Martin Luther Trial essays

Martin Luther Trial essays Martin Luther refused to admit guilt for what he had repeatedly published over the prior four years. Martin Luther was a German monk and was directly challenging the authority and teaching of Western Christendom and the man believed by Catholics to be the human representative of God on Earth, the Pope, Pope Leo X to be exact. Luther was challenging the power of Rome just as his ancestors did centuries ago. In order for the church to pay for wars and to encourage young men to fight began selling indulgences around the time of the Crusades. Anyone who bought an indulgence would receive complete absolution and remission of all sins and preferential treatment for future sins. Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg. Luthers argument was that selling pardons like souvenirs trivialized sins. He criticized the pope for claiming to be able to reach beyond the grave and spring a soul from purgatory. After posting the Ninety-Five Theses the sale of indulgences went down drastically outside of Saxony, the region surrounding Wittenberg. As word spread around Western Europe, demonstrations for or against Luther started. A few archbishops called for heresy proceedings against Luther to begin immediately. Luther still published other pamphlets that condemned everything from relics and pilgrimages to the Holy City of Rome and extravagant claims of the power of the saints. Soon after, Pope Leo X had Luther brought to Rome. He had Luther issue a public retraction and swear to never again question papal authority, Luther refused. His public criticism of the misuse of letters of indulgence in 1517 did not result in the desired discussion but led to the start of a court of inquisition culminating in Luther's excommunication after the Imperial Diet of Worms in 1521. Frederick the Wise, king of Germany,...