Faith In The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is often referred to as the Age of Faith and it is correct to do so, as during this period religion dominated all aspects of life from architecture, literature, art and music. The dominant religion during this period was Christianity. The middle ages saw "the emergence … of Christian literary forms… a popular religious culture centred around processions, icons, and relics" (George Holmes 42).

Martin Luther's "The Freedom of a Christian" discusses an in-depth look into the Christian faith, God's work in each individual. Refusing to believe in the established doctrine, Luther wrote this reforming treatise in response to Pope Leo's criticisms and to further explain the theological and ideological core of his thinking. Nevertheless, Luther centered his ideas around the concept that the joys and freedoms of a Christian were that in faith; humans, as sinners, should not look at ourselves, but instead at God's goodness. He goes on to elaborate that through the justification by faith, humans grasp the meaning of a whole Christian life. Throughout "The Freedom of a Christian", Luther expands on the threefold power of faith: faith frees

The Catholic Church’s Influence on the Middle Ages Despite some bad doings, the Roman Catholic Church was a positive influence on the Middle Ages because they brought the community together, supported and helped advance education, and provided food and charity for the people. They brought about good things during their time of great power and majorly affected how the time from 493 A.D. to 1417 A.D. in Europe went. To begin with, the Roman Catholic Church played a big role in uniting the people and bringing the community together.

This is because of Bainton’s passionate account of Luther’s life, character, and theology, which makes the book a delight to read for any audience. It can be enjoyed by both scholars and non-scholars due to its strong historical base and ease with which it can be read. The purpose of the book is both to provide another historical perspective on Martin Luther and increase interest in Luther and the basis of the Reformation, which transformed the Church, Europe, and the

Religion was understood as the upmost critical part of a person’s life during the European Middle Ages. Christians believed the only way to Heaven was through good works. To gain penance for their sins, Christians would travel on pilgrimages to complete a journey to a holy site. When popes began to abuse papal authority during this time, Christians could pay indulgences to be forgiven of their committed sins. Papal authority had been corrupted by practices which were not Biblical through proposing that Christians could be saved by payment, and not by accepting God’s grace. Because of these actions, attention was drawn to the foundations of the doctrine of the Church. The Church was in need of fixing. Two reformers, Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther, spoke out to do this. Both Erasmus and Luther desired to reform the church because they had similar viewpoints on the abusive power. The way that the two decided to go about reformation was different. Erasmus was poor, humanist, and reserved, whereas Luther was not poor, a theologian, and bold. Although Erasmus and Luther shared a common goal for Christians to live by the scripture, similarities and differences were present in their approach to church reform due to their past experiences, education received, and amount of audacity.

Utter disgust fills Luther because he truly understood how unscrupulous and deceitful these indulgences are. According to Luther, people should have to use their faith instead of paying for a

According to Luther, humans may solely get salvation by faith. According to the textbook, Luther declared, “it is faith alone, not good works, that justices, frees, and brings salvation through Jesus (P.373).” Luther doesn’t suppose that good works can save or free a Christian whether or not he/she performs good work out of gratitude to God. For Luther, good man does good work, however good work do not make a good man. Luther view of salvation is extremely different from the one that schooled by the Catholic Church. At that point, the Catholic Church was selling indulgences, and they made individuals believed that if they buy these indulgences, they would obtain salvation. Their sins would be forgiving, and it allowed them to escape from

Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career by James M. Kittelson is a biography of the famous German monk turned theologian and reformer, Martin Luther. This is one of the most influential men in history, and as a matter of fact, “In most big libraries, books by and about Martin Luther occupy more shelf room than those concerned with any other human being except Jesus of Nazareth” (Kittelson 9). This fame of Luther’s isn’t only postmortem, “This extraordinary interest in an extraordinary man reaches back almost half a millennium. Even in his own time Luther was a ‘media personality’ the first of such in three thousand years of human history” (Kittelson 9). Luther was a subject of great controversy in his own time, as well as in our, and it has only driven his name and message into the spotlight. No matter or what one aligns himself with, “People still find themselves taking sides on the question of Luther” (Kittelson 9). It is for this reason that James M. Kittelson wrote this survey. He tells us that “The primary purpose of this book is to tell the story of Martin Luther to readers who are not specialists in the field of Luther studies” (Kittelson 10). This book is a general overview of all aspects of Luther, not just a precise dissection of one aspect, which allows for “as faithful a picture as possible of the whole man” (Kittelson 11).

