26. Martin Luther

Today we went to Wittenberg, the site of one of the momentous schisms in the Christian Church.  The town has been renamed LutherStadt Wittenberg, to distinguish it from Wittenberg.  You have to check just which station your train stops at.

Luther was a monk who became discontented with  Rome, in particular its selling of indulgences.  This was where you paid the priest money and your sins were forgiven.  Apparently the church encouraged this source of funds to build St Peters Basilica in Rome.  Luther was unhappy with all this and in 1517 nailed his criticism of selling indulgences and other church practices on the door of the All Saints Church in Wittenberg, today called the Castle Church.  Today, we would click "Share" on Facebook.

His thesis was that it was your relationship with God that determined your grace, and there was no need for a priest or any other third party to be involved (my interpretation).  Of course, this was heretical, as it took a big slice out of a priest's job description.

He continued to discuss and preach and teach, was excommunicated, but survived all this.  He received support from other theologians and he must have been a very charismatic figure, who was preaching a view whose time had come.  We can relate to this today in the relief of Royal Commissions that have uncovered various abuses.

And the RC Church followed suit and banned the selling of indulgences in 1567.  Fifty years later, we could say they literally saw the "writing on the wall".

This is THE church where the theses are thought to have been nailed.

This is THE doorway where they were (thought to have been) nailed.

A longer view.

The blurb explains that the original wooden door was destroyed by fire.  These replacement doors are made of bronze, and the 95 theses have been inscribed on the door.

His tomb, in the same church, up near the altar.

We also saw Lutherhaus - where he lived.  Luther was married, had several children, relatives and students - so up to 35 people would be at a meal.  His wife looked after the lands and animals to enable his teaching and preaching to continue.  Behind every great man......

Luther and his wife Katherina.

And he aged.

His signature.

And we must not forget technology in enabling these changes.  With the printing press, people could have their own Bibles, which were also being translated into local languages.  It was no longer necessary to depend solely on the priest to know what the Bible said.