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Martin Luther
Questions concerning Martin Luther, the theologian. His history, work, and rise to prominence in the Protestant Reformation.
647 Questions
What name did Martin Luther go by when he grew a beard while in hiding?
Martin Luther went by the name,
Luther was allowed to leave Worms, but he was now considered an outlaw. Emperor Charles issued the Edict of Worms, declaring Luther a heretic and ordering his death.
Frederick the Wise of Saxony favored Luther and arranged for him to be "kidnapped" and taken to Wartburg Castle near the town of Eisenach.
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Luther disguised himself as a nobleman, grew a beard and called himself "Junker J
How did Luther feel about the pope?
Martin Luther called the Holy Father names which common decency prevents me from putting on WikiAnswers. The following is from the book, from The Facts About Luther, by Msgr. Patrick F. O'Hare, LL.D., Nihil Obstat: Rev. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Imprimatur: John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York; c 1987 by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc, Rockford, Illinois
In the beginning, Martin Luther realized that he and the rest of men could come to salvation only by the knowledge and practice of the Catholic faith of which Jesus Christ is the Soul and the Founder. He knew, as demonstrated by Faith and reason, that Jesus Christ and true religion are to be found only in the Catholic Church, where alone the Master teaches, dispenses His graces and communicates His divine spirit. ... As a layman he knew all this, as a priest he taught all this, and as a doctor of divinity, he was prepared to advocate and defend all this against all comers. Later in life, as he abandoned his spiritual duties and little by little lost God's grace, he (by his own admission) grew careless in the performance of his religious duties and daily violated the plain and sacred obligations to which he had bound himself voluntarily by most solemn vows. At which point, he started his campaign against the Church and attached the Pope and Christ's Church as "corrupt in its very constitution"; that from the temple of God is had become "a synagogue of Satan"; that its visible head, the Pope, was "Antichrist," and that "the Papacy must be destroyed." He contended in a pamphlet that the Papacy is "an institution of the devil': and he abused all Popes, Bishops, priests, monks, and Catholics in general, in the coarsest and most brutal manner. Possessed of a satanical hatred of all authority save what he claimed for himself, he imagined that the Church was all wrong and should be cast aside as a human invention, despite the fact that her Founder was Jesus Christ, who promised the assistance of the Holy Ghost to protect her from error and who declared He would preserve her to the end of time to spread the glad tidings of Redemption.
How did Martin Luther make a living before criticizing the catholic?
It is interesting that little is widely known about Martin Luther before he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther's career before he was a Reformer was basically twofold. First, after receiving his formal education, Luther was a lawyer. But his promising career as "Martin Luther, esquire" ended when he was riding his horse during a lightning storm through the German countryside and had a near-death experience there. While he was still yet riding, like a good Catholic he was, he cried upon St. Anne for assistance and promised her that if she helped him to survive, he would become a monk. Luther did survive and became an Augustinian monk and was later ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. He was not the star monk in the abbey by any means, and one of the most interesting stories of him as a priest recounts him freezing in terror when he raised the host during his first Mass when he was to say Host Est Meum Corpus ("This is my body"). Overall, he had a promising career as a priest, but his life as a Reformer later took precedence.
What change to Christian Church practice was suggested by Martin Luther?
The changes that Martin Luther "suggested" were contained in the 95 Theses, a collection of 95 complaints that Martin Luther had about the Church which he wished to debate on, they are at the link below. A quick perusal of them suggests that Martin Luther, despite being an Augustinian Friar and a reputed doctor of Theology knew little of his Catholic faith as most of these Theses are and were already the common teaching of the Church, while a few of them were totally off the wall, so to speak. One explanation might be that the changes he was actually suggesting were to better educate the laity, although one can only speculate. For instance in # 16 Luther suggests that "There seems to be the same difference between hell, purgatory, and heaven as between despair, uncertainty, and assurance. These is manifest heresy as anyone in purgatory is certain of heaven and joyful as they are being purged solely for the purpose of entering heaven. One wonders, while reading the theses exactly what Luther was really suggesting, that people didn't understand, that he didn't understand; it seems beyond credibility that he could suggest that the Church was teaching manifest heresy. And then in 52 he suggests "It is vain to rely on salvation by letters of indulgence, even if the commissary, or indeed the pope himself, were to pledge his own soul for their validity." Again, one wonders what Luther was suggesting here, as a priest he would know better than anyone that indulgences have nothing whatsoever to do with salvation, and only apply to penance for already forgiven sin.
