 CHAPTER 1 THE CHRISTIANS OF THE FIRST CENTURY 1. THE APOSLS OF THE LORD When our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ bid farewell to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, and ascended into heaven, He commanded them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. In this power they were to go forth into all the world and bear witness of that which they had seen and heard. He said unto them, But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth, Acts 1.8. The disciples faithfully executed this command of the Lord, for after the day of Pentecost upon which they had received the Holy Ghost, they went forth and proclaimed the Gospel of Christ crucified, in Jerusalem, in Judea, in the surrounding countries, and in the whole world. They baptized Jews and heathen and everywhere, founded Christian congregations. But at once the word of the Lord was fulfilled. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you, John 1520. For the spreading of Christianity aroused bitter enmity among Jews and Gentiles against the disciples of the Lord. James the brother of John was the first of the apostles to suffer martyrdom at Jerusalem. We are told, when the officer who is to bring him into court saw how steadfastly James adhered to his faith in Christ, he was so affected that he confessed himself likewise a Christian. Thus both of them were condemned. While they were being led away, he begged James to forgive him, whereupon the apostle replied, Peace be with thee, and kiss him. Hereupon both were beheaded at the command of Herod Agrippa. When Herod saw that this pleased the Jews, he had Peter also apprehended and cast into prison, from which the apostle was miraculously delivered by an angel. Fearlessly he continued to preach Christ and founded many congregations in Asia Minor. The legend says that he was crucified under Emperor Nero at Rome. James the Lord's brother was Bishop of the congregation at Jerusalem. Because of his pious life he was at first highly esteemed among the Jews, but finally he also became an object of their hatred. The legend reports that the High Priest led him to the pinnacle of the temple and there commanded him to deny Christ. When however he boldly confessed his Savior, he was hurled to the ground below. Then the enraged mob pressed about him in order to stone him to death. When he cried out upon his knees, I implore thee, Godfather, for them, for they know not what they do. Then a tanner stepped up and killed him with a club. Philip is said to have perished in Phrygia, Bartholomew in Asia Minor, Thomas in India properer, and Andrew in Scythia. John first labored in Jerusalem and later became pastor of the congregation at Ephesus. For a time he was banished to the Isle of Patmos. After word, however, he was permitted to return to Ephesus. When because of his advanced age he could no longer preach nor walk, he would have himself carried into the assembly and would always address it in these words. Little children, love one another. He died a natural death nearly one hundred years of age. Chief of all the apostles was the apostle of the Gentiles, Paul. Although he did not belong to the twelve disciples of the Lord, he was nevertheless directly called and made a chosen vessel of the Lord. Before his conversion his name was Saul, and he belonged to the strict sect of the Pharisees. Being an enemy of the Lord's disciples, he was gratified to see Stephen expire when stoned to death by the Jews. Soon thereafter he himself became a zealous persecutor of the Christians in Jerusalem, and wished to continue his cruel work also in Damascus. But on the way thither he was converted by the Lord and called to be an apostle. Thenceforth he preached the Gospel of the Saviour of Sinners, especially among the Gentiles, and soon many Christian congregations arose also among them. But he also shared the fate of the other apostles. He likewise suffered death for the doctrine of Christ. About sixty-one AD he was taken a prisoner to Rome. There he abode two years. Chained to a soldier he preached the Gospel in that city and wrote many letters to the congregations which had been founded by him among the Gentiles. For a short time he regained his liberty, but was imprisoned a second time. In sixty-seven or sixty-eight AD he suffered martyrdom, being beheaded under Nero. 2. The First Christian Congregations. And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' Doctrine and Fellowship and in Breaking of Bread and in Prayers. Acts 242. This in a few words is the picture which the Acts of the Apostles paints of the First Christian Congregation at Jerusalem. The First Christians were diligent and attentive hearers of God's Word. Thereby they grew in knowledge and in the faith of the exalted Savior, and in His power they defied all temptations and persecutions. Through the Word they remained in Communion with their head Jesus Christ, and practiced intimate fellowship with each other. This showed itself in Breaking of Bread, Holy Communion, and in their United Praying, Praising, and Giving of Thanks. How intense their love was for their Savior and their brethren we may see from the following words in the Acts. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul. Neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own. But they had all things in common. Neither was there any among them that lacked, for as many as were possessive lands and houses, sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the Apostles' feet. And distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Acts 4, 34, 35. They were ready to sacrifice life itself for their Savior and for each other. After the Lord's example they practiced charity towards their enemies and prayed for them. They obtained favor with God and man, and the Lord added daily to the church such as should be saved. For many Jews forsook their national faith and joined the Christian congregation. True some hypocrites and false Christians were found among them, as the example of Ananias and Sapphira plainly shows. As with the congregation at Jerusalem, so with all other Christian congregations of the first century, the word of the Apostles was the only rule and guide of faith and life. The Apostles were the first teachers of the congregations, together with Apostles and Presbyters and Elders, sometimes called bishops, presided over the congregations. It was their duty to conduct divine services and watch over faith and life of the congregations. They were assisted by the deacons and almaners, to whom was entrusted the care for the poor and the sick. Sunday was chosen by the Christians as their day of public worship, because on this day the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. At first the congregation assembled at the homes of its members. It was only later that churches were built for this purpose. At these services spiritual hymns and psalms were sung, portions of the Holy Scriptures were read and explained, and prayers offered. Holy Communion was celebrated every Sunday and was received by the entire congregation. Strict discipline was practiced in the Christian congregation. If anyone walked disorderly he was admonished. If in spite of this he continued impenitent, he was excluded from the Christian congregation as a heathen and publican, and not received again until he repented. 3. The Destruction of Jerusalem At last the word of Jesus was fulfilled. For the day shall come upon thee, that thine enemy shall cast a trench about thee, encompass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee, and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou newest not the time of thy visitation. The terrible judgment drew nearer. The cruel emperor Nero at that time ruled in Rome. Under him the Jews rebelled and drove the Romans from their country. Nero sent his general Vespasian to chastise the rebels. Victoriously he pressed forward. Soon thereafter Nero died, and Vespasian was recalled and himself elected emperor. His son Titus was to complete the chastisement of the Jews. In the spring of 70 A.D. he marched against Jerusalem with an enormous army and laid siege to the city. His demand that the Jews surrender in order to save their city and magnificent temple was rejected with scorn by the proud leaders. Titus at once cast a trench about the city, and bombarded it by means of catapults. The condition of the city was frightful. It happened to be the time of the Passover, and because of this festival more than two million of people had assembled in Jerusalem. They were not at one among themselves. Some were in favor of surrendering to the Romans. Others were determined to resist to the last. The latter gained the ascendancy, and filled with ferocity and desperation they fought against the Romans. No one dared even to speak of surrender, because the leaders had forbidden it under penalty of death. Soon frightful famine and much other misery arose. Everything was eaten, even the most disgusting things, as for instance the excrements of animals. Yes, a woman of noble birth killed and devoured her own child. Epidemics broke out and carried off thousands. Because the corpses could not be buried, they were thrown over the walls and filled the trenches. Yet in spite of this the Jews would not surrender. Then Titus took the city by storm, and the Romans killed and slaughtered whatever came in their way. The temple was defended by the Jews with great stubbornness. Titus had commanded to preserve this building, but a soldier threw a firebrand into it, and soon the magnificent edifice was enveloped in flames. The city of Jerusalem was laid even with the ground, according to the word of the Lord. Not one stone shall remain upon another, Luke 1914. The siege had lasted four months, and in this time one million of Jews had perished. The prisoners were led away, some being compelled to fight with wild beasts in the arena, others being sold into slavery. But what had become of the Christians? As the swallows forsake the house whose walls and masons are tearing down, so the congregation of the Lord had left Jerusalem before the siege, and had found a refuge in the mountain village appella on the Dead Sea, on the other side of the river Jordan. Life of Luther by Gustav A. Just The Persecutions 1. The Persecutions under Nero, Decius, and Iocletian About the year 100 A.D., the apostles of the Lord had all fallen asleep. The preaching of the Gospel, however, had not ceased, but was carried on vigorously everywhere, and now persecutions against the Christians arose also among the