Class 5: Martin Luther IITheology

25 January 2006

Outline

Reminder: Humanism Luther’s Internal Turmoil Human nature Justification and Faith Church and Priesthood of all believers Sacraments Summary: Three Solas Luther’s Primary Traditionalist Opponent: Cajetan Humanist Opponent: Erasmus

Humanism

Starts in Italy as part of Italian Renaissance Emphasizes philology over philosophy; that is study of structure and

literal analysis of ancient texts in original languages, including Bible, rather than using philosophical methods

Wants to get back to the original religious and classical sources, ad fontes

Lorenzo Valla (1407-1457) Careful study of ancient documents led to showing several were later

forgeries; most notably Donation of Constantine; also Pseudo-Dionysius was indeed pseudo, written in c 5th C, not 1st C

Wrote influential disputation between Stoic and an Epicurean Started critical analysis of Bible

Erasmus of Rotterdam (1469-1536) Augustinian monk Humanist who encouraged return to Bible and early

Fathers of Church as a way to reform Church Scripture as the philosophy of Christ Optimistic about man’s ability to know and understand;

ancient maxim that if one knows what is right, one will do it Detailed textual work on Bible and Augustine

Greek New Testament with commentary most important biblical scholarship since Jerome

Most famous scholar of his time

How did ‘Erasmus laid the egg that Luther Hatched?’ This slide and the next, based on Alister McGrath Reformation Thought, 60-63 Scholasticism: humanist and reformers

rejected it Humanist because of style Reformers because wrong about man’s ability to

know and act Scripture: both humanists and reformers

believed Scripture key to reform in Church Humanists saw Scriptural authority as based on

antiquity and its simple eloquence Reformers saw it as the literal word of God

Humanism and Reformers (cont.) Fathers of the Church

Humanist saw them as the mediators of classical philosophy to Christianity

Reformers, Fathers had no special authority; valid only to extent supported by Scripture

Education Humanists believed classical education way to improve

society Reformers believed all should read the Bible

Rhetoric Humanists interested in rhetoric in itself Reformers as a way to propagate Reformation

Luther’s Internal Turmoil

Recall incident in storm when he took the vow to be a monk: deep fear of death; deep recognition of his sinfulness

Luther as a monk struggles with ‘doing’ sufficient good works to merit salvation; deep recognition of his sinfulness

Praying over Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and study of Augustine leads him to recognize that only God’s free gift of grace can save him

Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection are the ‘acts’ which win salvation for us

NB: For all the external turmoil around Luther, it is this internal turmoil that really drives him

Luther’s most eloquent statement of his resolution of this turmoil is Freedom of the Christian

Freedom of Christian (1520)

Addressed to Pope Leo X Problem in not Leo but Roman Curia; Leo “sits as a lamb in the midst of wolves” At Augsburg Diet (1518), Cajetan was only interested in politics (actually this is true;

Cajetan mostly was at the Diet to convince German nobles to mount attack on Turks) At Leipzig Disputation (1519), Johann Eck was only interested in his own glory

Key paradox of Christian: “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none” “ A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all”

Dual nature of man: Body (Outer Man) and Spirit (Inner Man) When Scripture seems to be contradictory, referring to different natures

Justified by Christ alone and faith in Him No good work can justify one; one does good works because faith leads to love

of neighbor “Good works do not make a good man; but a good man does good works”

Example of faith is Mary (Luther always believed in Immaculate Conception) Laws and traditions of Church enslave faithful who should be taught by Scripture

alone

Luther on Justification

We cannot in any way save ourselves Grace is God’s free gift to the sinner Righteousness of God in Rom 1:16-17 means that

only God can make us righteous Our response is faith; that is trust in the One who

saves us Faith is passive, God is active

The true Christian is both sinner and justified (by God)

NB: Justification is the root of Lutheran theology.