What issues did Martin Luther have with the Catholic church?
Luther's refusal to retract his writings in confrontation with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by Pope Leo X and declaration as an outlaw. His translation of the Bible into the language of the people made the Scriptures more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism. Historical debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews.
What are the three pamphlets wrote by martin Luther?
I don't know all three but i know two of them. The first was called "To The Christian Nobility of The German Nation" and "On The Babylonish Captivity of he Church"
Hope that helped!
Why was the Catholic Church threatened by Martin Luther?
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Catholic AnswerThe Catholic Church was never "threatened" by Martin Luther.What kind of changes did church critics want to be made by Luther?
church critics wanted to mke many change such as : it ways to become more spirituals and humble
What was Martin Luther and John Calvin's view when it came to economics?
Every thing they loved it all
What changes in the Christian Church did Martin Luther bring about?
making sure priests were good people and did good things in church :]
Why did Martin Luther escape the Catholic Church?
Martin Luther (not King) 10 November 1483 - 18 February 1546) was a German monk theologian. In 1518 he was charged with heresy. Because of his connections with the prince, he was sent to court and told to retract his teachings. Luther refused and on October 20, 1518, he fled from Augsburg.
Did Martin Luther King Jr influence America?
yes he did he was the only black lawyer at the time
martin Luther king jr got rid of segragation
What did Luther imply by telling people to rely only on the Bible for religious truth?
Luther was saying that the Bible is truth. Do not rely on man to tell you the truth. If you go to church it is a good idea to read the scriptures yourself as they can be misrepresented by the speaker, preacher, priest. Rely on no man, but rather rely on the Holy Scriptures for truth. God will not lie to you.
What is Martin Luther King Jr. remembered for?
Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. He believed that everyone was created equal, and that God sees no color. He brought attention to how unfairly blacks were being treated. He gained more and more followers, and slowly he began to change America. His courage and strength led the civil rights movement, fighting for equal rights.
on martin luther king day, which is the day of his birthday
he will be remembered for standing up for his people. (African American)
And Not To Be RUDE ITS NOT BLACK Its African American! please?
He set the african and americans equally
What were the main reasons for Martin Luther breaking away from Catholic Church?
b/c the people involved in the catholic church used to take money from the people and used it to build churches with gold and rich stuff and themselves and Martin Luther didn't like it.
AnswerMartin Luther saw corruption creep into the Church. One of his main concerns was the selling of indulgences - certificates 'guaranteeing' a certain amoount of time off 'purgatory' for a deceased person which were sold at an inflated price to the poor, at their most vulnerable time. Although the money was supposed to be used for the priest to say masses in the deceased person's memory, this often didn't happen and the money was simply pocketed by the priests. Luther stated in his own writings that, having read Paul's letter to the Romans, he realised that God was saying that salvation came through faith, and not by belonging to, or paying into, any organisation. As a result of this concern, he nailed his 'theses' to the church door at Wittenberg, heavily criticising the Church.The result of this was the Church breaking with him as much as he breaking from the Church as he was excommunicated by the Pope. Thus began with Luther (plus Calvin, Zwingli and others) the Protestant Reformation, and the Protestant Church was formed.
To be fair to the Church (now the Roman Catholic Church) it was also spurned into starting its own Reformation, cleaning up its act and moving forward.
Was the famous indulgence preacher who inspired the Ninety-Five Theses?