heathen. They began already under Nero. In 64 A.D., this cruel tyrant set fire to Rome, the great capital of the then-known world, and amused himself with a spectacle. The conflagration raged for six days, and reduced the greater part of the city to ashes. In order to shield himself against the wrath of the people, who accused him of kindling the fire, he charged the hated Christians with the crime. These were now forced to endure the most excruciating torments and tortures. Many were sewed into the skins of wild beasts, and then thrown to dogs who tore them to pieces. Others were covered with wax and pitch, placed in the imperial gardens, and set a fire. That is, torches they might illuminate the darkness of the night. One of the most severe persecutions occurred under Emperor Odysseus. For nearly half a century the Christians had lived in peace, but this peace had made many of them secure and lukewarm. Origin, a noted teacher of the time, complains. Some attend church only on the high festivals, and then generally only to pass away time. Some leave the church as soon as the sermon is ended without speaking to the teachers or asking them questions. Others do not listen to a single word, but stand in some corner of the church and chatter with each other. From this sinful security they were aroused by the persecution bursting over them like a sudden storm. The emperor issued a decree that the Christians were to be forced by threats and tortures to sacrifice to the heathen deities. Whoever refused to do this was to suffer death. This terrible decree caused the greatest consternation among the Christians. Many, especially of the rich, readily ran to the altars and offered the required sacrifices. Yes, so great was their fear of man that they denied ever having been Christians at all. Others, in spite of tortures, remained steadfast at first, but finally also denied their faith. However, there were also such as remained firm in the faith and praised God who considered them worthy to suffer death for Christ's sake. The last and most frightful of all persecutions began under imperdiacletion. The churches of the Christians were torn down, the collections of holy scriptures were burned, and innumerable Christians were tortured to death. They were left to starve in dungeons. They were forced with bare feet to walk upon hot burning coals or sharp nails. They were fastened to wooden machines by means of which their limbs were torn from their bodies. The torturers tore their flesh with iron nails or covered them with honey and laid them bound into the sun that they might be stung to death by the flies. But many Christians suffered these tortures with great firmness and could not be forced to forsake Christ. The executioners finally became weary. Their swords grew dull, and the Church of the Lord remained unconquerable. 2. Ignatius Ignatius was a disciple of the apostles and presided over a flourishing congregation at Antioch. Emperor Trajan demanded of him to deny his Savior and sacrifice to the gods. But he declared that the gods of the heathen were vanities. He said, There is but one God who has made heaven and earth and one Christ whose kingdom is my inheritance. Because of this confession he was taken to Rome and suffered martyrdom. He listened to his death sentence with composure, even with joy. He desired to depart and to be with Christ. He wrote concerning his journey. From Syria to Rome I fought with wild beasts who became the more enraged the more benefits were bestowed upon them. However let them throw me into the fire. Let them nail me to the cross. Let them tear my limbs from my body. What is all that if I may enjoy Jesus? How joyfully he met his death can be seen from the words he addressed to the Romans. I am seeking him who died for us. He is my gain that has been preserved for me. Let me follow the sufferings of my God. My love is crucified. I long for the bread of God, for the flesh of Jesus Christ. To the Christians who attempted to have him set at liberty, he wrote, Do not trouble yourselves on my account. It is better for me to die for Christ's sake than to rule over the kingdoms of this world. I am God's wheat and am to be ground by the wild beasts in order to become pure bread. What of it if the beasts become my grave? Thus I trouble no one in my death. Upon his arrival in Rome he was delivered to the governor. A few days thereafter he was thrown to the wild beasts who fell upon him and tore him to pieces, while the assembled heathen witnessed the frightful spectacle with fiendish delight. His remaining bones were gathered by his faithful servants and laid to rest in Antioch. 3. Polycarp He was a disciple of Saint John and later on became Bishop of Smyrna in Asia Minor. Under Marcus Aurelius he suffered martyrdom at the stake. Polycarp, listening to the entreaties of his congregation, who would gladly have saved him from his persecutors, fled to a country seat. His abode was soon betrayed and he was delivered to his captors who found him engaged in prayer with several friends. Noticing that the house was surrounded, he said, The Lord's will be done. Thereupon he invited his enemies in, received them in the most hospitable manner, and asked them to grant him one hour for prayer. With so much earnestness he prayed to his Saviour that even the heathen were touched by his devotion. He was led back to the city on an ass. There he was at first kindly urged to sacrifice to the gods, but he replied, I will not follow your advice. At sight of the aged man, he was now ninety years old, the Governor was touched and said to him, Consider your great age, swear by the Emperor, deny Christ and I will release you. Polycarp exclaimed, For eighty-six years I have served him, and he has done me no ill. How can I now denounce my king and my Saviour? The Governor said, I will throw you to the wild beast, or I will force you by fire if you do not change your mind. Polycarp replied, You threaten me with the fire that burns for a short time and is soon extinguished, because you do not know the fire of the coming judgment which is in store for the wicked. Why do you hesitate? Whereupon the herald in the arena announced, Polycarp confesses himself to be a Christian. The entire multitude cried, To the lions with Polycarp. But he was condemned to die at the stake, and at once the enraged people on all sides gathered faggots for the burning. Polycarp now took off his own clothes, loosed his own girdle, and even tried to take off his own shoes. His prayer not to nail him to the stake was granted. Firm and immovable he stood against the erected pole, and praised God with a loud voice. The pile was kindled, but it is reported that the fire would not touch this faithful witness of the Lord. The flames surrounded him as sails caught by the wind, and his body shone like gold and silver that is being refined in the oven. As his body was not consumed, the executioner thrust his sword into his breast, and the corpse fell into the fire. The members of his sovereign congregation piously gathered his remains and interred them. 4. Perpetua In the beginning of the third century the Christians were fiercely persecuted in Northern Africa. Among the prisoners at Carthage there was a young woman of noble birth, Perpetua. She was the mother of a nursing child. Her heathen father took the greatest pain to persuade his daughter to forsake Christ. In pleading accents he begged her, my daughter, have pity upon my gray hairs. O pity your father, if I have ever been worthy of this name. Take pity on your child which cannot survive you. Can nothing move you, my daughter? If you perish we will be disgraced before all men. In saying this her father kissed her hands and fell down at her feet. But Perpetua did not deny the Lord. She remained firm and resisted all temptations in the strength of him whom we are to love more than father or mother. On the day before her execution she celebrated the customary love feast with her fellow prisoners, and to the gazing heathen she declared, Look straight into our faces, that you may know us on the day of judgment. Filled with consternation and shame many of the heathen walked away and were converted. The day of her deliverance approached. The fights with the wild beast began. Perpetua together with her maid Felicitas was thrown to a wild cow which at once tossed them to the ground. To her brother who stood near she cried, Appied in the faith, love one another, and do not let my sufferings frighten you. Finally she received the death blow at the hands of the gladiator. Thus she entered into glory and received the crown of life at his hands to whom she proved faithful unto death. End of Chapter 2 Chapter 3 of the Life of Luther This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Larry Wilson Life of Luther by Gustav A. Just Constantine and the Spreading of Christianity in Germany 1. Constantine After many anxious years a time of refreshing peace finally came for the Christians. For by God's wonderful providence a man kindly disposed toward the Christians ascended the Roman throne. This was Emperor Constantine. His father had already been a friend of the Christians, and his mother had even accepted the faith. After his father's death Constantine was proclaimed Emperor by the army. This was in the summer of 306. When in 312 he marched against Maxentius, who had disputed his power in Italy, he called upon the God of the Christians for help against his opponent. The opposing forces met in the vicinity of Rome. While the sun was setting it is reported that Constantine saw in the heavens a cross bearing the bright inscription in Huck Signo Vincese, i.e. you will conquer in this sign. He had once had the eagles removed from the standards and had them replaced by the sign of the cross. Hereupon his army marched from victory to victory to the power of his enemy was completely broken, and from this time Constantine became a zealous protector of the Christian Church. He published a law permitting every Roman citizen to become a Christian. He even went so far as to make the Christian religion the religion of the state. He favored the Christians by appointing them to high public offices. Sad to say this increased the number of those who accepted Christianity for the sake of worldly gain. The Church now, indeed, had rest from without, but Satan tried to ruin it by false doctrine. A bishop named Arius arose and taught, Christ is not true God, but only a creature. Constantine then called the Church Council to assemble at Nice in Asia Minor in 325 A.D. 318 bishops assembled there with him. In the discussions which followed Athanasius, a deacon, and afterwards bishop of Alexandria, took a most prominent part. With irresistible eloquence he affected the overthrow of the false doctrine of Arius and the victorious establishment of saving truth. Constantine died on Pentecost Day 337, having been baptized a short time before. In compliance with his last wish he was buried in the Church of the Apostles at Constantinople. 