Book Report, Here I Stand: a Life of Martin Luther Essay Example

God. (pgs 2, 372-386) Before his spiritual awakening of the lighting strike Luther was well on his way to doing what was expected of him. Namely to study at university, become successful enough to support his parents in old age. (pgs 14-15) Luther entered into monastic life in one of the strictest orders the Augustinians.

Luther went through probation and came out without any reason, from anyone, to be lacking in what was required for monastic life. (pg 17) Luther’s first mass as officiating approached and he had it delayed for a month so his father could be present. As he performed this mass; there was another revelation which prevailed itself on him. This time it was a spiritual dilemma in addressing God, “The terror of the Holy, the horror of the Infinitude, smote him like a new lightning bolt, and only through a fearful restraint could he hold himself at the alter to the end.” (pg 21)

After this incident Luther was looking for some support from his earthly father, Hans Luther. This was not to be as Hans was not happy with his son’s choice and blew up when Martin pressed the issue, “You learned Scholar, have you never read in the Bible that you should honor your father and your mother? And here you have left me and your dear mother to look after ourselves in our old age. ” Luther protested, mentioning the spiritual event of being called to monastic life by the thunder storm his father retorted, “God grant it was not an apparition of the Devil.” (pg 23)

The author of the book points out that

this was a weak spot in medieval faith as it could just as easily been the Devil who had gotten Luther to disobey clear guidance in honoring his mother and father. This confrontation with the Devil would prove to be a theme throughout his life, ‘Sometimes he would engage in direct encounter with the Devil…’ or in Luther’s own words, “When I go to bed, the Devil is always waiting for me. ” (pg 375) In response to this inner conflict Luther went further and further with his fasting and austerities he later thought attributed to his poor health in later life.

He continued in this fashion until he was chosen to represent his order in Rome and made the trip in 1510. The things he saw did not impress him, even though the renaissance was in full bloom. Instead Luther saw the ruins of Ancient Rome as just reward for a “…city founded on fratricide and stained with the blood of martyrs…” (pg 30) There he was shocked by all sorts of things like incompetent confessor, ignorant priests, and unbelieving priests. (pg 31) Luther was one of three professors who were sent to Wittenberg when the elector there asked the Augustinian and Franciscan orders to send them.

Luckily for Luther for at this time his inner conflict was so great he, ‘would have sunk into hell,’ had it not been for Dr. Johann von Staupitz Vicar of the Augustinian Order. (pg 34) It was to Dr. Staupitz Luther continually went to in order to find guidance and solace. Dr. Staupitz tried all manners of reasoning and consolation in order to help Luther.

Until finally he seemed to say, according to the author, “Physician, cure thyself by curing others…” and Luther was to be commissioned as a ‘teacher, preacher, and counselor to sick souls. ’ (pg 42)

It is at this point Luther started studying and expounding the Scriptures which lead him, eventually, to a confrontation with the Catholic Church. (pgs 43,44) His study of Scriptures built a foundation of knowledge in Luther which he was soon to find did not line up with the practice of the Church. His work was time consuming to the point where he wrote in 1516, “I could use two secretaries. I do almost nothing during the day but write letters.

I am a conventual preacher, reader at meals, parochial preacher, director of studies, overseer of eleven monasteries, superintendent of the fish pond at Litzkau, referee of the squabble at Torgau, lecturer on Paul, collector of material for a commentary on the Psalms… I rarely have full time for the canonical hours and for saying mass, not to mention my own temptations with the world, the flesh, and the Devil…” (pg 51) A far cry from the “…obscure German monk…” (Frankforter and Spellman pg 393) most scholars and historians claim, Martin Luther had already gathered a good reputation for his abilities and the preceding sentence demonstrates what people saw. Another, according to this work, misconception about Martin Luther was his Ninety-Five Theses being directed solely at the Dominican Tetzel a vendor of indulgences. (Frankforter and Spellman pg 382) When, in fact, Luther was already critical of indulgences before this at least three times in the year 1516 (pgs 52-56) and it

was Albert of Brandenburg who had orchestrated the particular indulgences which Tetzel was merely entrusted to carry out.

Another fact overlooked is Tetzel was not even allowed in Wittenberg because of Frederick the Wise not wanting any interference (pg 61) with the 5,005 particles of relics which could reduce purgatory by 1,443 years in 1509 or (after amassing more than 19,013 holy bones) 1,902,202 years and 270 days on All Saints in 1520! (pg 53) The author also makes an interesting observation over ‘Hawking Indulgences’ a woodcuts print showing the sale of indulgences. Most treatment of this subject plays down the audacity of the amount of money these indulgences were making (so much that new coins had to be minted on the spot) (pg 59) importance of the print and instead focus on the printing press with a subdued mentioning of the indulgence.