Johann Tetzel was the famous indulgence preacher who inspired Martin Luther to write the Ninety-Five Theses. They were written in 1517.
How would you evaluate Martin Luthers speech?
Relates to Protestant reformation . Nothing to do with Negroes
Why was Luther's notion of sola scriptura or scripture alone a challenge to the Catholic Church?
== == Luther alleged that the Catholic Church had been influenced by man-made traditions that have no basis in the Bible. Luther was upset over many non-biblical teachings and practices of the Church such as the selling of indulgences, which was basically paying money to a pardonner to have time in purgatory remitted. The Catholic Church had opposed private Biblical interpretation. Luther taught that only the Bible was to be consulted and that any sort of Oral Tradition or papal authority was developed by the Catholic Church itself. The perceived problem with the Catholic Church was that they deliberately regulated the scriptures. Some have suggested that the Church did this because they thought people would discover that the Bible was against many of the Catholic traditions. The Catholics themselves indicated that as the 'peasants' were ignorant they should not have the word of God as they would not be able to read or rightly interpret it. Finally ,the Bible was translated into the 'vulgar' tongue of the common people by Luther in German. Some came to agree with Luther, and others said that both Luther and the Church were wrong. Some of the traditions taught by the Catholics were not in the Bible and some appeared to contradict scripture.
It comes down to the question of Authority: is it the Roman Catholic Church, or is it the Bible? The Roman Catholic Church believes that It is the only authority and that the Bible is part of Church tradition though not its entirety, while Luther taught that the Bible was the only authority. Clearly, it was one or the other : it could not be both; this was a direct challenge to the power of the church and the popes, and could not be ignored. For a really-detailed view of the Protestant understanding of the institution of the Roman Catholic church and Roman Catholicism: -see the book "A Woman Rides The Beast" by Dave Hunt (Harvest House Publishers 1994 ISBN 1-56507-199-9). (Although he is a Protestant, he is not Catholic-bashing: his book is directed to Roman Catholics and has innumerable quotes and references by Catholicwriters, theologians, bishops , and popes throughout the 550-page book.) In this book, writing about tradition in the Catholic church, Hunt says (page 519) that Papal Letters
" were used to build up ficticious sayings of the popes...and to put tradition ...on a par with Scripture...[This] tradition is contained in many volumes ...and is not accessible to the average person, [and] it consists of":
-"35 volumes of Greek and Latin church fathers, usually ending ...AD604."
-" 35 volumes of church council decrees."
-"25 volumes of the pope's sayings and decrees."
-"55 volumes of alleged sayings and deeds of the saints."
Totalling "some 150 volumes in all.
Richard Bennet, former Catholic priest, explains further:
'The ordinary Roman Catholic bishop or priest, let alone the ordinary Catholic, can never find all of his tradition, or read it since it is in many dead or foreign languages...a person could never master 150 volumes in such a way to be one with the Bible...' "
A quote (on page 328) from Pope Pius VII in an encyclical letter of 1816 to the primate of Poland shows the attitude of the Roman Catholic church to the Bible :- "It is evident, from experience, that the Holy Scriptures,when circulated in the vulgar tongue, have produced more harm than benefit...We have deliberated upon the measures proper to be adopted, by our pontifical authority, in order to remedy and abolish this pestilence...this defilement of the link so immimently dangerous to souls."
The Church did not want people reading the Bible for themselves in their own language and making up their own mind about it, instead of being told only priests and bishops can understand it but the laity cannot. Personal reading of the Bible is now allowed, but only if permitted (it is not recommended carte-blanche ) and can only be interpreted and understood by their priest or bishop. All sides use the Bible to support their point of view or doctrine, but what do the Scriptures themselves actually say? Let the Bible speak for itself:- 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. Deu 8:3 And He has humbled you, and caused you to hunger, and caused you to eat the manna, which you had not known, and your fathers had not known, in order to cause you to know that man shall not live by bread alone, but man shall live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Mat 4:4 But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Mar 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Mar 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
Mat 21:23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?.... ...Mar 1:27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
Mar 11:18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine Joh 7:16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mat 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mar 12:38 And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and lovesalutations in the marketplaces,
Mar 12:39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
Mar 12:40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.Mat 16:5 And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
Mat 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Mat 16:7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
Mat 16:8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
Mat 16:9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
Mat 16:10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
Mat 16:11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? .
