Viewing the religious reform in the 16th century from the life of Martin Luther

I dare say that for a thousand years, no one has been hated by the whole world like me. May my lord come and take me away quickly. I will stretch out my neck happily so that he can take me with a thunderbolt. Knocked down, Amen.

In November 1483, Martin Luther was born in the small town of Mansfield in northern Germany. It was a time when the weather was getting colder, as cold as the cold wind he was about to face in this life.

Luther’s childhood did not seem to be happy. His father Hans was a steel mill owner who belonged to the emerging merchant class. My father always hoped that Luther could become a lawyer. Because lawyers belong to the upper middle class.

Luther said that once he ran away from home after being beaten so hard by his father. Before being found by his father, he hated his father to death.

His mother didn’t seem to be gentle, "Just because I stole a nut, my mother beat me out of blood."

However, Luther’s family conditions still determined that he attended the best local school (I don’t know the way. Dexiang is not fragrant). Later when he was 18 years old, he was admitted to Erfurt University.

Luther was born in an era when the church enjoyed supreme power, and religion penetrated into all aspects of social life. Only Christian stories are allowed to be preached. The church declares whether the birth of a baby is legal, whether the marriage is legal, and whether the will is legal.

Only by abiding by church rules and following church ceremonies can you escape from the disasters of this life and go to heaven and find eternal happiness.

Erfurt, where Luther studied, is a church center known as Rome in Thuringia. There are 14 churches and 25 churches there.

But everything went smoothly. Luther quickly obtained a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. As long as he passed the remaining final law courses, he became the lawyer his father hoped to be.

was suddenly surrounded by the fear and grief of death, I felt that I must dedicate myself to God.

Soon, a disaster struck Europe. In 1503, an unprecedented Black Death spread rapidly, and Erfurt, where Luther studied, was also hit by the plague. In fact, the Black Death broke out as early as 150 years ago. In just five years, 25 million people were killed, accounting for one third of the total population of Europe.

The Black Death is extremely dangerous and without warning. No one can predict that maybe this village is all suffering from the Black Death, but the next village is safe, so people can only think that God is punishing sinners. Under the black plague, Luther's three friends were not spared. We don't know what kind of impact this has on Luther who is away from home.

Soon after Luther returned home to visit relatives, he was trapped by a sudden rainstorm on his way back to Erfurt. Thunder and lightning were in the dark, and we no longer know what he experienced that night. Perhaps as he said, it is the call of the soul.

Yes, Luther swore to be a monk that night.

Luther's father was definitely not a good talker, but Luther made his own choice between becoming a lawyer and a monk.

Luther joined the monastery shortly after returning to Erfurt, a very strict monastery called the Austen. The monasteries in Europe are divided into men and women, just like the temple nunnery. The monks prayed and meditated every day in the monastery in order to obtain salvation.

Austin is not a convent that makes people feel comfortable. Here, monks can only speak at a specific time and at a specific place, and they gather at the altar seven times a day to sing hymns and pray. Of course it is also included in the middle of the night.

Luther is absolutely the most pious in the monastery, even rare in the entire world. Wearing a coarse black robe, he fasted for several days without a blanket, and slept in the snow at night. If it wasn't for his companion to drag him back to the room, maybe his life would end here.

"If any monk can reach heaven through spiritual practice, it is none other than me. If I continue to vigil, pray, chant, etc., I will definitely die."

God's words are too noble and too difficult It is difficult for the world to practice. This is not only confirmed by the Lord’s words, but also by my personal experience and feelings.

Luther is so pious, but his heart is not savedredemption. The more he prayed, the more he questioned himself. Such self-doubt has tortured Luther for five years, until 1510, when things turned around. Luther got a chance to make a pilgrimage to Rome.

Rome is a sacred treasure for Christians. There is St. Peter's Basilica, the supreme pope, and the relics of countless saints and martyrs. Rome was at the peak of the Renaissance, Michelangelo was painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and Raphael was decorating the private residence of the Pope. In two months, Luther finally walked to Rome with his companions. I believe that this moment has a very, very strong impact on such a devout Christian, Luther may be excited all night and all night unable to sleep.

But the excitement will pass soon, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Luther found that Rome was not as sacred as he dreamed. There was the smell of copper everywhere, which made Ruther disgusted.

The aloof Pope Julius II is taking the money of the believers, traveling around Europe, even if Rome has countless wealth and castles.

disappointed Luther even more. The remains of 46,000 martyrs were placed in the cellar of the Church of San Calisto. If you want to see it, you have to pay. It is said that after praying, one can forgive one's sins, just like an indulgence.

