Luther

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The Man of the Era?

"I stand here. I can do no other. May God help me. Amen."

According to tradition, this was said before the Imperial Diet, and despite the threats of the emperor, he did not retract his views. Martin Luther's appearance in Worms is the most impactful scene in modern European history, marking the beginning of the entire modern civilization.

He was the disruptor of medieval unity, the great disturber of the feudal society, who elevated theology from childish simplicity. He created a new era, the era of individual opinions: with his opposition to the Pope, every person became their own pope, a rebellion against spiritual authorities, the popes.

What led him to this heroic stance? That's the question we seek to answer. One thing is certain: according to the norms of his time, he could have been burned at the stake for his actions.

What do we know about his life? Luther (1483-1546) was born into a miner's family in Saxony, and his father intended him for a legal career. However, his life took a different turn: he became a monk, a university professor of theology in Wittenberg, a writer, and ultimately, a reformer.

How did he come to this unwavering faith? 

He experienced complete enlightenment in three separate events:

• First, he received a call to change the direction of his previous pursuits. After the unexpected death of his brothers, contemplating the questions of death and the Last Judgment, a call came to him in the form of a storm, which he interpreted as a divine sign. In fear, he made a vow that if he survived the storm, he would become a monk. Against his father's will, he became an Augustinian monk, seeking to prove to himself that he was not obsessed, not sick, and not sinful.
• The second event occurred in the choir of the Erfurt monastery, where he fell to the ground and had a fit, shouting: "Not I, not I" (this was considered demonic possession; they had just read about a man possessed by an unclean spirit). Extreme mental states haunted his life, severe doubts and concerns led to these fits.
• The third event was his sudden enlightenment in the tower room of the monastery. Studying the Epistle to the Romans, he realized that grace comes not from human deeds but from divine mercy. The Apostle Paul was his spiritual guide, and he saw similarities in their conversions.

The real turning point was his pilgrimage to Rome in 1510. Here, he saw the corruption of the church, stating that Rome was "infested with worms and locusts."

At the University of Wittenberg, still a monk, he became a doctor of theology and lectured on the Bible. His main area of expertise was biblical exegesis. His theological teaching took shape here, advocating that God's grace can be obtained only through faith in God. Evil, he found, was in the papacy, and he directed all his anger against it.

Why can we consider him a hero? 

In the following years, he demonstrated extraordinary courage several times:

• His most famous step was the posting of the Wittenberg Theses. The sale of indulgences triggered this. Luther raised his voice against the abuse of indulgences, which had turned into a common financial transaction. When the collection reached the Saxon Electorate, Luther spoke out against it. His attack on indulgences also meant an attack on the Pope. In reality, he was not concerned with financial abuse but with the question of grace. Another important issue was the matter of excommunication. No one can be excluded from internal communion with God. These thoughts were considered extreme political agitation.

He posted 95 theses on October 31, 1517. Scholars and clergy were invited to a public debate, a common practice at the time for broader dissemination of ideas. Scholars did not respond, but the people did. The theses were translated from Latin to German and widely distributed, addressing people's uncertainties about faith and their insistence on clear explanations.

The Wittenberg Reformation was a rebellion against the center, against institutions, against common people toward the nobility, against dogmas, and against litany toward living speech. Luther's hammer blows were heard all over Europe, and the issue shifted from theological debate to political territory.

• The next event was the Augsburg breakthrough, the break with the church. In the 1518 hearing in Augsburg, he was asked to retract his doctrines, but Luther did not deviate from his previous position. In his new teaching, he emphasized biblical passages, claiming he could not retract anything not proven false by Scripture. In debates, his opponent (Dr. Eck) even threatened him with the stake.

Luther gained new followers by questioning whether Rome had the right to condemn a German monk. The Pope's authority was now the central issue. Luther stated that the Pope is fallible, and the Church erred in the condemnation of John Hus. The term Antichrist even appeared in relation to the Pope. It was considered blasphemy for a monk to speak against his supreme ruler.

Luther's conviction was clear: his supreme ruler was Christ. His definitive decision happened here, breaking with the church, the church breaking with Luther.

• His religious theses and writings led to excommunication. The bull of excommunication issued by the Pope sealed his fate. It was a life-threatening situation for Luther and his followers. They were denied the sacraments, expelled from Christian communion, unable to marry, deprived of church burial, and forbidden any contact. Excommunicated individuals could beg in groups.

It came into effect in 1521, the church pronounced judgment, and the execution was entrusted to secular power.

• His appearance at the Diet of Worms in 1521 risked burning and excommunication. Luther did not fear the stake but feared appearing before the emperor as a servant of God. In response to the demand to retract his theses, he said, "Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the Pope or in councils alone, since it is well-known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures. I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. God help me. Amen."

"Here I stand, I can do no other." Luther again showed courage in the face of mortal danger.

This stand, alongside individual conscience, paved the way for achievements such as equality, representation, and self-determination. These later became the foundations of everyone's freedom.

• His return to the world, to a hostile environment, was his bravest act in 1522. Luther faced daily mortal danger due to the papal excommunication and imperial anathema.

Impact:

• Propaganda and Religious War: His actions were followed by a fierce propaganda battle and later religious wars. His opponents considered him a "wolf in sheep's clothing," "heretic, insane, devilish, biting dog, spotted skin beggar, iron-nosed, miserable beggar," who brought "rebellion, discord, war, slaughter, robbery, and arson."

His followers saw him as a saint, a homo religiosus, who led Christian believers out of Egyptian darkness.

• Augsburg Religious Peace: The religious war concluded with the Peace of Augsburg.
• Translation of the Bible: Wise Frederick, Elector of Saxony, used Luther's actions for his political goals against the emperor. They pretended to abduct Luther and took him to Wartburg Castle. It served as both captivity and refuge, where Luther, in 10 weeks, translated the New Testament from Greek to German. Nietzsche considered his translation the greatest masterpiece of German prose, and it became the foundational work of the German literary language.

Luther gave the Bible to the people, making it understandable. Printing allowed the Bible, as a mass communication tool, to break into the social order of the time. The translation connected the North and the South, creating a nation. Luther became the custodian of German existence.

• Support and Criticism of Peasant Revolt: Luther faced a serious moral dilemma in supporting the peasant uprising. For the defense of himself and his movement, he relied on the princes, so he did not support the peasants. He rejected political and economic freedom, speaking instead of spiritual freedom, stating that serfdom is compatible with the Gospel. Man is born into the order to which he belongs. He clung to the order, fearing anarchy due to human sins.

The hero of the past was now considered a traitor; he lost a lot of his base. He inspired new ideas but had little power to restrict the spread of his thoughts to the areas he originally intended.

• Schism in the Western Church: The Western Church split, and the Lutheran Church was established, forcing the Catholic Church to renew itself.

Summary:

His theological actions made a nation susceptible to the charisma of a leader, the cult of personality. He was the destroyer of idols, the first individualist revolutionary who liberated the Savior from ceremonies, hierarchies, thought police, and placed Him back in the soul of every individual. His mission was to dethrone false popes and powerful figures and bring new life to the true ones. He faced centuries of false heritage alone!

His motto comes from Worms: "To go against conscience is neither safe nor right."

Sources:

• Erik H. Erikson, "The Young Luther and Other Writings."
• Richard Friedenthal, "Luther: His Life and Time."