Books

Martin Luther: A Very Short Introduction, Scott H. Hendrix

The Theology of Martin Luther, Hans Barth

PRE-LUTHER

1184 – Waldensians declared heretics.

1384 – Wycliffe died.

1415 – July 6, Jan Hus burned at the stake for his 45 propositions. From the pulpit he condemned indulgences, simony and papal immorality.

1450’s – moveable type invented.

1453 – Constantinople falls to Ottomans

1498 – Savonarola interrogated, tortured and hanged.

LUTHER

1. Childhood – 14 years

2. Formal education – 8 years

3. First career: Professor – 17 years

4. Second career: Reformer – 24 years

1. CHILDHOOD – 14 years
1483 – Luther was born in Eisleben. Childhood. 14 years.

2. FORMAL EDUCATION – 8 years
1497 – At age 14 Luther left Latin school in Mansfield. Went to the cathedral school in Magdeburg.
1498 – Sent to Eisenach (just below the Wartburg) to be closer to family.
1501 – University of Erfurt at age 18. He would spend 10/11 next years here, four at U and six at monastery.
1502 – Passed baccalaureate exam. Started masters, requiring in sense study of Aristotle.
1505 – Masters. biretta and ring authorizing him to teach as University professor and hold disputations. Also now able to enroll in jurisprudence, medicine or theology. Enrolled in law.

3. FIRST CAREER – 17 years.
1505 – July Luther abruptly quit law and entered the Augustinian monastery. Studies for the ministry. Not all monks do.
1507 – Ordained.
1508 – and 1509 Luther lectures on Aristotle
1510 – Trip to Rome.
1511 – Luther moves into the Augustinian house where he will live the rest of his life, first as a monk, then as a husband and father.
1512 – receives doctorate and succeeds Staupitz as chair of the dept of theology at Wittenberg. Sworn in by Karlstadt. First course he taught Psalms verse by verse until 1515.
1515 – Taught Romans
1516 – Taught Galatians
1517 – Taught Hebrews
1517 – The 95 Theses
1518 – Luther ordered to Rome. Frederick sends him to Augsburg instead where Cardinal Cajetan is to take his recantation. Cajetan demands Luther be turned over or driven out of Saxony. Frederick refuses. Can’t have his superstar executed, who is attracting record numbers of students to his new university.
1519 – Luther debates Eck in Leipzig.
1519 – Charles elected emperor, age 19?
1520 – June. Exurge Domine.
1520 – Freedom of a Christian. 1521 – January. Luther’s excommunication.

1521 – April. Diet of Worms.
1521 – Suleiman the Magnfiicent captures Belgrade.
1521 – Emperor puts ban on Luther but still needs support of German princes against Turkish threat. Luther now an excommunicated, imperial outlaw.
1521 – May to March 1522, Luther in the Wartburg.
1521 – Nov. 13 brothers quit the monastery and marry.
1522 – January Karlstadt (35) marries Anna von Molchau (17?).
1522 – March. Luther leaves the Wartburg.
1522 – Sermons on Chrsitian Freedom
1522 – Lay people begin receiving the cup in Wittenberg. Karlstadt beings using the Words of Institution in German.

4. SECOND CAREER: REFORMER – 24 years. From this point on Luther is swept along with the flow of events. Support for Reform was given or denied by city councils and princes. If a local priest began preaching salvation by grace alone, offer the cup, condemn indulgences, Rome would pressure through the bishop and the priest would appeal to the city council.

1523 – Easter 12 nuns smuggled out of Marienthron Cistercian Cloister
1523 – Luther publishes That Christ was Born a Jew, a positive appraisal of the Jewish community
1525 – Peasants’ War (Revolution of 1525). Luther writes Admonition to Peace, fearing anarchy and destruction of Germany.
1525 – Radical preacher Thomas Müntzer forced to confess and executed.
1525 – Frederick receives bread and wine in his final communion then does.
1525 – June 13 Luther marries Katharina (b. 1499)
1526 – Turkish rule established in Hungary. Closer.
1529 – Cochlaeus publishes the 7-headed Luther.
1529 – Turks lay siege to Vienna (300 mi from Munich). Charles begs support of both Lutheran and Catholic princes.
1529 – Ein Feste Burg written? Lord Keep Us Steadfast In Your Word?
1530 – June Lutherans defend their faith at Diet of Augsburg. Not safe for lither to attend. Charles renews Luther’s outlaw status and gives churches six months to dismantle religious innovations/ reforms. Burning of German NTs, hymnboks, etc
1530 – Smalcald league formed for protection
1531 – Luther lectures on Galatians again.
1531 – Ein Feste Burg published.
1534 – Wittenberg Bible published. 200,000 copies of Luther’s New Testament have been sold.
1535 – Luther begins teaching courses on Genesis.
1535 – Papal Nuncio Vegerio visits Luther in Wittenberg. How do you do ordinations without bishops? Luther promises to attend a council if it was held.
1537 – Theologians and rulers meet in Schmalkald. Luther has a urinary infection. Frederick refuses to attend the council. Luther resumes writing, preaching, lecturing and serving as dean of the theology faculty.
1539 – Luther preached in Leipzig commemorating his debate with Eck 20 years earlier. His text was John 12, Jesus assurance to be with all who keep his word. Luther used this to say the true church was that which kept Jesus’ word, not the dictates of Rome.
1539 – Luther publishes The Councils and the Church, showing contradictions.
1540 – Landgrave Philip of Hesse marries without divorcing his wife (mother of 10).
1541 – Turks threaten again.
1543 – On The Jews And Their Lies. Advocated burning Jewish synagogues, schools, houses and books. Catholic John Eck said the same thing.
1544 – Luther exaggerates the threats enemies on all sides. Turks, Jews, enthusiasts, sacramentarians, Rome, Emperor Charles V who he believes is going to force the Lutherans back under Rome once the Council of Trent has completed its reforms.
1545 – Against the Roman Papacy Instituted by the Devil.
1546 – feb. 18 Luther dies in Eisleben.

POST-LUTHER
1546-7 – Schmalkald War. Katherine and children (and Melanchthon) flee Wittenberg twice. 2nd x to Braunschweig.
1548 – Charles defeats protestants and captures Wittenberg.
1549 – RC Johann Cochlaeus publishes Commentary on the Acts and Writings of Martin Luther of Saxony
1552 – Devemeber. Katharine dies. Buried at Torgau. 4/6 children survived.
1555 – Lutherans given legal status in the empire by Charles V (b. 1500)
1557 – Charles retires.
1559 – Charles dies.
1633 – Galileo convicted of heresy. Sentenced to life in prison, commuted to house arrest for the rest of his life.
1655 – Slaughter of Italian Waldensians
1738 – John Wedley’s Aldersgate experience, his heart “strangely warmed” at hearing Luther’s Preface to Romans.
Late 1800’s – Nietzsche

PEOPLE

John Bugenhagen – Pastor and professor in Wittenberg. Assumed responsibility for new Protestant religious constitutions in N Germany and Denmark. Presides at Luther’s wedding.

Karlstadt – Professor Andrew Bodenstein. Nicknamed after his city. Administered the oath to Luther (1511?) in which he swore not to teach anything condemned by the church.

John Lang – Augustinian brother and friend.

Gabriel Zwilling – Fellow Augustinian.

Charles V – (1500-1558) Son of Philip the Handsome and Joana the Mad. 1519 Charles became the holy Roman Emperor and the Archduke of Austria.

Philip Melanchthon was a Humanist who arrived in Wittenberg in 1518 to teach Greek at Wittenberg University. He quickly became a Luther admirer from the younger generation.