Luther was quite dissatisfied. He protested against the bad phenomena of the Holy See, but according to the canon, his behavior had committed the crime of "disobedience to the Pontifical" and required the sacrament of confession. To put it simply, it is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, namely, baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, confession, marriage, holy orders, and confession in the end. This is an important way for believers to express their repentance to God.

So Luther collapsed. What is this

? The church is such a place of sin? Luther's trip to Rome brought him disillusionment and doubt.

So Luther questioned himself and God even more. The more he wanted to prove himself through penance, the more he understood that he was not really repenting. This is like a philosophical question, a question with no answer.

40,000

Although as a monk, I am so impeccable, I can only feel that I am a sinner with a sense of guilt in my heart. I cannot believe that my hard work has pleased God. In fact, I hate this God, and once I angered myself, my heart was filled with anxiety and anxiety.

Luckily in 1511, Luther was sent by the church to a small monastery in the town of Wittenberg. There are only a few churches and a newly built university, which is incomparable to Erfurt, but he met a noble man here.

Johann von Staupitz was the local bishop. He saw Luther's pain and decided to help Luther out of his prison. So he hired Luther as a professor of Bible studies at Wittenberg University. Luther stammered at this time and said 15 reasons for incompetence, but Staupitz replied: "This is just right, in heaven, God will arrange a lot of work for smart people."

Luther heard very much. Happy, praise me as a smart person, then all right, I will do it.

became a professor of Luther and began to break away from the monastery and deal with the world. He began to study the standard Latin Bible of the church and read new versions in Greek and Hebrew.

During this period, Luther's thinking has undergone tremendous changes. The standard of the church is that people who are redeemed can achieve salvation through their own efforts, but Luther believed that people only need to open their hands and accept God's gifts. Whatever requires hard work, it's all nonsense, which caused my body to be ruined by so many years of hard cultivation.

Simply put, this is not a matter between you and the church, it is a matter between you and God. does not require the church to act as an intermediary, and no intermediary fee is king.

"Understanding this, I feel that I have been reborn, passed the open door, and entered heaven."

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I never thought I could be where I am today. I never thought about it, just because of a piece of paper The film caused such an uproar in Rome.

At this time, the previous Pope Julius II is gone, and he is replaced by Leo X. Leo X was even more exaggerated than Julius II. He liked to hold extravagant celebrations and hunting in the wild. At the banquet, Leo X will prepare a giant cake, and then jump out a fewA naked boy.

In just a few years, the small vault of the Pope was emptied by Leo X. In desperation, Leo X interrupted the construction of St. Peter's Basilica and began to sell indulgences in large quantities.

indulgences have long existed, but Leo X sold them differently this time. This time the indulgences can be bought not only for your own use, but also for the dead relatives. As long as you buy the indulgences, you can be forgiven for any sin, even if you can sleep with the Virgin Mary, if you can.

In 1517, Leo X recruited an almsman of the Dominican Order, and John Tetzler presided over the sale.

"Coins fall into the bottom of the drawer and jingle, and the soul instantly escapes from purgatory and rises to heaven." The main place for

's sale this time was in Germany, the Holy Roman Empire where Luther was located. As for why it is only sold here, it is a dirty deal between Leo X and the electors.

The key to buy is to buy. Luther discovered that the believers who had come to him for atonement before had saved up money and ran to buy indulgences, and some were even more irritating and wrote to him saying that they bought the indulgences. No need to confess to him anymore.

Luther is really angry this time. He is a man who has realized the truth. This is a matter of personal and God. What is your Pope’s business, and how dare you sell this indulgence? So on the night of October 31, 1517, Luther listed 95 theses, slamming the pope and the indulgence transaction. After that, he posted the outline on the door of the church.

finally turned to the Pope's anger this time, because at this time the printing press has been perfected by Gutenberg, a large number of printing merchants have printed Luther's 95 thesis, and people have begun to discuss.

In fact, the church is not overly nervous about this kind of thing. What is it called for such a person? Stabbing, oh no, called a heretic. What is the name of this book? Called heresy. What is the easiest way to deal with the problem? Deal with the person asking the question. As long as Luther is dealt with, the world will be quiet. For Luther, the church’s rule is to die without bleeding, that is, burn to death or drown. The

church immediately dispatched a cardinal to find Luther and asked him to withdraw all his comments. Luther said in his usual sharp words: "He has no ability to deal with this matter at all, it's like playing the harp with his butt."

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I asked them to give a complete and not one-sided, clear and not chaotic. The answer is definite, not vague. What is heresy on earth?

This matter confuses the pope, what is heresy? What keeps me from holding money is heresy! In his luxurious hunting palace on the outskirts of Rome, the pope used his own assassin. The weather was good that day, but the Pope decided to make Luther feel the cold.