Regardless, parishioners of Luther could make the journey and retired with tales of the Tetzel vendor. At this point Luther, in accordance with custom, posted his Ninety-Five Theses with the intention to debate these practices. (pg 62) Luther did not have any intentions to spread his Theses; however, others translated it into German and used the printing press to spread these points. (pg 66) Luther sent his work only to the people he thought it concerned, Albert of Mainz who forwarded them to Rome. (pg 68) The Pope’s response was clandestine by appointing a new general for Luther’s order and waiting for the chapter’s regular triennial meeting which that year was in Heidelberg.

Interestingly he did not face any danger and was able to present the view that outwardly

upright acts may be sin to God. Future leaders of the Lutheran movement were present and it was this point where they became enthusiastic about Luther. (pg 70) The author suggests that Luther’s order may have rallied around him in response to Tetzel’s order rallying around the vendor. In any event Luther felt he needed to release to the public a version of the Thesis which was geared to them and not Scholars. However, as the author notes, “Ideas were so churning within him that new butter always came out the vat. ” (pgs 70,71) Luther was studying a New Testament by Erasmus’ (1466-1536) and discovered the Vulgate did not agree with the scholarly work.

Particularly when it came to the foundation of indulgences because of a mistranslation of “be penitent. ” (pg 71) What is interesting the author points out frequently Luther will think something and in the course of studying it become more convinced or even more radical. Which is best shown when Luther wrote Spalatin after studying papal decretals, “…I do not know whether the pope is Antichrist or his aposde…” (pgs 94-95) Luther was constantly driven to this because the Pope gave him no other recourse to address his grievances like the author points out, ‘His railing against the pope became perhaps the more vituperative because there was so little else that could be done.’ (pg 395)

While Luther’s new sermon was being printed the Master of the Sacred Palace at Rome, a Dominican, Sylvester Prierias declared that the Catholic Church was the universal Church and that the Pope could not err when speaking in his official capacity. Luther

responded to him noting there was no citation of Scripture in his criticisms of Luther, soon to become a pattern. (pg 73) Luther’s trail was negotiated to take place in Germany, however, by this point the Holy Roman Emperor, the Pope, and a Cardinal had all availed against him and Luther headed to Augsburg fully expecting to die. (pg 75) As it turned out Luther was right to worry as Cajetan had instructions to have Luther recant or be bound and sent to Rome.

Luther was interviewed three times by Cajetan in October of 1518. Cajetan wanted Luther to recant and Luther seemed agreeable only if it was shown to him where he had made and error. Cajetan gave into the temptation to debate Luther and had gone beyond what he was authorized to do. Cajetan even tried to convince Dr. Staupitz to get Luther to recant. The Dr. told Cajetan that he did not possess the ‘…ability and command of Scripture…’ Luther had and it would be up to Cajetan as the Pope’s representative. Luther learned of Cajetan’s orders from Rome and crafted an appeal to the Pope that there was no official declaration of the doctrine of indulgences and escaped the city.

The aftermath of this was Luther’s outright refusal of the ‘ambiguous decretal of a mortal pope’ (pg 82) and submitted his version of the interview to print. At this point Cajetan was of the mind that Luther was trouble but not a heretic as that involved rejection of accepted dogma of the Church. In response there was a papal bull clarifying some ambiguous points of the doctrine. The author

submits if the Pope would have done this in the beginning all the trouble might have been avoided. But at this point Luther had rejected papal powers, declared the pope and councils capable of error, and undercut textual basis from the bible for penance. (pgs 87,88) Controversy and debate via the printing press raged between Luther and his enemies.

A debate was brewing over the points Luther was bringing up and soon it was set to be John Eck against Luther in a public debate. It was at this point Luther began to think of the Pope as the antichrist due to his preparation for this debate. (pgs 92-95) It was at the Leipzig Debate that Jon Eck accused Luther of being a ‘Saxon Hus. ’ (pg 101) The debate was cut short by Duke George who had not heard about the things he was interested in and had other plans for the hall. The debate continued between Luther and Eck via the press, however. Also, after the debate Luther received a copy of Hus’s On the Church to which he ended up agreeing with more than he did at the debate.

At this point it was clear there would be no reconciling with Luther and various universities and institutions started taking sides. The Pope did attempt to get rid of Luther through other means before the ultimate bull of excommunication. However, Luther refuted the universities against him for not using Scripture as a basis for their charges (pg 133) and Dr. Staupitz stepped down as vicar rather than reign in Luther. (pg 134) The bull came and a letter was sent from

the Pope to Frederick the Wise. (pgs 137, 138) Luther sent a letter to Charles V asking for the things Luther was saying should be heard and refuted to show whether they were truth or error and made an appeal to the nobility in Germany in Address to the German Nobility.