2. The Spreading of Christianity in Germany. Now the time had come when the light of saving truth was to shine over Germany and dispel the night of heathen-leach darkness. For some time already the Gospel had been carried to Germany by Christian merchants and Roman prisoners, and thus it came to pass that at isolated places Christian congregations were founded. But the real spreading of Christianity began in the sixth century through missionaries from Ireland and England. Among the first to visit Germany was the Irish monk Fidelin. Together with his companions he arrived in the black forest among the Alemani. With visible success he preached the Gospel to those children of the forest. He died in 550 and was succeeded by Columbin, who together with twelve disciples brought the message of salvation in Christ to the inhabitants of the present Alsatia. But meeting with such opposition he fled to Switzerland and then to Italy where he died in 615, a true Christian to the last. His pupil Gallus had remained in Switzerland and there had founded the far famed Cloister of St. Gallus where he labored with signal blessing for the spreading of Christianity among the Swiss and Swabian tribes. Until in 640 the Lord called him to his reward. Besides these messengers of the faith others also preached the Gospel in Germany. Emmerand and Bavaria, Killeen and Wurttemberg. The latter suffered martyrdom with his followers in 685. Twenty years after Killeen's death the English presbyter Willebrod, with eleven assistants, went to the Frisians. At first the heathen king Radbod offered stubborn resistance, but in time he had Willebrod to baptize his own son. And after the king's death the mission work met with great success. Because of the multitude of fish Willebrod could scarcely haul in the net. After fifty years of faithful labor he died as Bishop of Utrecht in the year 739. These and other missionaries were the real apostles of Germany and independent of Rome. Through their labors congregations were founded and flourished everywhere. Before long however a man came to Germany who subjugated the German church to the Pope. This was Winifred, also called Boniface. He carried on his work mainly in Thuringia, Hesia, Bavaria, and Frisia. In 755 together with his companions he was slain by the heathen Frisians. The most stubborn resistance to Christianity was offered by the Saxons. Only after thirty years of continuous warfare were they finally conquered by Charles the Great and the Gospel gained a foothold amongst them. Thus the Gospel of Christ sped from people to people, and in the year 1000 great numbers everywhere in Germany confessed Christ Jesus and him crucified. End of Chapter 3. Chapter 4 of Life of Luther. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Graham Geisler. Life of Luther by Gustav A. Just. Chapter 4. Chapter 4. Popory and Monkery. 1. The Origin of Popory. When in the course of time the Christian church continued to expand it became necessary for the larger congregations to engage more than one pastor. An immediate consequence was that one of them attained to higher eminence and was called the bishop by preference. Great deference was especially paid to the bishops of Rome, of Jerusalem, of Alexandria, of Antioch, and of Constantinople. The smaller congregations frequently sought their advice and requested their decision in difficult matters. But the power and the authority of the Roman bishops soon outstripped that of the rest. In consequence of this they assumed a haughty demeanor, exalted themselves above the other bishops, and finally irrigated to themselves the position of supreme judges in the church of God and grew very indignant if anyone dared to dispute their authority. They now claimed that Peter had founded the congregation at Rome and had presided over it for some time as its bishop. That he had been the chief of the apostles, the authorized vice-regent of Christ upon earth, and that his successors, the bishops of Rome, had inherited these powers from him. Although these arrogant claims were by no means generally admitted, yet the Roman bishop succeeded in enforcing his demands. He was pleased to have himself called papa, or pope. The western bishops finally submitted and acknowledged him to be the supreme head of the church. In the east, however, the bishop of Constantinople was accorded the highest rank. Both bishops now fought for the supremacy in the church, and as neither would submit to the other, a schism resulted. There arose the Roman Catholic and the Greek Catholic Church, and this division remains to the present day. When in 752 Pippin, the king of the Franks, presented to the pope a large territory in central Italy, the pope became a temporal prince. From now on the popes continually sought to increase their temporal power, and speak the decisive word in the councils of the mighty of this earth. The man who raised popery to the highest pinnacle of its power was Pope Gregory VII, formerly a monk called Hildebrand, the son of an artisan. In 1073 he ascended the papal throne. He forbade the priests to marry, and demanded that all bishops, who at that time were also temporal princes, should receive their office and their possessions, even their temporal power, not from their worldly overlords, but from his hands. He asserted, as the moon receives its light from the sun, so emperors and princes receive their power from the pope. The pope is the vice-regent of Christ upon earth, where the mighty of this world owe him obedience. He alone has the right and the power to appoint them to office, or to depose them. Gregory died in 1085. His successors accepted his principles. Thus Innocent III demeaned himself as the absolute spiritual lord and master over all Christian princes and kings, and forced them to submit to his power. Then the word of holy scriptures concerning the Roman popes came to pass. Second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he, as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God? 2. The false doctrines of popery. Sad, indeed, grew the condition of the church under the popes. Many bishops and priests busied themselves more with worldly affairs than with the word of God and the welfare of the church. The people were shamefully neglected. Generally speaking they had no schools, no books, and especially no Bibles. There was scarcely any Christian knowledge, for the word of the Lord was hidden in those days. In consequence of this the saddest ignorance prevailed everywhere among the common people. Such being the conditions it was a small matter for Satan to sow his tares among the wheat. With increasing frequency false doctrines appeared in the church and displaced the word of God. For some time already Mass had been celebrated instead of Holy Communion, for the superstition had arisen that Christ was sacrificed anew by the priest when Mass was celebrated on the altar. This false doctrine was supported by the other superstition that through consecration the priest changed the bread and the wine into the real body and blood of Christ. Because they feared that the blood of Christ might be spilled they denied the cup to the laity and thus mutilated the Lord's supper. Early in its history popery invented the doctrine that the departed souls went to purgatory where by intense suffering they might be cleansed from the dross of sin. However it was held that the pope and the church had the power to shorten these pangs of purgatory by reading countless masses. Whoever paid enough money was told that he need not remain long in purgatory. This proved to be a profitable business for the pope. For many rich already in their lifetime set aside large sums of money to pay for these masses. Indulgence was another false doctrine. The popes taught the church possesses an inexhaustible treasure in the merits of Christ and of the saints. On this the pope can draw at will for the benefit of the living and of the dead and with it forgive the sin of those who offer him therefore sufficient money or other equivalents. In the stead of Christ's suffering and merit which becomes ours alone through faith they substituted mere human works. Christ our true advocate was thrust aside and the saints were called upon for their protection and intercessions. The Virgin Mary especially became the refuge in time of need and this gave rise to the shameful marioletry. Nor did idolatries stop here. Even pictures, statues, and real or supposed relics of the saints were set up for worship and adoration. Thus was fulfilled the word of scriptures 2 Thessalonians 2 verses 10 and 11 because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie. Three, life in the monasteries. Already in the time of the great persecutions many Christians had fled into the forests, caves, and among the cliffs in order to spend their lives in pious meditation and devotion. When in the time after Constantine the church grew more and more worldly the number of those increased who thought that they could serve God better in quiet seclusion than amid the noise of a corrupt world. These were the so-called hermits. As a rule they led a life of privations and self-inflicted tortures. In time numbers of them united and adopted certain rules and laws by which their communities were governed. They also lived in their own buildings called cloisters. These were generally built in inhospitable regions. Whoever joined the order had to forsake all his worldly possessions and vow to lead a life of celipacy and of absolute obedience to his superiors. These are the so-called monastic vows. This monastical life was regarded very highly by the people and all kinds of legacies added gradually to the lands and riches of the cloisters. Their number increased rapidly, and in the twelfth century there were thousands of them. The monks were the most zealous and the most faithful tools of Antichrist, and everywhere endeavored to spread the pope's heresies. They incited the people to rebellion against their lawful government and spied out and persecuted those who would no longer submit to the pope. But it was above all the halo of false holiness which it possessed in the eyes of the people that made monkery such a curse to the church. Men, women, and children ran into the cloister in order to be sure of eternal life, for the delusive notion prevailed that man could justify himself before God and be saved by his own works. And at that they regarded the works commanded by God of little account, esteeming their self-chosen, monkish practices of the highest importance. Life in the monastery is, therefore, condemned by the words of Christ. In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. If you have any information or to volunteer, please visit liberdox.org. Life of Luther by Gustav A. Just. Chapter 5. Four Runners of the Reformation. 