"Lord, please rise up and defend yourself. A wild boar from the forest is trying to destroy your vineyard. We must accuse this Martin Luther of slander and slander. If someone's faith is not really known to the world, Then he is a complete pagan."

This is an edict signed by Leo X to expel Luther from the church. The words in it are quite interesting. Leo X liked to fight wild boars, so he described it as such. Luther. It is a pity that the words are much worse than Luther's.

Luther's counterattack came very quickly. He immediately wrote "A Letter to the German Christian Aristocrats", which was written neither to the Holy See nor to the common people, but to the rulers of Germany. At that time, Germany was a country composed of many provinces, each province had its own ruler, and the Holy Roman Empire, composed of provinces, was ruled by an emperor.

Luther said in the book: “Germany’s wealth violates the laws of nature and flies over the Alps.” He is very smart, knowing that it is not the people who should unite at this time, but the rulers. Because not all rulers wear a pair of trousers with the Pope, they are also very angry that power and wealth are monopolized by the Pope. This trick

saved Luther's life, and the ruler of Saxony, Frederick III, protected Luther from persecution from the Holy See. You must know that as long as he is excommunicated, he can be persecuted regardless of the power of the world or the power of the Holy See.

Frederick III also did one thing. During the visit of Emperor Charles V, Frederick won an opportunity for Luther to defend himself before the German emperor and princes.

At this time, the Pope’s edict for expelling Luther is already on his way, But Luther still used his weapons, constantly attacking. He said: "The Pope should stand up and let everyone see his sins." "Rome is a big brothel above all brothels. If you deny this, then I don't know what a brothel means. "

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I would say that neither the pope, the bishop nor any priest has the right to impose any law on believers.

Luther said in his "The Church Is In Captivity in Babylon". Babylon is a city of sin, and the church has been tied to that city of sin and has become the embodiment of the devil.

In the winter of 1520, the edict for expelling Lutherans finally arrived. It's a pity that everything is too late, and its destiny is a bonfire.

In April 1521, Luther went to Worms resolutely to meet with the rulers despite everyone's dissuasion. However, Luther was pleased that people kept welcoming him along the way and gave them gifts.

On April 16, 1521, Luther arrived in Worms. He said: "I was welcomed by a large number of people that day. All the residents of the city gathered on the street. A priest ran towards me...touched me as if I were a saint."

waited until the Pope’s envoy would When what happened that day was told to him, the pope was angry, because nine out of ten people shouted " Long live Luther ". What embarrassed the pope was that the last one shouted " Pope to die." ".

That afternoon, the sun was sinking, and the room was filled with the most powerful people in Europe, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the princes of Germany, and the Pope’s envoy John Mayer von Eck. The envoy had only one requirement, and that was that Luther would withdraw all his writings.

Yes, Luther refused again. He said: "Yes, I wrote those books. I can write more than that. If I want to read them, I still have them."

I'm here forever, it's close to everything, God bless me, Amen!

Luther left the meeting after finishing his last sentence. He won't receive the verdict until the next day. When Luther thought he was dead, the undecidable notice came to him, and his lord Frederick III abstained.

Luther quietly left Worms, preparing to return to Wittenberg. But on the way, he met a group of people, and they took Luther to a castle called Walter.

These are the people of Frederick III. Although the emperor’s ruling did not deal with Luther, the pope would definitely not let him go, so Frederick hid him in Wartburg.

Luther stayed here for a year. During this time, Luther pulled out of his tension and began to devote himself to a new job—translating the Bible into German so that the general public could read the Bible directly.

When Luther returned to Wittenberg in 1522, he was stunned. He had never thought that his words were so sharp that they would cause turmoil. Wittenberg was the first place where the turmoil occurred. The monks and nuns all left the monastery, and the priests abandoned the church's regulations to get married. Luther's followers controlled the local government, confiscated church assets, and established a new welfare system. Violent change has emerged.

Luther opened the Pandora's Box, and when he reacted, it was too late. But he still worked hard to get things back on track. He said: " I am against indulgences and all believers of the supremacy of the Pope, but not through violence, I just teach, spread and write the word of God. "

is joking, it is too late for Luther to repent, and those serfs will His belief in rebelling against the Holy See and fighting for freedom was brought to the landlord and came to violently resist the landlord.

Luther’s words became more and more extreme. He said: " smash it, stab it, kill the rebellious peasants, that is the right thing. " In the next twenty years, Luther can only do it once. The second choice supported the rulers to use violence to subdue the rebels, and more than 100,000 people died in this revolution.

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In 1546, when Luther's life came to an end, he was holding onto the cold bed. He adhered to his consistent style of speech, he said: " may I become a ghost after death, so that I can continue to pester thoseBishops, priests and ungodly monks. The ability of a dead Luther to make them feel uneasy is that a thousand living people will be willing to go down. "