Martin Luther emphasizes that human will is subservient to faith “if God’s grace is wanting, if its taken away from that small power, what can it do? It is ineffective….Hence it follows that free will without God’s grace is not free at all, but is the permanent prisoner and bond slave of evil, since it cannot turn itself to good.”(Luther, 187) Man’s free will does not exist on its own with the approval and decision by God. Man is only free by God’s will, but of course when man seeks free will without the grace of God, he is considered an evil man. To Luther, the Godly man is good to his society and himself, while “the ungodly man, like Satan nor seek God, nor care for the things of God: he seeks his own riches, and glory, and works.., and power, and sovereignty” (Luther, 192) to employ it for his own peace and will not allow anyone to take away from what he gained. Luther goes into distinguishing human civil laws from the gospel. At the same time, the former restrains the evil behavior of humans, but of course it does not make them righteous. Individuals withdraw from sin, “not willing or for the love of virtue, but ..fear the prison, the sword, and the hangman (Luther, 139) while

This fundamental difference from the Catholic dogma that one could buy salvation to Luther’s new ideas as way to Heaven began to transform many people’s beliefs. Supporters of Luther adopted the concept of faith and knowledge of God as a way to repent their sins, and eventually, it reshaped the Christian culture. As Luther personally struggled to be a “perfect” monk, he discovered that faith in the gospel was the only way to be “made righteous by God”(roper 78). In response to his distress for his laity’s desire to buy indulgences, Luther wrote the “95 Theses on the Power of Indulgences.” He knew he was attacking the pope and the values of the church, but records show that he felt “...not fully in control of his actions, but handed over responsibility to a higher power”(84 roper). Cleary, Luther felt a spiritual connection with God and indulgences were in direct opposition to faith. His revolutionary claims in the “95 Theses on the Power of Indulgences” caused a conflict that would eventually be known as the Protestant Reformation.

The Middle Ages can be best described as the Age of Feudalism and the Age of Faith because they both played major roles during this time period.

''Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works, evil works do not make a wicked man, but a wicked man does evil works''.(On Christian Libery 39). Explanation is that in order to do good works, man first must be good to his own existence, because in order to do good work, man first must do good works to his own soul. However, Luther believed that it doesn't mean that if people dont't have to do a good works in order to be saved, they can live however they please. Freedom of living comes through faith. Luther tryed to say that freedom comes from insade, not from our body or the outside world, as non good work can make man free. ''

The Middle Ages is the time between the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of the Renaissance. As the government of Rome disappeared with the fall of the Roman Empire, people were living dangerous, hopeless lives. Religion became an important influence in the Middle Ages not just in Rome, but for other countries in Medieval Europe who sought comfort in this religion. One of the most influential and rising religion during the Middle Ages was Christianity. The Rise and Spread of Christianity in the Middle Ages can be characterized by the fall of the Roman Empire, efforts by Pope Gregory the Great, and activities of the church.

Religion experienced a lot of progress and transformation throughout the Middle Ages. Christianity held consistent popularity and other religions such as Islam were on the rise in participation. After the fall of Rome, there was no unified state or government in Europe and the Catholic Church used that opportunity to become a large powerhouse. The Roman Empire had effectively split into three different worlds: Muslim, Byzantine, and western European. Various Kings, Queens, and other leaders looked to the Catholic church for power and protection in exchange for alliances. Meanwhile, the Islamic religion was growing in wealth, power, and people. With the prophet Muhammad’s death in 632, Muslim groups took under large parts of land and united them under a single caliph. The Byzantines were still operating from Constantinople, just under a smaller rule and rural life assumed greater importance in the backbone of their society. Religion was largely involved in the Middle Ages’ art and architecture. Massive Cathedrals were built and even books were a work of art before the invention of the printing press. In addition, their economy was directly affected by religious activity such as missions and conquests. Overall, the general trends marking the progress religion in the Middle Ages are inclusion of everyone, a building of a community, and the opportunity of becoming equals with other practitioners.

We can get salvation and redemption for our sins by believing on the power of God. Trust in God’s existence has to be build; it does not just come by hearing it from others. Luther believed that we can seek forgiveness and be absolved after confessing in front of priest. We cannot judge God’s giving and it is clear that humans cannot be saved unless the grace of God works in them. God's grace is a necessary condition for our