Martin Luther's Fatal, Arbitrary Assumption

Faith Formed by Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz8cFZXxm9M
^Another point where Luther breaks from the Augustinian tradition, and the whole of Apostolic Tradition.

"Luther's self," wrote Moehler, "was in his opinion the centre round which all humanity should gravitate; he made himself the universal man in whom all should find their model. Let us make no bones about it, he put himself in the place of Jesus Christ."


The video outlines the development of Luther's assumptions with regard to Justification, and how he in breaking from St. Augustine and the Medieval Augustinians on a single issue insured that a completely novel (and heretical) doctrine of Justification would ensue. The assumptions I outline are completely novel in the Augustinian tradition, even in Lombard (who was quite askew), and they dictate the Protestant theory of Justification all the way to Calvin.


Sources/Recommended Reading:
Marshner, Protestant Dialogues, Christendom College by ICC, *Presentation of Conclusion*.
Luther- Bondage of the Will.
McGrath--Luther's Theology of the Cross
----------- Reformation Thought
Pelikan- Martin Luther, Luther's Works.
A masterful work on the "Enlightenment":
Jacques Maritain: Three Reformers (Luther, Descartes, Rousseau).
Fideism: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06068b.htm
Biography and works of Luther: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/luther?show=worksBy
G. Lagrange (O.P.) incinerates Martin Luther's teachings:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/lagrange/revolt/formats/revolt.txt
Who was Peter Lombard?:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11768d.htm
Lombard's Sentences (I):
http://www.franciscan-archive.org/lombardus/I-Sent.html
Bull: Exsurge Domine (condemnation of Luther)
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Leo10/l10exdom.htm
Music:
S.L.Weiss - Sonata for two lutes in C-Major - II.Allegro

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Christianity
• Jesus Christ
• Catholic Church
• Catholicism
• protestantism
• Martin Luther
• Roman Catholic Church
• Exsurge Domine
• Total Depravity
• Sola Scriptura
• Sola Fide
• Free Will
• Bondage of the Will
• Papacy
• Pope
• Leo X
• Once Saved Always Saved
• Predestination
• TULIP
• Unconditional Election
• Calvinism
• Calvin
• Erasmus
• Council of Trent
• Theologica37
• Pope Benedict XVI
• John Calvin

[pwnedd11]

Much of what you say is right, but the fact that Luther strikes you as so absurd makes me think that you might not fully understand him. He's very complex and his routine rhetorical flourishes do not help those outside of his perspective better understand him. Instead of picking apart his writings, you might do better to look at the chief point of division: Is there any merit toward salvation that our actions could possibly earn us? And does grace merely soften the heart?

[1962mrpaul]

Awesome! Why do evangelicals not realize these things? God bless you and your videos!

[deliveringit]

I love the phrase, "To Luther, prudence was apostasy." This phrase is pregnant with much truth about intrinsic disorder within Protestantism. We believe Mary is our mother since Christ said it on the cross (with John representing the Apostles, and the apostles representing the church). That's a reality. We embrace that reality, Prots do not. Likewise with the Eucharist or the Papacy, etc.

[theman77777777232]

Interesting video Theoligica :)

[Theologica37]

@PuppyTurtle

TB94 has exactly corrected you. I never said Luther was wrong about X therefore Catholics are right, I said that Luther was a fideist, and as such protestantism was not founded on rational, reasonable doctrinal disagreement.

IN FACT: Luther threatened to throw Scripture into the river if you disagreed with him!

For millennia the Catholic tradition is (the most I would argue) rich in Socratic disagreement and philosophical rationality.

You have the history backwards and upside down.

[thunderbolt94]

@ThePuppyTurtle

(cont 3)

Also, in regards to your statement here:

"I know most Catholics don't realize that "Luther was wrong about X therefore I'm right" does not follow, but it still doesn't."

This statement has nothing to do with Theologica's video even if it was true (*hint: it's not). For one, Nowhere was Theologica arguing that because Luther was wrong in his reworkings of justification, then that means Catholicism. That completely misses the point of the video that it's absurd.

[thunderbolt94]

@ThePuppyTurtle

(cont 2)

when 1) the founder of Protestantism was a Fideist, and 2) even if you don't agree with Luther as a protestant yourself, it's still false to say that use of reason and argumentation is a protestant idea, when it was the CATHOLICS who started the idea of scholastic debate (funding and starting universities for instance), and allowed Christianity to see truth in the works of Aristotle and other philosophers.

(cont)

[thunderbolt94]

@ThePuppyTurtle

No PT. You completely missed Theologica37's point. Theologica never said you believed that Luther was "the Pope of Protestantism." His comment was in response to this statement you made:

"the Idea of making an argument to refute an opposing doctrine is a Protestant Idea"

Ignoring the fact this statement is false, Theo37 was making the point that it's rather absurd to say use of reason and argumentation is a protestant idea (cont)

[ThePuppyTurtle]

@Theologica37 Anything Martin Luther believed matters as much to me as what The Pope does. Luther isn't the Pope of Protestantism, I know most Catholics don't realize that "Luther was wrong about X therefore I'm right" does not follow, but it still doesn't.

[Theologica37]

@ThePuppyTurtle

First of all, nobody said (certainly not me!) "catholic church is meant to think for you". Second, you contradicted yourself even if that were true; if the Catholic Church thinks for you', then necessarily you *don't think for yourself.

Your earlier comments were equally misguided, for you think that it is proper to protestantism to reason about doctrine and disagree rationally, giving arguments and so forth.. did you watch the video? The founder of Protestantism is a FIDEIST.