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= = =On Poenitentiam (On Repentance) = = = by David Arnold Religion 390 10 July 2010 = = = What is true repentance anyway? Does it involve the heart or does it have everything to do with the works of the individual? The 15th century the doctrine of Roman Catholic Church was one that developed from the teaching of St. Augustine. One of which was divine grace. However, the Church began a practice of selling indulgences that would pay toward the forgiveness of sin. Martin Luther, who was ordained as a catholic priest of this time had a problem with the doctrine of the church verses the practice. In this paper I will briefly discuss who Martin Luther was, the difference between divine grace and indulgences and few things that Luther saw wrong with the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. = = = = =


 * Who was Martin Luther?**

Martin Luther was born into a world dominated by the Catholic Church. There was no other entity that had more wealth nor was there one that had more power politically or religiously. The Church was the world's Super Power. However, that had not always been the case. It was not until the beginning of the fourth century when Christianity began to help shift the world's religious balance. However, during Luther's life, t here was only one Church in Europe and that was the Roman Catholic Church. What the Church said was the law because there was no separation of Church and State.

It was Luther's opinion that the Church was practicing things that were going against the teachings of St. Augustine, one of the fathers of the Christinan religion. One thing in particular was the practice of selling indulgences for the forgiveness of sins. An indulgence was ** " ** The action of indulging (a person), or the fact of being indulgent; gratification of another's desire or humour; favouring forbearance or relaxation of restraint. Sometimes dyslogistic: Fond humouring, over-lenient treatment." (Oxford English Dictionary SECOND EDITION 1989).

The Church preached that there was no salvation except though, the Church. " In the mist of a thunderstorm during the summer of 1505, a terrified university student, Martin Luther (1483-1546), invoked the spiritual protection of the grandmother of Christ. "St. Anne help me!" he cried..." (Chidester, 2000). He promised to join a monastery, survived and become a monk. “But after entering the monastery, Luther becomes increasingly doubtful that the Church can actually offer him salvation at all. His views crystallize even further with a trip to Rome, where he finds that the capital of Catholicism is swamped in corruption.” ( Nichols, Peter. 1981). Luther finds the answer in the pages of bible. Salvation is not in the church but in his personal belief. This was the supposed belief of the Church. However, this was no longer the practice of the church that he dedicated so much of his life to learn about. He was not pleased and knew something needed to be done.

media type="custom" key="7152415" align="right" One of the things he did was post his famous 95 Theses on the c hurch door at Wittenberg, accusing the Roman Catholic church of heresy upon heresy. He had a problem with many of the teachings of the papasy. “Luther believed that the church had been both Christian and catholic before the papacy; therefore it could be both Christian and catholic without the papacy.” Luther believed that "the teachings of the church fathers are an indispensable part of Roman Catholic theology..." so in the mind of Luther and others, to stray away from the scriptures, to sell indulgences so that the church could make illegitimate financial gains, was heresy. The theology of the church was one of individual repentance but the practice of the church was one of measurement of works. Another practice of the church was of the teachings of purgatory. This was yet another way the Church would bring in additional income as they would have to pray those out of purgatory who may not have done enough works while they were living. The theology of the church was that of sufficient grace. Yet their practices reflected one based on works. The ancesters of the church and their teachings were paramount in the Christian schools. "Ancestral religion, therefore, was a way of life that could be valued more than life itself. Like the Maccabees, Judas and Matthias even asserted that adherence to the ancestral in the face of execution promised a transcendence of death in which they would enjoy greater felicity or experience an "everlasting renewal of life". "As a leader in the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther insisted that Christianity had to be based solely on the authority of the Bible." (Chidester, 2000) . These teachings were important to Luther and he wanted to address some of the problems he saw in the Church as a whole. Hence, Luther's first four of his 95 Theses addressed the difference between divine grace and indulgences. He posted these, as was tradition, on the church door on Halloween 1517.

** 95 Theses 1 - 4 ** ** Divine Grace ** ** verses Indulgences **

"The first four theses are directed against the scholastic view of sacramental penitence, which emphasized isolated, outward acts; while Luther put the stress on the // inward // change which should extend // through life //. As long as there is sin, so long is there need of repentance. St. Augustine and St. Bernard spent their last days in deep repentance and meditatation over the penitential Psalms. Luther retained the Vulgate rendering. The Theses vacillate between the Romish and the Evangelical view of repentance." Schaff, Philip. (2004).

"1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance."

He starts out by acknowledging the Jesus Christ is the master of all who profess to follow Him. So Christ taught "Poenitentiam agite" which is a Latin term when translated into English mean "Do Penance" or "Repent" it should be something that the individual is capable of doing. This is something that Luther believes has everything to do with the the heart of the person not the outside show. He believes that there must be a true turning away from a person's sins.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.

