Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money

Early Life Luther’s father, a businessman, pressed his young son to become a lawyer.. The two debated vigorously and this deepened Luther’s conviction. Luther believed that God had something greater for him than a predictable life as a lawyer. Against his father’s wishes, Luther enrolled in the seminary ( College for Priests) The new printing presses made books, literature and texts available. Luther became a Catholic monk, living much of the time in isolation and reading and thinking. He felt unworthy and battled the forces of evil in his own heart. His mastery of language and great knowledge earned him a place in graduate school. He gained a doctorate of divinity.

Pilgrimage to Rome Luther went on a pilgrimage on foot to Rome expecting it to be the pinnacle of his monastic experience. He followed orders, purchasing an indulgence and begged God for forgiveness and mercy. In Rome, all he saw was sleaze and corruption. He learned about Pope Leo X concubines, illegitimate children and unlimited power. He saw young clerics peddling salvation by selling Indulgences to pay for Pope Leo X’s project to complete an enormous Dome to crown St. Peter’s Basilica. Luther saw the Dome as a display of power and opulent wealth and not a sanctuary for ordinary people who were targets of illicit, shameful fundraising to escape purgatory for themselves and their loved ones. Luther, a priest with a lawyers mind, was appalled.

Indulgences for Future Sins He returned to Germany to find the Dominican Friar, Johann Tetzel was selling carnets of Indulgences for sins yet to be committed. Half of the money that Tetzel raised was used to pay off the debts of the Cardinal of Mainz. The German Prince Frederick III, banned the sale of carnets of Indulgences. Luther wanted to protect the reputation and dignity of the Pope and Catholic Church and openly preached against the work of Tetzel. He sent a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz listing 95 key, mainly theological, points. Eg the Pope has enough personal wealth to pay for the construction of the Dome without taking money from poor people. The list of 95 grievances was re-printed many times and distributed all over Germany where people were already unhappy with oppressive grip of the Catholic Church.

Diet ( Imperial Assembley ) of Worms In April 1521, Luther was summoned, with a promise of safe passage, to the Diet of Worms to re-affirm or repudiate his views in front of the Pope’s representatives. He was promised safe passage before and after interrogation. Luther refused to recant. After the Diet, Frederick III took Luther into hiding to the Castle at Wartburg.

The Edict of Worms In May, to protect the authority of the Pope, the Church, and keep the doctrine of Indulgences the Edict of Worms was passed. The Pope excommunicated Luther, deemed him to be an outlaw and ordered that all of his written works be destroyed across Europe. Luther escaped arrest and remained in seclusion at Wartburg castle for several years where he continued to write and translated the New Testament into conversational German from Greek. Germans could now read, and interpret, the Bible for themselves without having to refer to priests.

The Aftermath Luther’s contributions radically changed western European politics, theology, ministry and society. With his words, Luther broke the Roman chains that bound up nations and enslaved peoples to a corrupt version of religion. Luther married and ran a He shifted the lines of authority from a depraved church, to the words of Scripture (sola scriptura) He defined salvation in biblical rather than ecclesiastical terms – salvation by faith alone (sola fide). Conflict between Lutherans and Catholics contributed to conflicts and wars which ravaged Western Europe. Germany remained divided into principalities and states until the late 19th Century.