What Is Martin Luther A Heretic

Religion has been a very controversial topic throughout history. Whether a religion commands peace or war, whether its writing are historically accurate, whether its original teachings have been lost or misinterpreted, religion has been a very complicated topic to discuss. So, there was once a man who was a Christian theologian who wanted to become a monk that went to Rome, the heart of Christianity. Once he arrived there he realized that the heart of Christianity was more similar to Sodom and Gomorrah. This man was Martin Luther. Aside from being a theologian and monk, he is also known for translating the Bible in German, and most importantly, starting the Protestant Revolution. Once Luther saw the horrors of early 16 century Rome, he decided
to protest against the Catholic Church and published his famous 95 theses. This writings challenged the Catholic Church and it talk about the problems with the church (theopedia.com). This was a very huge deal. So much, that the church accused him of heresy. What is heresy? “A belief or opinion that does not agree with the official belief or opinion of a particular religion (merriam-webster dictionary).” Do I think Martin Luther is a heretic? Yes. Three reasons why I believe Martin Luther is a heretic is because the dictionary definitions says so, .Please note that this essay will only discuss that Martin Luther was a heretic, it doesn’t necessarily discuss whether he was right about his beliefs. The first reason why Martin Luther was a heretic was because it fits the dictionary definition.
What did Martin Luther do? He went against the common and accepted beliefs of the Roman Church. That might be the definition of one dictionary but other dictionaries have very similar definitions regarding what Luther did and it still fits his actions. “Opinion or doctrine at variance with the orthodoxor accepted doctrine, especially of a church or religious system (dictionary.reference.com)”, “Belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious(especially Christian) doctrine (Oxford dictionary), “From a Greek word signifying (1) a choice, (2) the opinion chosen, and (3) the sect holding the opinion. In the Acts of the Apostles ( 5:17 ; 15:5 ; Isaiah 24:5 Isaiah 24:14 ; 26:5 ) it denotes a sect, without reference to its character (Bible Studies).” Basically all of them really close definitions of what Luther did, specially the last one. At that time, the Pope was the only one that could interpret Scripture. So Luther did a really bold move when he decided to openly give his own interpretation of the Bible. Many people start believing it and the church grew worried and this is why he was put on trial (biography.com). But, not only did he go against the
Pope. The second reason why Martin Luther is a heretic is because he went against the church and the Pope.
Expanding more specifically on the previous point, Luther specifically went against the whole church and Pope. The reason why Luther wrote his 95 Theses was to basically go against the church. Among the things he wrote, he said that the Pope was wrong on how he handled the church and he wasn’t saving people with indulgences (Luther, Martin). Not only is that but the branch of Christianity he started called Protestantism. That name speaks for itself. What was Luther protesting against? The Catholic Church. However, that’s not the only reason he was called a
heretic… The third reason why Martin Luther is heretic is because he gave his own interpretation of the Bible. At that time, only the Pope was able to interpret Scripture. The reason behind this, Matthew 16:17-19 says “Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” and this Bible verse led to believe that Peter was the authority on Christianity and after his death, his successors were the ones that had the authority Christian which included being able to interpret Scripture. His successors were the Popes. So the current Pope were the only ones that could interpret Scripture. So it was a huge deal when Luther gave his own Scripture. He didn’t have the authority to do so. So it makes sense for the Pope to get angry at him, Luther could be interpreting it wrong. Unlike the Pope, Luther didn’t have succession given to him. In conclusion, three reason why Martin Luther is a heretic because. Even today Luther is still one of the most controversial historical figures. His teaching influenced Europe, separated and the church, and created new branches of Christianity. He was someone who influenced Europe, and arguably the world. It is one of the most followed religions around the world. Again, this essay isn’t about if Luther was right, just that he was heretic. It’s important to remember that at that time, the church was doing awful things like asking for money for salvation, many of the popes were married and many were rumored to be homosexuals or pedophiles, there was one Pope who was known as the warrior Pope, etc. So it makes sense that Luther would protest against the church. He probably felt that church was going away from what Jesus originally wanted. He probably wasn’t the first one to have thought of going against the church, but he was one that left a huge impact on the world. So, does this mean that despise being a heretic, Luther was right? That’s an essay for another day.