Here he is concern about the translation of the word and how the Church has changed its meaning to fit the financial greed of the organization as a whole. It was the teaching of the church that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and no other sacrifice was needed for the reemission or forgiveness of sin. There was no need for the priest to administer confessions nor did the individual have to satisfy the priest by purchasing indulgences.

3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.

The explanation is simple. When there is inward repentance there is proof of that though a changed life of the individual. When a person turns away from a sin the idea is to try to never do it again. Now, that the Church is under the dispensation of grace, it is still not be taken for granted. In Romans the sixth chapter verse one says, "What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" Of course the answer is, no. God forbids this therefore, it is an individual's decision to do the right thing.

4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

The penalty of sin that Luther is speaking of, according to the theology of the Church is death. He argues the penalty will not disappear just because some one pays indulgence. The penalty will remain in place as long as the person never truly repents form the heart. Therefore, the practices of the Church are endangering the souls of its own members.

** Conclusion: **

It seemed that the riches of the Church caused so much arrogance and corruption in the leadership of the church that the ordinary Christian did not know who to believe. Martin Luther did not intend to call for an attack on the church he simply had questions about indulgences. It seems to him that the Church was way off track with those practices. Indulgences did not seem to add up to the simple teachings of Jesus Christ. In addition, the 95 Theses were not mean to be an attack against the Pope either. However, Luther’s 95 Theses was instrumental in the European reformation. This reformation changed the way the world looked at the both the religious and political character of the western church forever. Luther was exiled from the Church because his concerns were for the individual person. He was also concerned about how far off the track the Catholic Church was getting from the teachings of the fathers of the church. His intention was to save the Catholic Church. However, he was too catholic for the papacy so he met with serious opposition and eventually broke away form the church altogether. In Luther's understanding of the scriptures true repentance could only be done in the heart of the individual not through indulgences.

_ =**__ Sources ____ : __**=

1.P elikan, Jaroslavs. (1959). //The riddle of roman catholicism//. Nashville, TN: Abington Press.

2. Nichols, Peter. (1981). //The pope's divisions the roman catholic church today//. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

3. Chidester, David. (2000). //Christianity a global history//. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

4. Schaff, Philip. (2004). //Modern christianity the german reformation volume vii//. New York:

5. Oxford University Press 2009

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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;">7. **95 Theses Picture from** **[|http://peculiarpilgrim.wordpress.com]**

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__**Article Analysis 1 **__

__ **<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;">P elikan, Jaroslavs. (1959). //The riddle of roman catholicism//. Nashville, TN: Abington Press. ** __

The Prestige of the Roman name || The roll of the Roman Bishop The Primacy of the Roman Patriarch ||
 * //Focus://** __The Roman Catholic Church and its influences on everyday living not only in the church but in secular matters as well. The Church and the State were not separate in fact the Church controlled the law, education health and many other aspects of life.__
 * || ** The Evolution of Roman Catholicism ** || ** The theological Approach to Roman Catholicism ** ||
 * ** How Christianity became Catholic ** || The Missionary Enterprise, Church Organization || A Modus Vivendi with the State ||
 * ** How Catholicism Became Roman ** || Primacy ion the early church
 * ** Necessary Reformations ** || Confessors were put in place for people to confess the seven deadly sins. - The Reformers did not agree || The Roman Catholic Reaction. Christendom was now divided because the reformers were too catholic for the catholic church. ||
 * //Implications://** __“…More than natural knowledge is reguired for man to become aware of the full devine law.” (Pelikan Page 99).__

An internal reformation of the teachings of the Church was already afoot but it was the belief of the reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin that shed light on the subject. This cause a great deal of turmoil in the church because there was an abrupt interruption in the authority and the cash flow of the church.

**Article Analysis 2 **
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;">Chidester, David. (2000). //Christianity a global history//. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. **

__**//Focus://**__ Christianity's growth and development from the time of Jesus to the dawn of the third millennium, revealing its rich diversity though the deeds and beliefs of heretics and saints. The book also talks abut witches and healers and compares preachers and inquisitors of the time.

__**//Implications://**__ “…Poised between heaven and hell, Christians wait for the appearance of the apocalyptic city, the New Jerusalem." (Chidester Page 159). Christianity has many facets and continues to be the most influential forces in history. The author shows this religion with its roots deep in the ancient world. He also shows how this religion has always been in a constant state of evolution.
 * || **Ancient Origins of the Church** || **The Historical Traditions** ||
 * **The Beginnings of Christianity** || Where Christianity began in the first-century Roman provinces of Galilee || A Modus Vivendi with the State ||
 * **How Catholicism Became Roman** || The place where Jesus was born and its importance because of the prophecy that preceded his coming || The Teachings of Jesus and How they transformed the Church ||
 * **Necessary Reformations** || The authority, and the city of Jerusalem represented Christendom because it was the center of Christianity. || The transformation of the church from God centered to Church centered. ||