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Sheets of paper hung by the young professor on the church door contained 95 Luther's objections to the Popes' right to forgive sinners who buy absolution. Against "indulgences" (the so-called documents signed by the Pope on the remission of sins for money) were then opposed by many theologians; Luther differed from them only in the boldness and harshness of his speeches. This, however, was enough to make Luther known throughout Germany in a matter of days. Next to him, a circle of supporters and like-minded people instantly formed, set up in relation to Rome even more implacably than he himself. From criticizing indulgences, the "Martinists" (as they began to be called after Luther) quickly moved on to condemning the papacy and the Catholic Church as a whole. The final break between Luther and Rome was sealed in 1520, when a German theologian burned in the courtyard of the University of Wittenberg, in the presence of students, a papal letter excommunicating the rebel from the church. With this bold step, Luther placed himself outside the Christian society of Europe, submissive to the Pope, despite all the criticism against him. Luther was ready to claim that he alone sees the true God, while millions of "papists" are mistaken and follow the road that leads straight to hell.

Probably, no one at that time doubted that Luther was waiting for a fire. It seems that he himself tried on the fate of Jan Hus, a Czech theologian, who was burned for speaking out against the prevailing dogma in 1415, a hundred years before the Reformation. Luther escaped execution for two reasons: firstly, in Rome too late realized the danger posed by distant Saxony, and gave Luther time to strengthen himself. The Pope's ambassador to Germany reported to Rome: “Nine-tenths of Germany shout 'Luther'; the remaining tenth - at least - "Death to the Roman court!". Secondly, Luther made good use of the respite given to him - he was able to find powerful patrons among the German princes. Many of them realized that the slogans of "Doctor Martin" would help them to separate themselves not only from Rome, but also from the German Empire. In 1521, when Luther was summoned to the court of the emperor and convicted, Elector Frederick of Saxony helped him escape to his possessions and hid the rebellious theologian in one of the castles.

Luther saved his life, but paid a heavy price for it - the Reformation movement in Germany got out of his control and began to develop independently. Every itinerant preacher twisted Luther's ideas in his own way, interpreting them at random; some of the former "Martinists" taught the people that following the power of the Pope, the power of princes, counts and barons should be overthrown and the Kingdom of God should be established on earth, without waiting for the attainment of heavenly bliss in heaven. Luther was forced from his hiding place to speak sharply against his former supporters. He was well aware that in the struggle against the Popes and popular preachers, the reformers must rely on coherent, consistent and profound creeds. Such a creed capable of resisting Catholicism was not at the disposal of Luther and his supporters. This means that it should have been created, and Luther thought hard about the relationship between man and God, faith and reason, duty and freedom.

The results of Luther's reflections can be briefly summarized as follows: a person lifts up to God the impulse of his faith, and God, in response, endows a person with grace. This relationship between God and the believer is deeply personal; the church has no right to interfere in this relationship - it will only prevent the believer from finding his own, special for everyone, path to God. This does not mean that the church is not needed at all - it just needs to be completely different from the Catholic one. Luther's church was supposed to help the believer independently comprehend the meaning of the Bible, explain to him the content of the divine books, and teach him to read them. The priests in this church were not separated from ordinary believers by an impenetrable wall, as was the case with Catholics - they could marry, wore ordinary clothes, enjoyed exactly the same rights as ordinary citizens. The Lutheran Church was freed from icons, sculptural images of Christ and the Mother of God, magnificent clothes of priests, tedious and complex ceremonies ... In a word, it was simplified.

Luther's theology and the structure of his church showed that the roots of the Reformation went deep - they were associated with the collapse of the medieval social order and with the gradual transformation of a European person into a person, individuality. The merchant and entrepreneur, architect and engineer, poet and professor no longer needed intermediaries and helpers in the complex relationship between man and God; they perceived the instructions of the Catholic Church as an encroachment on their freedom. Luther succeeded, at least in part, in solving the most difficult task of reconciling the keen sense of his individuality, peculiarity, with a genuine religious feeling.

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пятница, 17 июля 2020 г.