1. Peter Walden. Peter Walden, who was a rich and pious merchant of the 12th century, lived in Lyons, an important city in southern France. One day he was sitting at meal with his friends and conversing on the evils of the time and the corruption of the church. Suddenly one of his companions fell dead before their eyes. This occurrence made a deep impression on Walden, and he sought now more than ever before the one thing that is needful. Through diligent reading and study of holy scriptures, he came to knowledge of the truth, and his heart was filled with heavenly comfort and joy. The deeper he entered into the true meaning of the holy scriptures, the more he recognized the errors of the decay of the Roman Catholic Church. He saw that Christendom had departed from the true way of salvation. He therefore felt constrained to bring the sweet gospel of Charles. In 1170 he sought all his possessions and travelled through the country teaching and preaching. He had the four gospels translated into French and spread them among the people. The scattered seeds sprung up and bore rich fruit. Very soon thousands wanted to hear of no other doctrine than the pure doctrine of God's Word. Walden and his adherents, called Waldenzons, thought, in all questions pertaining to our salvation we dare trust no man or book, but must believe the holy scriptures only. There is but one mediator. The saints must not be worshipped. Purgatory is a fable invented by men. There are but two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper. Their life conformed so well to their doctrine. The King of France exclaimed, truly these heretics are better than I and all my people. The following is another beautiful testimony for the Waldenzons. They lead a pure life than other Christians. They do not swear except necessity demands it and beware of taking God's name in vain. They keep their promises faithfully. They are truthful in their words and live peaceably together in brotherly love. But the more their doctrine and life testified of their faith the more the hatred against them increased. Peter Walden was forbidden to preach or explain the scriptures and when in spite of this he continued the so the seed of the Word of God he was excommunicated by the Pope. He fled from one place to another and everywhere proclaimed the gospel with signal blessing. His followers are most cruelly persecuted by the Roman church which used every means to destroy them. About a million of them were slain in continuous wars of persecution. Seven thousand were slaughtered in a church at one time. A judge in Spain had ten thousand of them burned alive and imprisoned ninety seven thousand who perished in during the most frightful tortures. But in spite of fire and sword they could not be and exist onto this day. Removed from the markets of the world and distant from the great highways the descendants of the Wardenians live in the unapproachable mountain glens of Savoy and Piedmont. John Wickliffe was doctor and professor of theology at the University of Oxford. He directed his attacks chiefly against monkery and unsparingly denounced the idling, the begging and the perversion of religion by the monks. They therefore entered complaint against him with the Archbishop and Wickliffe was deposed from his chair at the University. From now on he testified even more decidedly against the errors and abuses of Popery. He maintained the Roman church is not superior to the other churches and the Pope as far as his power to forgive sins is concerned is but the equal of every other pastor. He spoke very emphatically against indulgence, against the adoration of relics and reproved the popular errors by which the poor souls were deceived. Wickliffe was now denounced as a heretic at the court of the Pope but his eloquent and masterful defence at the trial procured his release. He translated the Bible into English and taught pious men to preach the Gospel to the people. He died in 1384 at Lutterworth where he had been pastor. His numerous writings were spread by his followers throughout all Europe and especially Bohemia where they bore rich fruit but the hatred against Wickliffe did not cease of his death. In compliance with an order of the Council of Constance his doctrines were condemned, his bones were exhumed, burned and the fasces thrown into the river. Free, John Huss. Huss was born in 1369 at Hussence in Bohemia. Through reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of Wickliffe he came to knowledge of the truth and boldly lifted his voice against the errors and abuses prevalent in the Church. He preached against indulgences, purgatory and the ungodly life of the priests thereby he became an object of hatred to the Pope. He was soon excommunicated by the Pope and when he continued to preach in Prague where he was pastor and was supported by that city it was also placed under the ban. The churches were closed the thrills were silent, the dead were denied Christian burial baptisms and marriages could only be performed in the graveyards Huss was cited to appear at the Council to be held at Constance although Emperor Sigismund promised him safe conduct nevertheless Huss undertook the journey to Constance for boating no good and indeed in spite of the safe conduct he was taken and thrown into a foul prison immediately upon his arrival. When Sigismund expressed his disapproval the monks told him that faith need not be kept with a heretic. Huss defended himself before the Council with great steadfastness and as he would not recant he was condemned to die at the stake he was deposed from the priesthood and made an object of ridicule and scorn. On his head was placed a paper cap painted with numerous devils who were tormenting a poor sinner. He was led out to execution and on the way frequently called upon the saviour for mercy he was then chained to an upright pole and hay and straw saturated with pitch were piled about him once more he was tempted to recant just to save his life but Huss remained faithful now the flames surrounded him the smoke curled above him Christ thou Lamb of God have mercy upon me the faithful witness sang twice of a loud and clear voice but when he began the third verse he was overcome by smoke and flames and gave up the ghost it is reported that while at the stake he prophesied today you are roasting a goose but after a hundred years a swan will come which you will not roast four Jerome Savon Arola in Italy a man arose who was the startled the proud pope and his priests out of their security this was Jerome Savon Arola the misery and the corruption in the church had driven him into the cloister through the word of God he learned the truth and then publicly denounced the depravity of his time he was an eloquent and passionate preacher he cried out before long the sword of the Lord will come over Italy and over all the earth and then the church will be renewed the pope of that time lived in the grossest vices Rome was the hotbed of all sins and crimes Savon Arola complained the poison is heat up at Rome to such an extent that it infects France and Germany and all the world things have come to such a past that we must warn everyone against Rome Rome has perverted the whole of scriptures by the pope he was a nephemised and by the temple court condemned to die at the stake with two of his companions he was to be hanged on the gallows and then their corpses were to be burned Savon Arola entertained the sure hope that judgment would come upon Rome and that the Lord would renew the corrupt church he said Rome will not be able to quench this fire and if it is quenched God will light another A it is kindled already in many places but they do not know it before long the desolation and idolatry of the Roman pope will be reproved and a teacher will be born who no one can resist on ascension day May 23rd 1498 with cheerful resignation he met death at the hand of the hangman end of chapter 5 Chapter 6 of Life of Luther This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Cheyenne Arrowsmith Life of Luther by Gustave A. Just Chapter 6 Luther's Childhood Luther in the house of his parents When Savon Arola breathed his last in marketplace at Florence God had already chosen his servant who was to destroy the tyranny of the pope The swan prophesied by Hughes appeared For on November 10th 1483 a son had been born to poor peasants in Islipur at the foot of the hard mountains Already on the following day he was baptized and received the name Martin in honour of the saint to whom this day was sacred His parents were Hans and Margaret Luther They came from the village Moera having emigrated to Islipur When Martin was 6 months old they moved to the neighbouring town Mansfield where his father hoped to support his family by working mines Luther said of his ancestors I am the son of a peasant My father, my grandfather and my great-grandfather were all industrious peasants Later on my father moved to Mansfield where he worked in the mines Again he said my parents at first were very poor My father was a poor miner My mother often carried a word upon her back in order to raise his children They endured many hardships for our sake The child was a great joy to its parents and they loved it dearly The father would often step to the cradle and pray loud and fervently that God would grant grace to his son that mindful of his name he might become a true Luther and live a pure and sincere life From earliest childhood both parents trained their boy to fear God and love all that is good Parental discipline however was most severe and tended to make Luther a very timid child In later years he said my father once chastised me so severely that I fled from him and avoided him until he won me to himself again and of his mother he said for the sake of an insignificant nut my mother once whipped me till the blood came but their intentions