Characterexperience
LutherwasborninEisleben,Germanyin1483.HehasstudiedinMansfield,Magdeburg,Eisenachandotherplaces.In1501,heenteredtheUniversityofLeipzig,receivedabachelor'sdegreeinartsthefollowingyear,andamaster'sdegreein1505.Hedevotedhimselftothestudyofscholasticphilosophy.EnteredtheErfurtUniversityLawSchoolinMay1505,preparingtobealawyer.InJulyofthesameyear,heenteredthemonasteryoftheErfurtAustenSocietyandbecameamonk.In1507,hereceivedthepriesthood.In1508,hewashiredasalecturerbytheUniversityofWittenburg.Afterreceivingadoctorateintheologyin1512,heopenedapermanentlectureonbiblestudiesattheUniversityofWittenburgandwasinchargeofchurchwork.
About1517,PopeLeoXsentJohnTetzeltosellindulgencestogatherwealthinvariouspartsofGermany.Manyprincesandcitizenswereverydissatisfiedwiththis.Therefore,onOctober31,1517(someonesaidthatNovember1),Lutherpostedthe"Ninety-FiveTheses"onthegateofWittenbergCastleCathedralintheformofacademiccontroversy.Supportedbyallwalksoflife,butalsoangeredtheHolySee,orderedLuthertogotoRomefortrialinAugust1518.Inthefollowingyear,Lutherpublishedarticlessuchas"OpenLettertotheGermanChristianAristocracyontheReformofthePrivilegeoftheChurch","OntheBabylonianPrisoneroftheChurch"and"OntheFreedomofChristians",publiclyproposingthatthePopehasnorighttointerferewithseculargovernmentanddeclaredIfthechurchcannotcarryoutreformsonitsown,thestatepowershouldsaveitandcalltheRomanchurch"thegreatestthievesandrobbersintheworldunderthebanneroftheHolyChurchandSt.Peter."HealsomadeitclearthatthePopeisnottheultimateinterpreterofthe"Bible",andeveryonecancommunicatedirectlywithGodandbecomeapriestwithouttheneedforapriestasanintermediary.
LeoXannouncedhisexpulsionofLutheranstatusinOctober1520.Withthesupportoftheprincesandcitizens,Lutherdecidedtoconfrontopenly.Hewrotethe"EncyclicalAgainsttheAntichrist"andburnedthePope’sencyclicalandsomedoctrinesinpubliconDecember10.Atthattime,theHolyRomanEmperorCharlesV,inordertocompetewithFrancepolitically,hopedtogetthesupportofthePopeandopposedLuther'sreforms.Therefore,attheCongressoftheEmpirein1521,itwasdecidedtoexecutetheencyclicalofthePopeandconvictLuther.However,duetotheoppositionoftheparticipatingprincesandLuther'stoughattitudeduringtheinterrogation,themeetingfinallydecidedtoletLutherleavefirst,thenconvictedandissuedanarrestwarrant.Onhiswayhome,theElectorofSaxonysenthimtoWartburgforprotectionbykidnappinghim.DuringhisseclusioninWartburg,LutherdevotedhimselftotheGermantranslationoftheBible.Atthistime,Luther'ssupportershadalreadytakenaction,andthereligiousreformmovementwasdevelopingrapidlylikeaprairiefire.
InMarch1522,LutherreturnedtoWittenbergfromWartburg,blamingthesupporterswhoacted"toomuch."Inhispreaching,hedeclaredthathe"opposestheuseofviolencetoreformthechurch."Inthesameyear,somesmallandmedium-sizedaristocratswhosupportedLuther,ledanuprisingledbythehumanitarianpoetHudenandtheknightJijingen.WhenHudeninvitedLuthertomeetwithZickingen,Lutherreplied:"Idon'twanttorelyonviolenceandbloodshedtomaintainthegospel."DuringtheMarburgtalksin1529,Lutherrejectedtheproposalfromallparties,includingZwingli.TheproposalofinternalreconciliationandunanimousoppositiontotheHolySeewassplitwiththeSwissReformation.
TheoreticalAchievements
LutherisoneofthemainfoundersofProtestantisminbeliefandsystem.SincethefirsthymnofWiedenburgwaspublishedin1524,manyofhishymnsarestillwell-knownintheworld.The"Catechism"hewrotein1529andthe"AugsburgLetters"heparticipatedinin1530bothhaveextremelyimportanthistoricalstatus.HestartedtheBibletranslationandrevisionworkinWartburg,andhasneverstoppedformorethan20years.Thisworknotonlyhasamajorreligiousreformation,butalsoanimportantmilestoneinthehistoryofGermanlanguageandliterature.Ontheissueofsacraments,herecognizedonlybaptismandthesacramentofthesevensacramentsrecognizedbythetraditionalchurchin1520.Atthattime,hewasopposedbyKingHenryVIIIofEngland.Inthefuture,Luther'sviewsonthisaspecthavealsotendedtobeconservative,whichismainlyreflectedintheetiquettereformshepresidedoverandstillretainssomeancienttraditions.
Luther’smaintheologicalviewpointscanbesummarizedasfollows:1.TheWordofGod.2.TheologyoftheCross.3.Thegospelandthelaw.4.Thechurchandthesacraments.5.Twocountries.