Believe it or not, I actually enjoy studying the life of Martin Luther. I’m big into Church history and obviously he’s one of the most influential people in Church history whether you think he was right or wrong.
Most Protestants know about two key events in his life. The first is his 95 theses that he posted on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg Germany. The second is his speech at the Diet of Worms in 1521. This is his famous Here I Stand speech before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Now, there is more to Luther than just these two events. Those who study the life of Luther know about his three influential tracts that he wrote in 1520, his translation of the NT in Wartburg Castle, his back on forth with Erasmus on free will and many other things.
What is interesting about the life of Luther is what happened later. Martin Luther dies in 1546. This is a full 25 years after his stand at the Diet of Worms. Most of the biographies of Luther out there tend to fast forward his life from 1525 to his death in 1546. That’s over 20 years. Why are 1517 to 1525 glorified while 1525 to 1546 are essentially ignored? The answer is simple. It’s not that glorious, even from a Protestant perspective.
For example, in 1529 Luther had a dialogue with Swiss Protestant Ulrich Zwingli on the nature of the Eucharist. This is known as the Marburg Colloquy. Most Protestants think that Luther treated Zwingli unfairly but more importantly the vast majority of Protestants today think Zwingli was right on the eucharist and Luther was dead wrong. Luther believed in a form of the real presence while most Protestants today don’t. In other words, Zwingli was correct in their eyes.
Another is Luther’s view on the Jews. Luther had less than flattering things to say about the Jews by the end of his life. Luther wrote viciously against a lot of people. Obviously the Catholics, but also other Protestants and even Muslims. However, his nastiest words were reserved for the Jews. If one is an American Evangelical Christian Zionist, Luther doesn’t appear too high on the list because of this. It should also be noted that Luther wasn’t just rehashing the Catholic position. The Catholic position on the Jews was developed by Pope Gregory the Great and its called Sicut Judaeis Non. People like James White like to point out that John Eck has similar views to Luther on the Jews. White is correct but Eck isn’t a big name in the Catholic Church. People only know about him because of his fervent opposition to Luther such as at the Leipzig debate. However, Eck is not a bishop, Pope, or Saint and therefore should not be quoted on these key issues when he contradicts established Catholic doctrine and practice. He was an outlier and we must look to great Popes and saints such as St. Bernard of Clairvaux who firmly believed in Sicut Judaeis Non.
I read a lot of Saint biographies. In reading these biographies, I can’t think of one where the last 20 years of their lives are just glossed over as if they didn’t exist or matter. In fact, many saints grow in greater holiness towards the end of their life. Many of them make the ultimate devotion at the ends of their lives when they give their lives for Christ and His Church.
Now, Protestants don’t need to think that Luther is a good guy. I know many Protestants who loathe Martin Luther. However, almost all Protestants know deep down that the last 20 years of his life weren’t that glorious. Those years were far removed from 1517 and 1521.
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