were the best Luther at all times gratefully acknowledged this 2. Luther at school Little Martin was not yet 5 years of age when followed by the prayers of his parents he was brought to the school at Mansfield this school was situated upon a hillside in the upper part of the city and quite a distance from the boys home In inclement weather when the road was bad he was often carried there by his father or by Nicholas O. Emler Here he zealously learned the 10 commandments the Creed and the Lord's Prayer the reading, writing and the principles of Latin grammar The school even surpassed his home in the severity of its discipline The schoolmaster was one of those incapable man that treated his children as Han men and Baileys treated their prisoners In one forenoon Luther received 15 whippings Such tyrannical treatment filled him and his fellow pupils with fear and timidity The religious instruction which he received also served to intimidate and terrify him He scarcely learned more than popish superstition and idolatry True at Christmas time the church said a child so fair is born for us today but instead of the glad tidings onto you is born this day in a city of David a saviour was preached in school Luther says from youth I was trained to turn pale at the very mention of Christ's name for I was instructed to regard him as a severe and angry judge we were all taught that we had to atone for our own things and because we could not do this we were directed to the saint in heaven and advised to invoke dear Mother Mary to pacify the wrath of Christ and obtain mercy for us End of Chapter 6 Recording by Cheyenne Arrowsmith Chapter 7 of Life of Luther This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org by Cheyenne Arrowsmith Life of Luther by Gustave A. Just Chapter 7 Luther's Student Days 1. Luther in Magdeburg When Luther was 14 years of age he bade farewell to his parents at home and with his friend Hans Ranakey went to Magdeburg and his father wished to give him a thorough education Having received no spending money from home they were forced to live upon the arms gathered on the way from charitable hands In Magdeburg Luther attended the high school a noted school of that day but here as everywhere the false doctrines of popery prevailed and sweet comfort of the gospel was not preached The poor pupils were directed to perform such works and penances as the Roman church considered meritorious Luther relates the following incident as illustrating the monastic sanctity of those days With these my eyes I saw a prince of Arnold in a fray as cow begging for bread in the streets and bending under the sack like an ass He looked like a spectre, nothing but skin and bones whoever saw him smacked with devotion and had to be ashamed with his secular calling In bodily things also little Martin had to endure much hardship It is true lodge and shelter were supplied by the city and the instruction given by the monks was free of charge but the pupils themselves had to provide their support because of his father's poverty Luther received but little assistance from home and was compelled to sing for his daily bread at the doors of the citizens He relates the following story of his experiences at that time During the Christmas holidays we made excursions into the neighbouring villages and sang at the doors the Christmas carols in full parts in order to obtain our living At one time a peasant came out of his house and called to us in a rough tone of voice Boys, where are you? This so terrified us that we scattered in all directions We were so frightened that we did not notice the sausage in his hand and it required no little coaxing to recall us While at Magdeburg Luther was taken sick with a violent and distressing fever although he suffered great thirst he was forbidden to drink water But on a certain Friday when all had gone to church his thirst became so unendurable that he crept upon his hands and knees into the kitchen seized a vessel filled with fresh water and drank it with great relish Then he dragged himself back to his bed went soundly to sleep and when he awoke the fever was gone lack of support forced him to leave Magdeburg at the end of the year After a short stay under the parental roof Luther complied with the wish of his parents and attended the high school at Eisnack His mother had many relatives there and hoped that they would do something for poor Martin But these hopes were disappointed and therefore at Eisnack also he lived in great poverty Again he had to gain his daily bread by singing and saying prayers before the houses The gifts so received were called particles, that is, crumbs In after years Luther said I have also been such a beggar of particles taking my bread at the doors especially in Eisnack my beloved city At times however his poverty so depressed him that he determined to return to his parents and help his father in mines But at last the God graciously provided for him For some time already his earnest singing and praying had won for him the heart of a pious matron Frau Kutta One day therefore when together with other scholars he was again singing at her door she took him into her house and gave him a place at her table Thus by God's wonderful providence he was relieved of this care for his daily bread and could now joyfully devote himself entirely to his studies Luther never forgot his benefactress, Mrs. Kutta and in later years when her son studied in Wittenberg he received him into his house Luther delighted in attending the Latin school at Eisnack He was especially found of the principal of the school John Triplness, who treated his scholars with the greatest love and consideration Upon entering the school room he would remove his academic cap and did not replace it till he had taken his seat at a desk To the other teachers he said Among these young pupils sit some of whom God may make our future mayors, chancellors, learned doctors and rulers Although you do not know them now it is proper that you should honour them Luther outranked all his fellow pupils and when, at one time the celebrated Professor Tudvetter of Elford visited Eisnack Luther being the most affluent Latin orator of the school was called upon to deliver the address of welcome After the reception, Tudvetter said to Triplness Sir, you have a good school here it is in excellent condition Keep an eye on that Luther There is something in that boy By all means prepare him for the university and send him to us at Elford Thereupon he patted Luther on the back and said My son, the Lord has bestowed special gifts upon thee Use them faithfully in his service When thou art ready and wishes to come to us at Elford remember that thou hast a good friend there Dr. Yodakos Tudvetter Appeared to him, he will give thee a friendly reception Luther in Elford At the expiration of four years Luther finished his studies at Eisnack and in 1501, 17 years of age he matriculated at the celebrated university at Elford where he found a fatherly friend in Tudvetter God had now so blessed his father's persevering diligence and the economy that Luther had to suffer no want at Elford In later years, Luther said in praise of his father He supported me at the university of Elford with great love and fidelity and by his arduous labor he helped me to attain my present position His father wished Martin to become a jurist Wherefore, Luther zealously devoted himself to the study of jurisprudence Although he was naturally of a wide awake and cheerful disposition he nevertheless began his studies every morning with fervent prayers and attendants at Mass His motto was diligent prayer is the half of study Here at Elford in the library he found the book of all books the Bible, which he had never seen before He was surprised to see that it contained more than the epistles and gospels which were usually read at a church While turning the leaves of the Old Testament he happened upon the story of Samuel and Hannah He read it hurriedly with great interest and joy and wished that God might someday give him such a book and make of him such a pious Samuel This wish was abundantly fulfilled It is true after enduring manifold tribulations and trials While at the university Luther was seized with a severe illness and he thought he was about to die An old priest came to see him and comforted him with these words My dear bachelor, be of good cheer You will not die of this illness God will yet make a great man of you who will comfort many people For whom God loved and whom he would make a blessing to his fellow man Upon him he early lays the cross For in a school of affliction patient people learn much Luther, however, soon forgot this comfort Not long after this, while on the journey to his home with a companion and not far from Elford he accidentally rang his rapier which after the custom of the students hung at their side into his leg savoring the main artery His friend hurried back to call a physician In the meantime, Luther endeavoured to stench the flow of blood lying on his back, compressing the wound But the limbs welled frightfully and Luther, beset with mortal fear, cried out Mary, help me In the following night the wound began to bleed afresh and again he caught upon Mary only Later in life he said at that time I would have died trusting Mary Not long after death suddenly robbed him of a good friend and this also tended to increase his medically In such periods of depression he would often exclaim Oh, when wilt thou become really pious and atone for thy sins and obtain the grace of God With increasing power he then heard a voice within him saying Over there rise the peaceful wars of the Augustinian Chloester They are beckoning you and saying Come to us Here, separated from the noise of the world your trembling soul will find rest and peace What was he to do? For the sake of recreation Luther in 1505 paid a visit to his parents Upon his return in the vicinity of Elford a terrible storm suddenly broke upon him The lightning, followed by a fearful crash of thunder struck close beside him and overcome and stunned he fell to the ground crying out Help, dear son Anne I will immediately become a monk For it was only in this manner that he hoped to appease God and to find peace and rest for his soul End of chapter 7 Recording by Cheyenne Arrowsmith Chapter 8 of Life of Luther This is LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Cheyenne Arrowsmith Life of Luther by Gustave A. Just Chapter 8 Luther in the Cloyster 1. Entrance into the Cloyster Luther erroneously felt himself bound in conscience to keep his vow