Mat 16:12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Mat 15:1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
Mat 15:2 Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
Mat 15:3 But He answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
Mat 15:4 For God commanded, saying, "Honor your father and mother"; and, "He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him die by death."
Mat 15:5 But you say, Whoever says to his father or mother, Whatever you would gain from me, It is a gift to God;
Mat 15:6 and in no way he honors his father or his mother. And you voided the commandment of God by your tradition.
Mat 15:7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
Mat 15:8 "This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
Mat 15:9 But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Mat 15:10 And He called the crowd and said to them, Hear and understand.
Mat 15:11 Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.
Mat 15:12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?
Mat 15:13 But He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up.
Mat 15:14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Act 4:1 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
Act 4:2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. Act 4:5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
Act 4:6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
Act 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
Act 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
Act 4:9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
Act 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Act 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Act 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
Act 4:14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
Act 4:15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
Act 4:16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
Act 4:17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
Act 4:18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
Act 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
Act 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 2Ti 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Luther had no authority for his spurious teachings. His claim that the Bible alone was the source of revelation was a novelty, especially since the Bible itself was originally Oral Tradition that got written down, assembled and declared inspired by the Catholic Church. Further, the Church never withheld the scriptures. Translations in the vulgar tongues had been attempted, with the most famous examples being done in England. However, scholars shied away from such things out of respect for the Bible, which was a sacred text and not seen as a textbook or general directory to be tampered with. These early translations always failed to convey the meanings that had been preserved in the Greek and Latin and the Church had ultimately suppressed them. To further complicate matters, all Bibles were hand-written before the invention of the printing press in 1439 AD (Luther grew up in a time when printing was just beginning), thus Bibles were rare, so rare in fact that poor parishes were lucky to even have one, let alone make them available to everyone. In main churches a Bible was made accessible; they were chained to lecterns and anyone could peruse them. Luther's idea of Sola Scriptura is sometimes referred to as a heresy born of technology: had the printing press never been invented there would have been no way to distribute Bibles to everyone and hence the teaching that everyone must read the Bible to know Jesus would have simply been impossible. This is why Sola Scriptura coincides with the appearance of printing, it was simply not a conceivable or feasible heresy until it. Catholics do not argue from the Bible until the inspiration of the Bible is proven by the other party, so that the conversation can begin on a level field. They would agree with all quotes above and even point to the same quotes as condemnations of Protestantism and its novel teachings that have been propagated since the 16th century. Because of this great irony, it would seem advisable to study Biblical history, where it comes from, the development of it's canon and its propagation and preservation throughout history.
How did Martin Luther think of Copernicus?
Martin Luther attacked Copernicus as a "stupid Pole" for saying that the Earth revolved around the Sun. This was reflective of the historical hatred of Germans belittling Slavic/Eastern Europeans like Poles and Russians.
Did Martin Luther's teachings increase or decrease the role of the clergy?
Answer 1: The closest answer would be decreased; but it's not really as simple as that.
Luther was a Roman Catholic monk... specificially, a member of the Augustinian order of monks, in Germany. At the time, the Bible was written in Latin; and so only Roman Catholic priests (and monks, like Luther) tended to be able to read and translate the Bible so that the regular German people could understand it.
Roman Catholic Priests were also viewed by the Roman Catholic Church as the vehicle -- the connection -- between the parishioners and God.
Roman Catholics also believed (and continue to believe) that we are saved by our good works, whereas Luther said that we are saved by grace, through faith, alone.
