Of dogs and vomit – The reformation at 503. Part 2

In part one of this series we saw some of the circumstances that lead to the reformation. Luther and his trouble with the indulgence mongering Tetzel was but the final blow that would lead to the actions that started the reformation. The Jan Hus’s story is important because it shows that the Roman Catholic Church was not free of disagreement with discerning minds.  Much like Jan Hus, John Wycliffe’s was excommunicated and his writings banned. His body was later exhumed and burnt for his translation of the Bible into English. Rome and its clergy then, held the Bible closely to their chest at the expense of the spiritual and intellectual development of the membership. Anyone who even thought about translating it knew that they were risking their lives.

The degree of restlessness in the church because of its corruption, debauch clergy and many crimes and false doctrines had reached a crescendo. And as always has been the case, the Lord acts when the cry of the people reaches Him. But not before He had warned us of what is coming. Luther’s contemporary, Desiderius Erasmus (credited for putting together the Textus Receptus) --  a man regarded as an intellectual colossus of his time had written several books including his highly acclaimed; “the praise of folly” criticizing Rome and the state of the church had made propositions for reforms. Albeit still remaining a prominent member of the clergy and therefore not suffering any persecution. There had been others; like Peter Waldo and his followers who suffered some persecution for similar concerns. It was clear that the church needed to change but your life was in danger if you even thought about it. Luther was walking a path that had been charted by many a martyr and therefore, his life was always on the line.

Luther’ was especially tired of the works doctrine by which Rome continued with its extortion. The idea of paying one’s way to salvation flies in the face of everything Christ represented. In fact, the Church that Rome adopted looked nothing like what they presented to the world. In a description of a typical church service in an apologetic by Justine Martyr (First Apology, 67), one could see a startling difference. There was no mass or anything that even begins to look like it. No statues, idols and shrines and there certainly was no veneration of saints. All prayers were to members of the Trinity alone; not one was said to Mary. It was obvious that Rome had colored Christianity with its pagan past and had literally turned it into the devils den. This is why Luther would later refer to the Papacy as the seat of the Anti-Christ. It seemed that in a context, the devil had succeeded in colonizing God’s kingdom. The father’s house of worship has again become “a den of thieves”. The church was now full of pagan rituals and the worship of other entities. It would take a study of the scriptures to understand what was wrong and no one had access to scripture except clergymen and Luther was one of them. It was a challenging trail dotted with the blood many. What was he to do especially when he himself had been tried and ex-communicated. 

Luther, on his part did not set out to start a new church or what later became known as the protestant movement. He merely wrote down 96 propositions that were to be considered. This would come to be known as the 96 theses. From an intellectual point of view, they were just propositions that were to be considered for possible change. Rome’s response would start a protracted conflict that would lead to the trial and excommunication of Luther and inevitably birth of the protestant movement. Again, Pharaoh’s heart had been hardened as god demanded the release of his people.

End of Part 2  | Go to Part 1