united with God.
TRANSUBSTANTIATION: The doctrine that held that the bread and wine of the Eucharist actually become, in their entirety, Jesus s real body and blood.
VERNACULAR: The common language spoken by the people.
VESTMENT: A ceremonial garment worn by a priest during church services.
INTRODUCTION
Sunt bona, sunt quaedam mediocria, sunt mala plura
Quae legis hic: aliter non fit, Avite, liber.
- Martial, Epigram 1.16
Martin Luther is unquestionably one of the most prominent figures of the past millennium, and there is certainly no shortage of books about him. Yet he remains a fascinating and enigmatic figure. He is in many ways foreign to twenty-first century sensibilities, but he continues to speak deeply to many people-myself included-nearly five hundred years after his death. He introduced Europeans to a God who was not concerned with their good works, their personal piety, or their religious observation, but who simply reconciled sinners to himself by grace. In doing so, Luther initiated a theological revolution that splintered the Christian church and ushered in the modern world. This is his