Luther on Predestination

God is in control of our fate Without predestination, implies elements of

chance in God’s providence True Christian would gladly go to hell if that is

God’s will

Luther on Human Nature

Two ‘natures’: fleshly and spiritual Avoids dualism by meaning the complete person

(body and soul) under each category Fleshly is in and of the world; rebelling

against God Spiritual is justified by God and accepts

redemption in faith; faith is the reaction of human will to trust in word of God Living in confidence of God’s grace

Luther on Church

True Christian church is made of community of true Christians Church not hierarchical, visible Church Church not like Noah’s ark with mix of holy and

sinners True Christians are hidden in society Priesthood of all believers

Luther on Sacraments

Baptism and Eucharist only sacraments Baptism

Infant baptism okay because infants helped by community of praying Church. Promise of baptism for all true believers is only finalized at death and resurrection of

body All Christians are baptized; not all baptized are Christians

Eucharist Belief in true Presence Not transubstantiation; Word truly present with bread and wine (consubstantiation) Mass is not a sacrifice and good work; rather a way to be in communion with God Opposed private Masses Because all are priests, all should receive Eucharist under both species

Penance God forgives; not the priest May be some benefit to confessing sins to another Christian

No other sacraments, because no Biblical warrant See Babylonian Captivity

Lutheran Theology: Three Solas Sola Gratia

Only God’s grace can save you Only two sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist (initially included Penance,

but eventually rejects it) Sola Fides

Faith in Jesus Christ is necessary and sufficient for salvation Universal priesthood of all believers

Sola Scriptura Rejection of philosophical developments; Scripture is all that one needs Scripture should be available to everyone, unmediated; Luther translates

Bible into German, although with his own interpretation built into it Return to original Biblical languages for Biblical study; reject any OT

books not written in Hebrew (deutrocanonical books; i.e., most philosophical books)

Very important that everyone can read

Implications of Solas

Rejection of intercession of saints Destruction of images of saints, Churches stripped of decorations Rejection of relics

Rejection of indulgences Theory of indulgences implies Pelagianism There are no intermediaries between person and God

Rejection of Scholasticism (and philosophy in general) The only way to know is by the illumination of grace Justification is not a process, but an instantaneous gift of God

Rejection of inherent value celibacy All true Christians are priests; Luther and most of his ordained followers marry

Reading and Education Important that everyone be able to read the Bible Luther wrote two catechisms (Large and Small) in a question and answer format

Formalization of Lutheran Theology: Augsburg Confession Written by Philipp Melanchthon An expression of Lutheran beliefs without the

Luther’s rhetoric Note acceptance of doctrines from early

Church councils.

Luther-Erasmus Debates on Free Will Recall that Erasmus was also a reformer In some ways replay of Pelagian controversy Erasmus writes a book, called On Free Will, like Augustine wrote

early in his career In response Luther writes a book called On Bondage of Will,

makes points similar to Augustine against Pelagius on need for grace, predestination

As in Pelagian controversy, how does one interpret Paul’s Letter to Romans? In particular, “Who hardened Pharaoh’s Heart” Rom 9:17-18; see also Exodus Do not forget context of Paul’s Letter to Romans This tension has been on-going in Christianity

English Opponents to Luther: Thomas More and Henry VIII More attacked Luther on basis of epistemology

Antiquity of Church’s beliefs was a guarantor that they were correct

Allowing everyone to interpret the Bible in their own way opens Pandora’s box of faulty interpretations

Henry VIII wrote a treatise supporting Seven Sacraments Henry allied with Charles V against Francois I of France Henry VIII married to Catherine of Aragon, Charles V’s aunt

(youngest child of Ferdinand and Isabella) Henry VIII is given title ‘Defender of the Faith’ by Pope Leo X

Splintering of Protestantism

No sooner had Luther broken with Rome, then divergent Protestant groups break with him over doctrine and practice

Swiss Reform: Zwingli and Calvin German Anabaptists English Reform: Henry VIII

Assignments Read

Babylonian Captivity of Church Freedom of Christian Disputation on Scholasticism Augsburg Confession

Extra: Joint Catholic-Lutheran Statement on Justification, 1999, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html

Write Short (1-2 page) Paper on Luther THESIS STATEMENT Be sure to use primary source references