and therefore on July 15th, 1505 once more invited his intimate friends to meet him in order to bid them farewell They passed a time with song and instrumental music as Luther seemed to be happy and in the best of spirits no one dreamed of what was passing in his soul But before his friends parted from him he informed them of his intention At first they thought he was joking and laughed at him but when Luther once more solemnly declared Today you see me and never again They urgently besought him to give up his resolution All their endeavours however were in vain Luther remained firm On the evening of the 17th of July therefore they weepingly escorted him to the gate of the Augustinian Cloyster within whose dark walls Luther now sought rest and peace for his soul When his father was subsequently asked to give his consent he became very indignant that his son had entered the Cloyster On a later occasion when Hans Luther paid his son a visit at Alfred and those about him praised his present monastic state The father said God grant that it may not be a deception and satanic illusion Why have you not heard that parents should be obeyed and that nothing should be undertaken without their knowledge and advice? After some time however he was somewhat pacified by his friends and said Let it pass God grant that good may come of it 2. Disappointments in the Cloyster Luther was scrupulously exact in the performance of every work and penance prescribed by the Cloyster He acted as doorkeeper set the clock, swept the church and yes, he was even compelled to remove the human filth The greatest hardship for him however was to travel the streets of the city with a bag begging for alms The monks told him it is begging, not studying that enriches the Cloyster and yet Luther found the time for diligent study of the Bible He learned to know the page and exact place of every verse of the scriptures and he even committed to memory many passages from the prophets although he did not understand them at that time The prior of the Cloyster, Dr. John Storpitz came to love him, released him from manual labours and encouraged him to continue in a diligent study of holy scriptures Others thought different and said to Luther Why, brother Martin, what is the Bible? You ought to read the old fathers they have extracted the substance of truth from the Bible the Bible causes all disturbances Thus Luther soon learned that the piety of most monks was nothing but pretence In later years he wrote The monks are a lazy idle people The greatest vanity is found in the Cloysters They are servants of their bellies and filthy swine But if others sought carnal lust in the Cloyster, Luther led a most rigid and holy life In the simplicity of his heart he sincerely worshipped the Pope He regarded Hughes as a terrible heretic and he considered the very thought of him a great sin and yet he could not resist the temptation to read these heretic sermons He confessed, I really found so much in them that I was filled with consternation that such a man had been burned at the stake who could quote the scriptures with so much faith and power But because his name was held in such horrible excretion I closed the book and went away with a wounded heart In 1507 Luther was ordained to the priesthood which made him very happy for he supposed that now as a priest he could please God with greater and more grorious works So thoroughly was Luther enslaved in a bondage of popery Who could break these fetters? By his own works Luther endeavored to gain the grace of God Day and night he tortured and tormented himself with fasting and prayers with singing and studying, hard bedding freezing and vigils with groanings and weepings He wanted to take heaven by storm He could afterward truthfully say It is true, I was a pious monk and if ever a monk could have gained heaven by his monkery I would have gained it If it had lasted any longer I would have tortured myself to death with vigils prayers, readings and other works The peace of his soul however which he had not found in the world he found just as little in Cloyster with all his works Later on he describes his condition at that time in following words Her man and the devil were in our hearts and nothing but fear, trembling, horror and disquiet tortured us day and night 3. Luther finds comfort Stor pits one day found Luther in great distress of spirit and said to him Ah, you do not know how solitary and necessary such trials are for you Without them nothing good would become of you for God does not send them to you in vain You will see that he will use you for great things And another time Luther complained Oh my sing, my sing, my sing When Stor pits told him Christ is the forgiveness for real things He is a real saviour and you are a real sinner God has sent his own son and delivered him up for us When because of great anxiety for his sins he became sick an older friar comforted him with these words I believe in the forgiveness of sing and explained these words to me It is not enough that you believe God forgives things in general For the devils also believe that you must believe that your sings, your sings your sings are forgiven for man is justified by grace through faith So even at that time a ray of light fell into Luther's soul benighted with the darkness or potpour and from this time on his favourite passage remained Romans 3 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law End of chapter 8 Recording by Cheyenne Arrowsmith Chapter 9 of Life of Luther This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Michael Fascio Life of Luther by Gustav A. Just Chapter 9 Luther as Teacher 1. Luther called to the University of Wittenberg After three years spent in this cloister Luther was called upon the stage where his battle with potpour was to be fought In 1502 Elector Frederick of Saxony had founded the University of Wittenberg He charged Stoupitz with the selection of learned and able men for this school One of those recommended for his learning and piety was the well-known Augustinian monk Luther who now became professor at Wittenberg As Stoupitz urged him to remove at once to Wittenberg Luther did not even find time to bid farewell to his friends at Erfurt Moving caused him little trouble for a begging fryer has few possessions And thus on an autumn day of the year 1508 we see the pale and emaciated form of the 25-year-old monk traveling the road from Erfurt and entering Wittenberg by the wooden bridge He hurried through the long street to the Augustinian cloister where he found shelter and lodging 2. Luther as Professor and Preacher In obedience to his superiors Luther at first lectured on philosophy although he would have preferred to teach theology And this wish of his heart was soon granted Already in 1509 he received permission to expound the scriptures to the students With joyful devotion he gave himself up to the study of the Bible and diligently searched for the ground of salvation And indeed he very soon created such a sensation that Dr. Melrichstadt exclaimed quote That monk will confound all the doctors and introduce a new doctrine and reform the whole Roman church for he devotes himself to the writings of the prophets and apostles and stands upon the word of Jesus Christ unquote Thus God had led Luther to the scriptures and he made them his guiding star He felt that they alone could give him what he thought, truth and peace Stout pits also tried to persuade him to preach but Luther at first lacked courage Finally, however, he consented and preached the word of Christ in the little chapel of the cloister Its appearance was very similar to the pictures which the artists paint of the stable at Bethlehem in which Christ was born In such a poor little church that man began to preach who was to thrill countless souls and point the way to true peace Very soon, citizens and students gathered in such numbers to hear him that the church could not hold them He was then called to the large parish church of Wittenberg whose doors were now thrown open to him Here, he had abundant opportunity to preach the word of life in his powerful sermons to many thousands of hearers 3. Luther in Rome By the study of the Bible and diligent preparation for his sermons Luther steadily grew in the knowledge of divine truth and yet he was firmly held in the bondage of popery He still considered the pope the vice-regent of Christ upon earth When he was therefore directed to visit Rome in the interest of his order it filled his heart with greatest joy For he hoped by this visit to the holy city to find rest and comfort for his conscience He had to make the journey on foot and he took the pilgrim's staff in hand and together with a companion started out for Rome They had no need of money for shelter and lodging they found in the cloisters by the way But Luther did not enjoy the journey for the words kept ringing in his ears quote The just shall live by his faith unquote After a long journey through beautiful landscapes the way finally wound upon a hillock and before the eyes of the German monks lay the Roman plain where on the banks of the Tiber appeared the resplendent houses churches and fortresses of the city of Rome How his heart must have leaped when in the radiant glow of the evening sun the city lay before him He prostrated himself upon the ground lifted his hands and exclaimed quote Hail holy Rome thrice holy because of the martyr's blood that was shed in thee unquote In Rome Luther devoutly sought to satisfy the cravings of his heart With what sincerity he went about this we see from his own words quote In Rome I was also such a crazy saint I ran through all the churches and caverns and believed every stinking lie that had been fabricated there I even regretted at the time that my father and mother were still living for I would have been so glad to have redeemed them from purgatory with my masses and other precious works and prayers unquote How revolting it must have been for him to see the priests read Mass with such levity and get through hurry scurry rips raps as if they were giving a puppet show Luther relates quote Before I reached the gospel the priest beside me had finished his Mass and called to me hurry up come away give the child back to its mother unquote So it happened that his faith in Rome began to waver more and more and God again and again led him there where true comfort can be found The following is an example On the place of St. John's there was a flight of stairs called Pilate's staircase which was said to be the same on which our savior went up and down