And, what the heck, as long as I'm listing the larger of the things that eventually so bugged Luther that he decided to write 'em down and nail 'em to the door of the church at Wittenberg, he was none too happy about the Pope forgiving the sins of anyone making a huge donation to the church, and promising them a free ticket to heaven (called "selling indulgences").
Next thing you know, the Protestant Reformation had begun; and the forerunner of what is, today, the Lutheran Church was born.
So here's how all that is somehow related to the answer to your question: Luther translated the Bible from Latin to German so that the masses could read it. He allowed no selling of indulgences; and even explained to said masses why it wouldn't work, in any case. He explained to the masses how salvation by grace, through faith, works. And he introduced to the masses the notion of "the priesthood of all believers," wherein any Christian can have his/her own relationship with God, without a Roman Catholic Priest -- or any clergy, for that matter -- as an intervenor.
Therefore, it's fair to say that Luther decreased the role of clergy in the sense that in his new church -- from which all Protestant churches were born -- clergy wasn't necessary in order for church members to get with God.
What did the Catholic church do against Martin Luther?
A number of Papal Bulls were issued against him, and he was eventually excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
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Catholic AnswerThe Church did not attempt to do things "against Martin Luther", they attempted to save him. They attempted to reason with him, and bring him back to the Church. And they attempted to limit the damage he was doing to other people's eternal souls. The Church never gives up on anyone, unless, they, themselves, give up and refuse help. At that point, they excommunicated him, which is very serious as it limits his access to the sacraments, and God's grace, as long as he remains impenitent.from Wikipedia:
Decet Romanum Pontificem (English: It Pleases the Roman Pontiff) (1521) is the papal bull excommunicating Martin Luther, bearing the title of the first three Latin words of the text.[1] It was issued on January 3, 1521, by Pope Leo X to effect the excommunication threatened in his earlier papal bull Exsurge Domine (1520) since Luther failed to recant.[2] Luther had burned his copy of Exsurge Domine on December 10, 1520, at the Elster Gate in Wittenberg, indicating his response to it.
How are Martin Luther's ideas on the Roman Catholic Church viewed today?
For a complete discussion of the real Martin Luther, based ON HIS OWN WRITINGS, please read The Facts About Luther by Msgr. Patrick F. O'Hare, LL.D. This is an excerpt from chapter 9, "Luther as A Religious Reformer": He insisted that the moral law of the Decalogue is not binding, that the Ten Commandments are abrogated and that they are no longer in force among Christians. "We must," he says, "remove the Decalogue out of sight and heart." (De Wette, 4, 188). "If we allow them--the Commandments--any influence in our conscience, they become the cloak of all evil, heresies and blasphemies." (Comm. Ad Galat, p. 310). "If Moses should attempt to intimidate you with his stupid Ten Commandments, tell him right out: chase yourself to the Jews." (Wittenb, ad. 5, 1573). Having thus unceremoniously brushed aside the binding force of the moral law, we do not wonder that he makes the following startling and shameless pronouncements. "As little as one is able," he says, "to remove mountains, to stars, or to bite off one's nose, so little can one escape unchastity." (Alts Abendmahlslehre, 2, 118). Out of the depths of his depraved mind, he further declares: "They are fools who attempt to overcome temptations [temptations to lewdness] by fasting, prayer and chastisement. For such temptations and immoral attacks are easily overcome when there are plenty of maidens and women." (Jen. ed. 2, p. 216).
Luther, often in his writings mentioned that he is sitting there in a drunken stupor with the bottle at hand. Between his many writings on how he cannot be chaste and his continual drunkenness, he writes only to justify himself. He was the scandal of the other "reformers" who were his contemporaries. His ignorance of Catholic theology makes one wonder how he ever got ordained, much less teach theology. Any first year theology student reading his "95 Theses" is astounded that Luther knew so little theology as to make the mistakes he did, and yet would not listen when scholars came from Rome to deal with him.