It seemed that sense Luther had gained no traction in reforming the Church from within it would need to be done by civil authorities from without. (pg 143) Rome published the bull and appointed inquisitors to handle the problems in Germany. One of the inquisitors Aleander was to deliver the bull to Charles V in the hope that he would be like his grandmother the Catholic. Conversely the Germans wanted him to be like his grandfather the German. (pg 148) Eck, the other inquisitor, found resistance to his mission in German authorities not wanting to publish the bull for fear of disorder. He had to hide for fear of his life in a cloister at one point while students threw the bull in the river and besmeared in other places.

Aleander was in no better position because he arrived to find the bull already leaked and the leaked version not being the same as his. The imperial court was ready to execute the bull however and Aleander proceeded with his mission. In Cologne and Mainz it was more difficult to execute the bonfires, however, with Mainz becoming violent. The people resisted and though Luther’s work was burned the next day, it was not by the executioner and Aleander claimed to have nearly died by stoning from the public. (pgs 150, 151) Luther

claimed the bull Eck had could not be genuine because ‘… Rome would not make monkeys of two electors by take the case out of their hands.’ (pg 153)

He went on to say the original would have to be produced for him to see. He then replied with Against the Execrable Bull of Antichrist saying it was from Eck who was a ‘…man of lies, dissimulation, errors, and heresy, that monster…’ (pg 153) Within two weeks Luther came out with Freedom of the Christian Man which accused the Pope of being Antichrist though it was the office not the man. He further came out solidly against indulgences and for John Hus in Assertion of All the Articles Wrongly Condemned in the Roman Bull. (pgs 157, 158) It was clear at this point where Luther stood and that he could never back off from these positions.

Fredrick the Wise then tried to right to the Holy Roman Emperor to excuse Luther’s actions as merely ‘tit for tat’ and that the emperor should ‘graciously overlook it. ’ (pg 159) Luckily for Luther Charles was a constitutional monarch in Germany and had to sign the constitution which had two safeguards for Luther. ‘One stipulated that no German of any rank should be taken for trial outside Germany, and the other that none should be outlawed without cause and without a hearing. ’ (pg 160) Luther’s supporters were powerful and vocal; Ulrich von Hutten addressed Aleander, “Do you suppose that through an edict extracted by guile from the emperor you will be able to separate Germany from liberty, faith, religion, and truth?

Do you think

you can intimidate us by burning books? This question will not be settled by the pen but by the sword. ” (pgs 161,162) Hutten so cowed Aleander that when papal bulls arrived against Hutten and Luther he sent them back to have Hutten’s name taken off; such delay made it where Luther was outlawed by the empire before he was ever officially excommunicated by the Church. (pg 163) Charles was already of the mind to handle Luther it was merely how to do so. Fredrick consulted with the emperor and somehow came away with the promise Luther would not be condemned without trail. The University of Wittenberg pointed to the diet coming soon to the city of Worms.

Charles agreed, “beloved Uncle Frederick: We are desirous that you should bring the above-mentioned Luther to the diet to be held at Worms, that there he may be thoroughly investigated by competent persons, that no injustice be done nor anything contrary to law. ” (pg 164) There was protest from the papalists headed by Aleander to the point where the invitation to Luther was rescinded and then issued again. (pgd 166-174) There, at the diet, Luther was called to account for his works. After a day to compose himself he held fast to all his works with a stirring speech ending with the namesake of the book, “Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.” (pgs 175-181)

The words ‘Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise…’ may or may not have been in the original but he gave his speech twice in German and in Latin. Afterwards he retired from the diet.

The diet carried on for some time in order to come out with the edict condemning Luther. (pgs 181-185) Bainton continued his work in similar fashion for the remaining twelve chapters. However, the portion I’ve covered in detail stood out to me as the main point of his work. That is to say, it showed there was much more than the glossing over this period I’ve received from other works. As the book is a biography it is important that Bainton continues to highlight the work Luther continued after the Diet at Worms.

It is not insignificant, Luther’s effect on Germany, as Bainton surmises himself, ‘Luther did the work of more than five men…’ in the translation of the bible, prayer book, catechism, and even hymns. (pgs 398-401) However, the foundation for the rest of the work took these ten chapters to solidify in my mind. Luther seemed to be a man who researched his points extremely well. Luther would go on to come into contention with the peasants of Germany (pgs 283,284) and the Swiss Reformers. (pgs 327-329) I think Bainton does a good job overall highlighting actions of Luther without trying to apply psychoanalysis him your review and other’s I’ve read claim. The book is very enlightening, if not a little daunting, and really deserves it’s place in my library. I’m sure I’ll come back to reading it again and again.