before the palace of Pontius Pilate at Jerusalem Now while Luther was crawling up the stairs hoping in this way to reconcile God and atone for his sins it seemed to him as if a voice of thunder was crying in his ears quote The just shall live by his faith unquote Thus this passage more and more became the light which revealed to him the true way to heaven This was his opinion of the so called Holy City quote No one believes with villainy and outrageous sins and vices are practiced at Rome You can convince no one that such great abominations occur there if he has not seen and heard and experienced it himself unquote Thus Luther learned to know Popery itself in Rome and was therefore the better qualified to testify against it later on He said quote for then I would always fear that I were wronging the Pope for the justice but now we speak that which we have seen unquote for Luther is made doctor of divinity After his return to Wittenberg Luther took up his work with renewed diligence One day while sitting with Stoutpitz under the great parrotry in the cloister garden his superior took his hand and said quote Brother Martin I and all the Brethren sought to become doctor of divinity unquote Luther was frightened and excused himself because of his youth his need of further study and also because of his weak and sickly body and begged him to select a man more qualified than he was but when his paternal friend continued to persuade him he said quote Doctor Stoutpitz you will take my life I will not stand at three months unquote To this prophecy of approaching death he said in God's name our Lord has important business on hand he needs able men also in heaven now if you die you must be his counselor up there unquote Finally Luther submitted to the will of his superior and on the 18th of October 1512 Dr. Carl Stout with great solemnity bestowed upon him the degree of doctor of divinity How important this was Luther himself points out when he says quote I, Dr. Martin, have been called and forced to become a doctor without my choice purely from obedience I had to accept the degree of doctor and to swear and vow allegiance to my beloved Holy Bible to preach it faithfully and purely unquote Luther later on often comforted himself with this vow when the devil in the world sought to terrify him because he had created such a disturbance in Christendom Luther now devoted himself entirely to the study of the whole Bible and by the power of the Holy Spirit he soon learned to distinguish between the law and the gospel and it was only now that he clearly and fully understood the passage quote, the just shall live by his faith unquote With great power he now confuted the error that man could merit forgiveness of sins by his own good works and be justified before God by his own piety and civil righteousness On the contrary he clearly and pointedly showed that our sins are forgiven without any merit of our own for Christ's sake only and that we accept this gift by faith alone He proved that scriptures alone can teach us to believe right, to live a Christian life and to die a blessed death Thus the light of the gospel grew brighter and brighter in Wittenberg and after the long night in darkness the eyes of many were opened The beautiful clothes of a leather which Luther wrote in 1516 to an Augustinian monk is a proof of the clear knowledge which he already had at that time of eternal and saving truth It reads quote My dear brother Learn to know Christ the crucified Learn to sing to him and despairing of thyself say, Thou, Lord Jesus Christ art my righteousness but I am thy sin Thou hast taken upon thyself what is mine and hast given me what is thine Meditate devoutly upon this love of his and thou wilt draw from it the sweetest comfort for if we could gain peace of conscience by our own works and sufferings why did he die? Therefore thou wilt find peace in no other way but by confidently despairing of thyself and thy works and trusting in him End of Chapter 9 Chapter 10 of Life of Luther This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Michael Fosya Life of Luther by Gustav A. Just Chapter 10 Luther the Reformer 1. Papal Indulgences At that time the papal chair was occupied by Leo the Tenth What this pope believed we may gather from his words addressed to one of his bishops He exclaimed What an immense sum have we made out of this fable about Christ Luther relates this of him He would amuse himself by having two clowns dispute before his table on the immortality of the soul The one took the positive the other the negative side of this question The pope said to him who defended the proposition Although you have adduced good reasons and arguments yet I agree with him who is of the opinion that we die like the beasts For your doctrine makes us melancholy and sad but his gives us peace of mind In order to raise the necessary funds for his pleasures and dissipations he published a general indulgence pretending that he needed money to complete the building of St. Peter's at Rome He commissioned Archbishop Albert of Mayance to sell these indulgences in Germany This dignitary was also excessively fond of the pomp and pleasures of life He was to receive one half the receipts of these indulgences Albert again engaged monks who were to travel about Germany and sell the papal pardons Chief among these pardon peddlers was John Tetzel He was a most impudent fellow who because of his adulterous life had at one time been condemned to be drowned in a sack For his services he received 80 florins together with traveling expenses for himself and his servants and provender for three horses These papal indulgences were held in high esteem by the people where for Tetzel was everywhere given a pompous reception Whenever he entered a town the papal bull was carried before him upon a gilded cloth All the priests, monks, councilmen, school teachers, scholars, men and women went out in procession with candles, flags and songs to meet him The bells were tolled The organ sounded and Tetzel was accompanied into the church where a red cross was erected bearing the pope's coat of arms In short, God himself received a grander reception Once in church Tetzel eloquently extolled the miraculous power of the papal indulgences He preached Whoever buys a pardon receives not only the forgiveness of his sins, but shall also escape all punishment in this life and in purgatory The forgiveness for sacrilegion perjury was sold for nine ducats adultery and rich craft cost two In St. Annaberg he promised the poor miners if they would freely buy his indulgences the mountains round about the city would become pure silver The pope, he claimed had more power than all the apostles and saints even more than the virgin Mary herself for all of these were under Christ while the pope was equal to Christ The red cross with the papal arms erected in church was declared to be as saving as a cross of Christ Tetzel claimed to have saved more souls with his indulgences than Peter with his sermons He had a little rhyme which ran as soon as the money rings in my chest from purgatory the soul finds rest Furthermore, he proclaimed that the grace offered by indulgences is the same grace by which man is reconciled with God According to his teaching contrition, sorrow, or repentance for sin were unnecessary if his indulgences were bought 2. Consequences of this pardon-mongery After Tetzel had carried on his godless traffic at many places he also came to Jewetterbach in the vicinity of Wittenberg Vither the people hurried from the whole neighborhood and even from Wittenberg they came in crowds to buy indulgences Luther relates quote, at that time I was here in the clayster a young doctor full of fire and handy at the scriptures Now, when great multitudes ran from Wittenberg to buy indulgences at Jewetterbach and Zerbst I began to preach very moderately that something better could be done than buying indulgences that he who repents receives forgiveness of sins gained by Christ's own sacrifice and blood and offered from pure grace without money and sold for nothing unquote Some of Luther's parishioners stubbornly declared that they would not desist from usury adultery and other sins nor promise sincere repentance and improvement he refused to absolve them When they appealed to the indulgences which they had bought from Tetzel Luther answered them quote, except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish unquote Luke chapter 13 verse 3 He now addressed an employing petition to Albert of Mainz and other bishops to put a stop to Tetzel's blasphemous doings that met with no success Tetzel himself threatened to accuse Luther of heresy and built a pile of faggots on which he said all those should be burned who spoke against his indulgences 3 The 95 Theses It was on the 31st of October 1517 when the bells ringing from the steeple of the castle church at Wittenberg were calling the multitude into the house of God The crowds were gathering in the long street awaiting the beginning of the service which usually preceded the festival of church dedication which occurred on All Saints Day Suddenly a man hurriedly pressed through the waiting multitude lean and languish his body and pale his countenance but his eyes beamed with life and fire He stepped up to the door of the castle church drew a paper from his dark monk's cowl and with vigorous blows of the hammer nailed it to the church door At first his action was noticed only by those standing nearby When however one of the bystanders read the superscription which translated into English reads Disputation concerning the power of indulgences Out of love for the truth and with a sincere desire to bring it to light the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg the Reverend Father Martin Luther presiding Those who cannot discuss the subject with us orally may do so in writing In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen Then the cry was heard Up there read to us the tidings of the wonderful document A quote Several of the theses Number one Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ in saying Repent ye, etc. intended that the whole life of his believers should be repentance Number 32 Those who believe that through letters of pardon they may be sure of their salvation will go to hell together with their teachers Number 36 Every Christian who truly repents of his sin has complete remission of all pain and guilt and it is his without any letters of pardon Number 37 Every true Christian living or dead partakes of all the benefits of Christ and of the church God