Posted on 10/24/2014 8:52:18 AM PDT by Gamecock
AFTER many a weary league, Luther's feet stand at last within the gates of Rome. What now are his feelings? Is it a Paradise or a Pandemonium in which he is arrived?
The enchantment continued for some little while. Luther tried hard to realise the dreams which had lightened his toilsome journey. Here, thought Luther, the martyrs had died; on the floor of this stupendous ruin, the Coliseum, had they contended with the lions; on this spot, where now stands the sumptuous temple of St. Peter, and where the Vicar of Christ has erected his throne, were they used "as torches to illumine the darkness of the night". Over this city, too, Paul's feet had walked, and to this city had that letter been sent, and here had it first been opened and read, in which occur the words that had been the means of imparting to him a new life - "The just shall live by faith."
Profane levity
The first weeks which Luther passed in Rome were occupied in visiting the holy places and saying mass at the altars of the more holy of its churches. But it was not long till he began to see that these outward blemishes were as nothing to the hideous moral and spiritual corruptions that existed beneath the surface. The luxury, lewdness, and impiety that shocked him in the first Italian towns he had entered, and which had attended him in every step of his journey since crossing the Alps, were all repeated in Rome on a scale of seven-fold magnitude. His practice of saying mass at all the more favoured churches brought him into daily contact with the priests; he saw them behind the scenes; he heard their talk, and he could not conceal from himself - though the discovery unspeakably shocked and pained him - that these men were simply playing a part, and that in private they held in contempt and treated with mockery the very rites which in public they celebrated with so great a show of devotion. If he was shocked at their profane levity, they on their part were no less astonished at his solemn credulity, and jeered him as a dull German.
Panis es, et panis manebis
One day Luther was saying mass in one of the churches of Rome with his accustomed solemnity. While he had been saying one mass, the priests at the neighbouring altars had sung seven. "Make haste, and send Our Lady back her Son" was the horrible scoff with which they reproved his delay, as they accounted it. To them "Lady and Son" were worth only the money they brought. But these were the common priests. Surely, thought he, faith and piety still linger among the dignitaries of the Church! How mistaken was even this belief, Luther was soon to discover.
One day he chanced to find himself at table with some prelates. Taking the German to be a man of the same easy faith with themselves, they lifted the veil a little too freely. They openly expressed their disbelief in the mysteries of their Church, and shamelessly boasted of their cleverness in deceiving and befooling the people. Instead of the words, "Hoc est meum corpus" - This is my body etc. - the words at the utterance of which the bread is changed, as the Church of Rome teaches, into the flesh and blood of Christ - these prelates, as they themselves told him, were accustomed to say, "Panis es, et panis manebis," etc. - Bread thou art, and bread thou wilt remain - and then, said they, we elevate the Host, and the people bow down and worship.
Luther's horror
Luther was literally horrified: it was as if an abyss had suddenly yawned beneath him. But the horror was salutary; it opened his eyes. Instead of a city of prayers and alms, of contrite hearts and holy lives, Rome was full of mocking hypocrisy, defiant skepticism, jeering impiety, and shameless revelry. (Dr Gillis - Amongst the 100.000 population of Rome at this time there is documentary evidence there were 6,800 prostitutes walking the streets in their nun - like apparel).
Borgia had lately closed his infamous Pontificate, and the warlike Julius II. was now reigning. A powerful police patrolled the city every night. They were empowered to deal summary justice on offenders, and those whom they caught were hanged at the next post or thrown into the Tiber. But all the vigilance of the patrol could not secure the peace and safety of the streets. Robberies and murders were of nightly occurrence. "If there be a hell," said Luther, "Rome is built over it."
The Scala Sancta
One day he went, under the influence of these feelings, to the Church of the Lateran. There is the Scala Sancta, or Holy Stairs, which tradition says Christ descended on retiring from the hall of judgment, where Pilate had passed sentence upon him. These stairs are of marble, and the work of conveying them from Jerusalem to Rome was reported to have been undertaken and executed by the angels, who have so often rendered similar services to the Church - Our Lady's House at Loretto for example. The stairs so transported were enshrined in the Palace of the Lateran, and every one who climbs them on his knees merits an indulgence of fifteen years for each ascent.
Luther, who doubted neither the legend touching the stairs, nor the merit attached by the bulls of the Popes to the act of climbing them, went thither one day to engage in this holy act. He was climbing the steps in the appointed way, on his knees namely, earning at every step a year's indulgence, when he was startled by a sudden voice, which seemed as if it spoke from heaven, and said, "The just shall live by faith." Luther started to his feet in amazement. This was the third time these same words had been conveyed into his mind with such emphasis, that it was as if a voice of thunder had uttered them. It seemed louder than before, and he grasped more fully the great truth which it announced. What folly, thought he, to seek an indulgence from the Church, which can last me but a few years, when God sends me in his Word an indulgence that will last me for ever! How idle to toil at these performances, when God is willing to acquit me of all my sins not as so much wages for so much service, but freely, in the way of believing upon his Son! "The just shall live by faith."
