Martin Luther (Part 1)

Luther's Upbringing

Martin Luther was the son of a miner, Hans Luther. Although of peasant stock, Hans Luther somehow managed to provide his son with a very good education. At Mansfeld in Magdeburg Martin was taught by the Brethren of the Common Life. At the University of Erfurt he gained his BA and MA degrees. His father wanted him to study law but in July 1505 he was struck by lightning and thrown to the ground. He promised that if his life was spared he would enter a monastery and devote his life to the service of God.

Apparently, throughout his youth he had been unable to find peace for his soul so his decision to enter a monastery is not entirely surprising. He believed that in the strict life of the monk he might find release.

Luther the Monk

Luther's concept of Jesus Christ was that of a harsh judge who needed to be appeased. He spent a great amount of time in fasting and in self denial to try to atone for his sins. He was making himself ill.

Fortunately, the vicar-general of the Augustinian order, Johann Von Staupitz, realised what Luther was doing to himself and urged Luther to see Jesus as the evidence of God's love for the sinner. He encouraged Luther to study the Bible where he would find the God of Love.

When Staupitz became dean of the Theological faculty at Wittenburg University, in 1508, he invited Luther to join him there. In 1510 Luther made a trip to Rome and while there at the heart of the Papacy, he became disillusioned with much of the Papal system.

In 1512 he gained his Doctor of Theology degree and replaced Von Staupitz as professor of theology. He retained this post until he died in 1546.

Between the years 1513 and 1519 Luther lectured on the Psalms and the Epistles. During this same period he became convinced that salvation and justification were to gained, not by works but by faith alone. This may well have been the result of his series of lectures on Romans in 1515. His style of lecturing brought him considerable respect. He virtually abandoned the traditional Scholastic system to rely on a more literal interpretation of Scripture.

By 1515 he had charge over eleven monasteries and became priest of the Wittenburg City Church.

In the following article we will follow Luther's career into Reformation.