gives him this without letters of pardon Number 62 The true treasure of the church and the glory and grace of God Number 64 The effects of the theses The action of the Augustinian monk created everywhere the greatest excitement among the people Luther's theses spread with a rapidity truly marvelous for that time In fourteen days they had passed through all Germany and in four weeks through all Christendom Verily it seemed as if the angels themselves had been the messengers the theses were translated into other languages and after four years a pilgrim bought them in Jerusalem Like distant rolling thunder the mighty sentences echoed out into the lands and announced to Rome the storm that was brewing in Germany against Popery Luther had no idea that God had destined them to accomplish such great things For innumerable souls they were as the sun rising after a long and anxious night They rejoiced as we rejoiced at the light of day For they saw that in the light of this doctrine they could attain to that peace with God and with their conscience which they had sought in vain with painful toiling in the commandments of the Roman church In the name of these souls old Dr. Fleck exclaimed Ah ha! he'll do it He has come for whom we have waited so long Another confessed The time has come when the darkness in churches and schools will be dispelled And another exalted Praise God Now they have found a man who will give them so much toil and trouble that they will let this poor man depart in peace But of course there were also timid souls who were filled with anxious concern for Luther The renowned Dr. Kranz for instance in Hamburg cried out Go to your cell, dear brother, and pray Lord have mercy upon me And an old, low German clergyman said My dear brother Martin if you can storm an annihilate purgatory in popish huckstering then you are indeed a great man But Luther full of joyous courage and faith replied to all such timid souls quote Dear fathers, if the work is not begun in God's name it will soon come to naught But if it is begun in his name let him take care of it unquote End of chapter 10 Chapter 11 of Life of Luther This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Michael Fasio Life of Luther by Gustav A. Just Chapter 11 Luther the Mighty Warrior 1. Luther Before Cajetan and Alexburg Pope Leo X that first treated the affair with contempt thinking that the quarrel would soon die out He once said Brother Martin has a fine head and the whole dispute is nothing else than an envious quarrel of the monks At another time he said A drunken German has written these theses when he sobers up he will think differently of the matter But when he noticed that his authority was endangered because many pious souls became attached to the true doctrine he summoned Luther to appear within 60 days in Rome and give an account of his heresy If Luther had obeyed he would hardly have escaped death of the dungeon for everyone knew that Rome was like the Lion's Cave into which many Prince of Feet entered but from which none returned But under the merciful guidance of the wise so arranged matters that Luther's case was tried in Germany For this purpose the Pope sent Cardinal Cajetan to Alexburg and in spite of all warnings Luther also boldly repaired to that city In Weimar a monk said to him Oh my dear doctor I fear that you will not be able to maintain your case before them and they will burn you at the stake Luther answered They may do it with nettles When Luther finally arrived in Alexburg weary and worn he would have called upon the Cardinal immediately but to this his friends were opposed They endeavored to obtain for him first of all safe conduct from the Emperor But three days passed before he received it In the meantime the servants of the Cardinal came and said The Cardinal offers you every favor What do you fear? He was a very kind father But another whispered in his ear Don't believe it. He never keeps his promise The third day in Emissary by the name of Urban came to Luther and asked him why he did not come to the Cardinal who was waiting for him so graciously Luther told him that he was following the advice of upright men who will all of the opinion that he should not go there without in the Imperial safe conduct Evidently vexed at this reply Urban asked The collector will go to war on your account Luther answered I do not ask that at all Urban Where do you intend to stay then? Luther Beneath the heavens Urban What would you do if you had the Pope and the Cardinals in your power? Luther I would show them every mark of respect When the safe conduct finally arrived, Luther at once repaired the Cardinal who abruptly demanded that he recant his heirs But Luther declared I cannot recant I cannot depart from the scriptures After lengthy negotiations Cajetan sprang up in anger and said Go and let me not see you again unless you recant To Luther's friends the Cardinal said I do not wish to dispute with that beast any more for he has deep eyes and strange ideas in his head Luther, however, wrote to Wittenberg Quote The Cardinal is a poor theologian or Christian and is apt at divinity as an ass is at music On the 31st of October Luther returned safely to Wittenberg 2. Luther before Miltitz Rome would now have preferred to excommunicate Luther to offend the elector who was determined not to allow his professor to be condemned without proper trial and refutation The Pope, therefore, sent his chamberlain Carl von Miltitz to the elector to present him a consecrated golden rose By this means the elector was to be made willing to assist Miltitz in his undertaking But when the latter arrived in Germany he noticed at once that he would have to deal kindly with Luther in the goodwill of the people At the meeting which occurred 1519 in Altenberg Miltitz, therefore, treated Luther with the greatest consideration Dear Martin I thought you were an old doctor who sat behind the stove full of crotchety notions But I see that you are a young and vigorous man Besides, you have a large following for on my journey I made inquiries to discover what the people thought of you and I noticed so much that where the one on the Pope's side there are three of yours against the Pope If I had an army of 25,000 men I would not undertake to carry you out of Germany With tears he begged Luther to help in restoring peace Luther consented to drop the controversy if his opponents would do the same After supping together they parted on the best of terms Miltitz even embracing and kissing Luther Later on Luther saw through the deceit of the Roman and called his kiss a Judas kiss and his tears crocodile tears For it was only his fear of Luther's following that prevented him from executing his original plan of carrying Luther to Rome in chains Luther and Dr. Eck in Leipzig Dr. Eck, a violent opponent of Luther became involved in a dispute with Dr. Carlstadt on several questions of Christian doctrine into which Luther was also drawn In 1519 these three men gathered at Leipzig for a public disputation At first Eck disputed with Carlstadt on quote free will and then with Luther on the supremacy of the Pope Luther proved that the church indeed needed a supreme head but that Christ is this head and not the Pope and that the powers which the Pope irrigates to himself conflicts in the history of the first three centuries As Eck could not maintain his position he accused Luther of Hussite heresy When Luther replied my dear doctor not all of Huss's teachings are heretical Eck flew into a passion and Duke George cried out the plague take it Then they debated the question of purgatory of indulgences of penances and the allied doctrines On the 16th of June they closed the debate and Luther returned joyfully to Wittenberg Eck who had flattered himself that he would triumph over Luther had to leave in disgrace 4. The bull of excommunication Soon hereafter Eck journeyed to Rome and persuaded the Pope to threaten Luther with excommunication and indeed In 1520 the papal bull appeared which began quote Luther's doctrine was condemned and his books were to be burned that his memory might perish among Christians He himself was commanded to recant within 60 days on pain of excommunication as a heretic As a dried limb is cut from the trunk of the tree they threatened to cut Luther from the body of Christ triumphantly Dr. Eck carried the bull about in Germany In Erfurt the students tore it to pieces and threw it into the water saying it is a BULLA bubble so let it swim among the water Luther wrote a pamphlet quote against the bull of the antichrist quote and had it distributed broadcast among the people In it he said quote the Pope does not retract and condemn this bull and punish Dr. Eck besides then no one is to doubt that the Pope is God's enemy Christ's persecutor Christendom's destroyer and the true antichrist quote he wrote to a friend quote I am much more courageous now since I know that the Pope has become manifest as the antichrist and the chair of Satan quote And now when Luther even learned that in accordance with this bull his writings had been burned at Louvain Cologne and also in Mayans his purpose was fixed On the 10th of December he had the following announcement published on the blackboard in Wittenberg quote When the students read this notice they gathered in crowds in the streets and marched out through the Elster Gate followed by many citizens At nine o'clock Luther appeared in company with many professors and scholars who were carrying books and pamphlets A pile of faggots was erected Luther with his own hand laid upon it the papal books and one of the masters set fire to the Pope and one of the masters set fire to the pile When the flames leaped up Luther's firm hand threw in the papal bull and he cried Since thou hast offended the Holy One of God may everlasting fire consume thee On the next day he said to his audience If with your whole heart you do not renounce the kingdom of the Pope you cannot be saved In a pamphlet he pointed out the reasons which induced him to take this step from whom he called attention to the impious statutes contained in the Pope's jurisprudence Some of these read quote, the Pope and his associates are not bound to obey God's commandments Even if the Pope were so wicked as to lead innumerable men to hell yet no one would have the right to reprove him unquote On the third of January, 1521 another bull appeared in which the Pope excommunicated Luther with the appearance whom he called quote, Lutherans unquote and issued the interdict against every place where they resided End of chapter 11