Europe in the Age of the Reformation

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Martin Luther

Development of Luther's Theology

Rivalry between orders was one thing, and it soon became clear that Martin Luther was another matter all together. As his arguments were attacked by the Dominicans, Luther defended himself in a flurry of pamphlets. Over the next few years (1517- 1520) we can see him elaborating his ideas and growing increasingly radical in them.

By 1520 he was arguing that the pope held no special powers whatsoever, and that the entire doctrine of apostolic succession was false. He claimed that only a Council could decide matters of faith, and that the Church consisted of all Christians, including laymen. This, in turn, led him to the position that the nobility of Europe were as much leaders of the church as clergymen. He said the Emperor had an obligation to call a General Council. He was even attacking the system of the seven sacraments (baptism, confirmation, matrimony, eucharist, ordination, penance, extreme unction); he would eventually argue that there were only two true sacraments (baptism and marriage).

But it was his attack on papal authority that finally drew official attention to Luther. The things he was saying would render virtually the entire structure of the Church meaningless, and this monk was not being at all circumspect. He proclaimed his ideas from the pulpit and in pamphlets that the printing press made available far and wide.