Protestants see Martin Luther's 95 Theses as the birth of the Reformation, now five hundred years ago. Luther himself did not think that this was something to celebrate, as historian Craig Harline shows in his book 'World in Disarray'.
The German monk Martin Luther (1483-1546) is in the spotlight this year. The common view is that the Reformation began five hundred years ago with its 95 Theses nailed to the church door of Wittenberg. With this list of criticisms Luther turned against the abuses in the Catholic Church, which resulted in the emergence of the Protestant Church. That sounds like a logical consequence, but it is only for those who know the outcome of this history. Luther himself could never have imagined it in 1517, for example, American historian Craig Harline shows in his new book 'World in Disarray. Martin Luther and the Birth of the Reformation'.
Unknown outcome
Harline takes the reader to the years 1517 to 1522. These were the most turbulent and uncertain years for Martin Luther. From a doubting soul he transformed into the advocate of his religious truth. From insignificant monk to famous professor of theology with many followers. Through a lot of Bible study, Luther came to different than the usual interpretations about what faith and grace meant. Harline describes this path full of fear and pain, at a time when Luther had no idea what his new visions would bring about.
Because only these early years are discussed, you realize as a reader how differently things could have turned out. Luther was not the only one who thought that changes had to take place within the Catholic Church. He didn't want any separation at all. The growing aversion to the Pope's power in Germany, however, ensured broad support among the elite. The clear explanation of his ideas in the German language for many followers among citizens and farmers. The ball started rolling and this time Rome couldn't stop it. Luther's teachings were just not interpreted and followed as the monk himself would have liked. Civil war and schism in the church were the ultimate result.
Grace
About Luther man we learn that as a young monk he was very insecure. No matter how much he prayed, fasted, and chastised himself, he continued to feel like a sinner. He did not believe that God would ever allow him into the afterlife. He devoted himself intensively to the redemption traditions and the interpretation of the Bible by the Church Fathers of earlier times. Luther drew different conclusions and Harline clearly explains which ones, which is not easy when it comes to theological issues.
The common idea was that people had to do penance through good deeds in order to receive God's grace. According to Luther, this was incorrect. And selfish, because this was not about helping the other person, but about safeguarding your own skin. According to the theologian, man received grace only through faith. Once inspired by a forgiving God, you automatically did good deeds for the other.
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University traditions
This new image of a loving rather than a stern and cruel God gave the sinner Luther hope and he wanted to discuss his new interpretation with other theologians. At that time, it was common for universities to organize disputes to discuss theological issues. For this, theologians wrote – often exaggerated – theses in Latin, which they sent to other professors together with an invitation to the dispute. It was also normal for a copy of the theses to be hung on the door of the university church. All announcements and news from the university were nailed to this door.
Putting up statements was therefore not an act of protest, Harline makes clear to the reader. Because of this explanation of theses and because Luther was disappointed to receive no reactions, you as a reader realize how completely unexpected the reactions to his next theses must have been for Luther. In these 95 famous but less groundbreaking theses he discussed the use of the St. Peter's Indulgence.
Greedy practices
Believers could shorten their time in purgatory by purchasing an indulgence. The money was used to finance local charities and church building. Luther didn't mind indulgences per se, but this papal super-indulgence would also forgive your future sins, no matter how bad they were. This was not to be found in the Bible and the proceeds were also intended for the construction of St. Peter's in Rome. This smelled of greed instead of grace.
Luther had his 95 theses printed and sent them on October 31, 1517, to various clergymen for discussion in a dispute. But this time it was very different. In the same period there was already dissatisfaction with the pope's influence in Germany and the export of German money to Rome. Luther's theses were disseminated by others, and printers saw bread in the subject because of German discontent, and rightly so. The author's permission to print was not necessary at that time and the propositions sold like a train.
At the beginning of 1518 they were translated into German, which made sales even faster. By the way, this was against Luther's will because the theses were intended for a dispute among theologians. An aggressive pamphlet battle ensued in which other clergymen refuted the theses, and Luther again contradicted them. He wrote so many texts and books about his interpretations of the Bible that he quickly became the best-selling author in Europe.
Burning Pile
Luther made dangerous enemies with his ideas, such as Pope Leo X (1475-1521) and Emperor Charles V (1500-1558). The pyre, the punishment for heretics in those days, was therefore a real specter. Harline, in Luther's own words, has also used his correspondence as a source, how anxious this period was for him. His enemies did not give up and Luther was subpoenaed. He had to answer for his statements and subsequent texts several times and recant everything. Luther continued to refuse this:he would only recant if theologians could show from the Bible that his interpretations were wrong.
Luther no longer doubted his own right, to the anger of many. The monk owed the fact that he eventually managed to avoid being burned at the stake thanks to equally powerful friends, such as his king Frederick of Saxony (1463-1525). Harline beautifully describes how Luther was a pawn in a power game between the Pope, who needed money, the future Emperor Charles, who needed Frederick's vote, and other German electors, who felt that the Pope had too much power in Germany.
Spoken word
In addition to being a theologian at the University of Wittenberg, Martin Luther was also a pastor in the local St. Mary's Church. Here he learned how to touch people's hearts by explaining the Bible with examples that they understood. In German instead of common Latin. Luther also continued on this path on paper, as a result of which he also managed to reach many people outside his own parish.
Bibles in German were not new, but lay writers about their explanations were. The printing press also helped to spread the information further and further. But above all, it was important that Luther's adherents among the pastors shared his words through their pulpits. And so Luther gained more and more followers.
Personal approach
Just as theologians interpreted the Bible in different ways, so did Luther's followers with his teachings. With chaos and rifts as a result. Harline briefly gives us this glimpse into the 'future', as well as Luther's increasingly bitter character and anti-Semitic expressions. In the end, the ex-monk, who married and had children, would simply die in his bed and not at the stake.
World in Disarray reads like a train, or rather like a novel. Harline wrote it for a wide audience. His intent to only discuss the first few years, thus emphasizing how nerve-wracking and uncertain this period was for Luther, works out well. After this book, the reader will look differently at the origins of the Reformation and Luther's role in it. It is less obvious than we thought.
With the sources he has about Luther, the author also tries to sketch the monk as personally as possible. He wants to touch the reader in this way, just like Luther does his listeners. Because if anything becomes clear from the book, it is that a personal approach appeals to many more people than hair-splitting at university level.