pastor’s
Note
Luther’s Reformation City 2- Erfurt
As I moved from Eisenach to Erfurt, a Medieval city, we should turn our time back from 1517 to 1501.
In the summer of 1501, Luther enrolled at Erfurt University. Erfurt was one of the largest German cities and its university at that time was the most important educational institute in Germany. At the University of Erfurt (1501-1505), young Martin gained a liberal art education and graduated with a Master degree in Philosophy.
On July 2, 1505, when a fateful thunderstorm struck Luther's friend right next to him and his friend died, Luther shouted: “Help, St. Anne, I will become a monk!”
The holy Anna was the patron saint of the miners and such a vow carried heavy weight. Two weeks later, Luther was knocking on the doors of the Erfurt Monastery of the Augustinian Hermits.
The monastery’s strict order and rules affected Luther’s life. As he entered the door of the monastery, he entered a long, dark tunnel of theological struggles.
The monastery was, of course, heavily influenced by the Augustinian theology, in which satan, devils, sins, hell, condemnation were its major topics. Heaven was the best place of all - the abode of God, the good angels, and the saints. Only those whose souls were pure could get there: that is, only those whose souls were free of the stain of sin.
Heaven required not only the avoidance of sin - especially the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, greed, anger, lust, gluttony, sloth - but also the best behavior and a full possession of the seven virtues: faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, temperance, and prudence. According to Augustinian theology, God’s justice demanded punishment. Ultimately, salvation hinged on one’s behavior and one’s attitude toward one’s behavior.
In Luther’s day, therefore, hardly anyone entered heaven upon dying, since the entrance requirements called for a degree of virtuous living unattainable by most men and women. The surest way to heaven was the monastic life and so Luther chose it.
The path followed by monastics was one of self-denial, of constant warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The aim of the monastic life was to grow in holiness, to train oneself in making right choices, and to ready one’s soul for heaven.
The path to holiness was, however, narrow, steep, and filled with innumerable pitfalls. The closer one drew to God and the holier one became, the more one would be assailed by soul-wracking temptations and torments at the hands of demons.
Luther’s demons reminded him of his shortcomings, filling with doubt, despair, and anger. Satan spoke to him directly, “God does not want to forgive you.” Luther feared to meet God in judgement.
His understanding of God was his ultimate torment, damning him, making him feel the Divine wrath deserved. It created unbearable, unending dark night of soul.
A wise confessor scolded him: “You are a fool. . . God is not angry with you, but you are angry with God.” Johann von Stupid, who was like Luther’s personal mentor, exploded one day: “Look here,” he said to Luther, “if you expect Christ to forgive you, come in with something to forgive - parricide, blasphemy, adultery - instead of all these small faults.” But this advice was useless to Luther. His anxiety was not over the heavy guilt of sin. Years later in 1533, Luther wrote, “I was sad because I thought God was not gracious to me.”
* * * *
Sitting in the chapel of the Augustinian monastery, I closed my eyes and imagined. What kind of message would Luther have preached here? On sin, God’s wrath, or eternal hell? My thought further developed: how many pastor are still preaching the Bad News rather than the Good News today, deluding the souls of naive Christians?
An understanding of God matters. A distorted image of God blinds our eyes, blocks maturity and makes our soul sick. Luther’s long years of suffering teaches us this lesson. We need to question our current faith and belief in order to re-form our understanding of God.
Pastor Kyu
*References: Carlos M. N. Eire, Reformations: The Early Modern World, 1450-1650,
Yale University Press, 2016.
Richard Marius, Martin Luther: The Christian between God and Death.
Harvard University Press, 1999.
As I moved from Eisenach to Erfurt, a Medieval city, we should turn our time back from 1517 to 1501.
In the summer of 1501, Luther enrolled at Erfurt University. Erfurt was one of the largest German cities and its university at that time was the most important educational institute in Germany. At the University of Erfurt (1501-1505), young Martin gained a liberal art education and graduated with a Master degree in Philosophy.
On July 2, 1505, when a fateful thunderstorm struck Luther's friend right next to him and his friend died, Luther shouted: “Help, St. Anne, I will become a monk!”
The holy Anna was the patron saint of the miners and such a vow carried heavy weight. Two weeks later, Luther was knocking on the doors of the Erfurt Monastery of the Augustinian Hermits.
The monastery’s strict order and rules affected Luther’s life. As he entered the door of the monastery, he entered a long, dark tunnel of theological struggles.
The monastery was, of course, heavily influenced by the Augustinian theology, in which satan, devils, sins, hell, condemnation were its major topics. Heaven was the best place of all - the abode of God, the good angels, and the saints. Only those whose souls were pure could get there: that is, only those whose souls were free of the stain of sin.
Heaven required not only the avoidance of sin - especially the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, greed, anger, lust, gluttony, sloth - but also the best behavior and a full possession of the seven virtues: faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, temperance, and prudence. According to Augustinian theology, God’s justice demanded punishment. Ultimately, salvation hinged on one’s behavior and one’s attitude toward one’s behavior.
In Luther’s day, therefore, hardly anyone entered heaven upon dying, since the entrance requirements called for a degree of virtuous living unattainable by most men and women. The surest way to heaven was the monastic life and so Luther chose it.
The path followed by monastics was one of self-denial, of constant warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The aim of the monastic life was to grow in holiness, to train oneself in making right choices, and to ready one’s soul for heaven.
The path to holiness was, however, narrow, steep, and filled with innumerable pitfalls. The closer one drew to God and the holier one became, the more one would be assailed by soul-wracking temptations and torments at the hands of demons.
Luther’s demons reminded him of his shortcomings, filling with doubt, despair, and anger. Satan spoke to him directly, “God does not want to forgive you.” Luther feared to meet God in judgement.
His understanding of God was his ultimate torment, damning him, making him feel the Divine wrath deserved. It created unbearable, unending dark night of soul.
A wise confessor scolded him: “You are a fool. . . God is not angry with you, but you are angry with God.” Johann von Stupid, who was like Luther’s personal mentor, exploded one day: “Look here,” he said to Luther, “if you expect Christ to forgive you, come in with something to forgive - parricide, blasphemy, adultery - instead of all these small faults.” But this advice was useless to Luther. His anxiety was not over the heavy guilt of sin. Years later in 1533, Luther wrote, “I was sad because I thought God was not gracious to me.”
* * * *
Sitting in the chapel of the Augustinian monastery, I closed my eyes and imagined. What kind of message would Luther have preached here? On sin, God’s wrath, or eternal hell? My thought further developed: how many pastor are still preaching the Bad News rather than the Good News today, deluding the souls of naive Christians?
An understanding of God matters. A distorted image of God blinds our eyes, blocks maturity and makes our soul sick. Luther’s long years of suffering teaches us this lesson. We need to question our current faith and belief in order to re-form our understanding of God.
Pastor Kyu
*References: Carlos M. N. Eire, Reformations: The Early Modern World, 1450-1650,
Yale University Press, 2016.
Richard Marius, Martin Luther: The Christian between God and Death.
Harvard University Press, 1999.