The just shall live by faith
From this time the doctrine of justification by faith alone - in other words, salvation by free grace - stood out before Luther as the one great comprehensive doctrine of revelation. He held that it was by departing from this doctrine that the Church had fallen into bondage, and had come to groan under penances and works of self-righteousness. In no other way, he believed, could the Church find her way back to truth and liberty than by returning to this doctrine. This was the road to true reformation. This great article of Christianity was in a sense its fundamental article, and henceforward Luther began to proclaim it as eminently the Gospel - the whole Gospel in a single phrase. With relics, with privileged altars, with Pilate's Stairs, he would have no more to do; this one sentence, "The just shall live by faith," had more efficacy in it a thousand times over than all the holy treasures that Rome contained. It was the key that unlocked the closed gates of Paradise; it was the star that went before his face, and led him to the throne of a Saviour, there to find a free salvation. It needed but to re-kindle that old light in the skies of the Church, and a day, clear as that of apostolic times, would again shine upon her. This was what Luther now proposed doing.
The true City of God
This was what Luther learned at Rome. Verily, he believed, it was worth his long and toilsome journey thither to learn this one truth. Out of it were to come the life that would revive Christendom, the light that would illuminate it, and the holiness that would purify and adorn it. In that one doctrine lay folded the whole Reformation. "I would not have missed my journey to Rome," said Luther afterwards, "for a hundred thousand florins." When he turned his back on Rome, he turned his face toward the Bible. The Bible henceforward was to be to Luther the true city of God.
Taken from Wylie's History of Protestantism, and edited by Dr Clive Gillis
Millions and millions of Catholics, apparently?
No kidding. Anti-Semitic pigs come in all shapes and creeds, apparently.
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Luther didn’t even realize that the Vatican wasn’t in Rome.
In other words - a true German.
And yet, he made it there.
Luther the pig? My. .. you seem very emotional about it. Like a cult member who speaking of a member who got deprogrammed.
And if you are angry with Luther for the anti Jewish things he said, then you must really love the Roman church of that era. And also the non biblical inquisition.
Why do you listen to Paul any more than Luther? Neither one ever met Christ. One’s revelation from God seems as valid as the others. And I remember Christ saving a man on the cross who did nothing more than offer his faith in Jesus.
And even if he didn't, using your criteria we might as well throw out the vast majority of Scripture.
“Why do you listen to Paul any more than Luther?...”
Paul knew the apostles.
Paul spoke with Christ personally.
Paul wrote part of the traditional New Testament scriptures.
Paul spoke with deep personal love for the Jews, longing for their conversion, while Marty fed the Nazis with ideas on how to demonize every single one and wipe them from the face of the earth.
Paul kept his vows while Marty forsook his priestly vows and “married” a woman who forsook her solemn vows of perpetual virginity.
Paul encouraged the one church in its unity and traditions, while Marty tempted people into faction after faction rather than leading in true healing.
Just a few differences among many.
One thing Luther did do. He helped many break the chains of the Catholic cult.
So you've never read Acts 9?
This has got to be the most idiotic thing I've ever read...But I'm not done reading yet...
“Why do you listen to Paul any more than Luther? Neither one ever met Christ. One’s revelation from God seems as valid as the others. And I remember Christ saving a man on the cross who did nothing more than offer his faith in Jesus.”
Paul met Christ when he was caught up into the heavenlies.
Luther met Christ after he was received into glory.
Not to interrupt your reverie of myth and legend, but I think even Luther was better catechised than to make such a ridiculous error of confusing indulgences with the instrumentality of salvation.
No. He lied. Had he made it Rome, he would’ve noticed that crossing the Tiber meant LEAVING Babylon for the Vatican.
I think you have it backwards.
“AFTER many a weary league, Luther’s feet stand at last within the gates of Rome.”
Recently some Lutheran leaders quietly met with Vatican officials. Luther might very well be rolling over in his grave soon.
“Let’s burn Jews at the stake”, said Luther never.”
No, he just said this:
“Accordingly, it must and dare not be considered a trifling matter but a most serious one to seek counsel against this and to save our souls from the Jews, that is, from the devil and from eternal death. My advice, as I said earlier, is:
“First, that their synagogues be burned down, and that all who are able toss in sulphur and pitch; it would be good if someone could also throw in some hellfire. That would demonstrate to God our serious resolve and be evidence to all the world that it was in ignorance that we tolerated such houses, in which the Jews have reviled God, our dear Creator and Father, and his Son most shamefully up till now but that we have now given them their due reward.”
Among other things: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/Luther_on_Jews.html
I wonder if Matthew 23 came to mind as Luther toured Rome.
Well, he was Catholic trained and all.
“Well, he was Catholic trained and all.”
Well, he wrote this as a Protestant and all.
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