Luther Man Between God And The Devil Essay - 1439 Words

Heiko Oberman’s book, Luther: Man between God and the Devil, explores Martin Luther’s life, theology and legacy. Oberman does not simply focus on Luther’s actions and behaviors as a Reformer, nor does he evaluate Luther from a purely Protestant or Catholic point of view. Instead, the book examines Luther’s continual battle with the Devil. In order to truly understand Luther, it is important â€Å"to grasp the man in his totality-with head and heart† (Oberman, 1989, xix). Luther is not merely a monk, professor, heretic or a reformer, but he was a man who s spiritual struggle with the Devil deeply affected his life, as well as the Church. Oberman argues the Devil’s attacks on Luther affected his health, as well as his theology. For example, while attending the Diet of Worms, Luther describes the Devil’s attack on his body and mind. Luther said he had to â€Å"†¦defend himself against the concentrated power of the Devil. He felt he was being subjected to a[n]†¦ attack. First, the Devil had assaulted his body, wanting to weaken him through illness. Even more dangerous was the assault on Luther’s soul: he was plagued by despondency and haunted by fear† (Oberman, 1989, p. 198). Furthermore, while in hiding at Wartburg Castle after being excommunicated, Luther wrote, â€Å"†¦how fatal the effect of sustained solitude was to one’s spiritual life. The Devil likes to have the Christian alone, for then he can heap him with worries and depression; I know Satan well, â€Å"know the tricks he likes to playShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Luther Man Between God And The Devil Essay2308 Words   |  10 PagesLuther Man between God and the Devil is wonderfully written book that was authored by Heiko A. Oberman. The author of the book focuses on Luther’s life history with the overall purpose of discovering the under explored aspects of his life lessons. Oberman hoped to link Martin’s life with eternity and not a continuous progress towards heaven inspired by the chaos in the last days of eternity (Oberman, 1989, 12). Heiko is conscious of the monumental time difference between Martin Luther’s death andRead MoreMartin Luther and His Hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God1112 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.† Here is the classic English translation of the first two lines of Martin Luthers famous hymn â€Å"A Mighty Fortress is Our God.â€Å" Indeed, it is famous among Christians who unashamedly identify themselves with the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, which until today continually inspires them to appreciate their roots in the ancient paths (Jeremiah 6:16) of biblical Christianity overRead MoreThe Decline Of The Church1446 Words   |  6 Pagesreform. The most vocal person on this issue was Martin Luther. He attempted to convince t he church to reorganize. When they did not, he began the Protestant Reformation. The conflict that occurred between the religions took a toll on the public who were already destitute due to economic recessions and population decline. As society tried to make sense of all the turmoil, they shifted the responsibility of it from the church onto the devil. The rise in the active hunting and persecution of witchesRead MoreOzment And The Lutheran Reformation Essay1403 Words   |  6 PagesReformation By: Hanan M. Madbouly Long before Martin Luther was one of Germany’s most famous reformers, Lucas Cranach a painter from Franconia served sixteen years as a court painter in Wittenberg. Wittenberg turned out to be the center for the Renaissance; this small town would be where the Renaissance would emerge. As Luther references it, it became the birthplace of religious pluralism and independent beliefs for freedom that we tend toRead MoreMartin Luther : Cuts All Ties With Catholic Church1712 Words   |  7 PagesKristopher Hall Mr. Mauldin Honors World Literature 10 10 December 2015 Martin Luther: Cuts All Ties with Catholic Church I. Introduction Whether you believe in a higher power or not, religion has impacted our lives in some way. Vice versa, people can make an impact on religions and transform them to what we know today. Take for example Martin Luther. He was a man looking to simply reform the Roman Catholic Church and its preaching’s because he disagreed with it. With his many ideas, strongRead MoreExplroing the Social Groups to Which Reformation Appealed in Sixteenth-Century Germany1451 Words   |  6 Pagesof which social groups the reformation appealed to can be answered by addressing which sectors of society supported Martin Luther, â€Å"The Father of Protestantism.† The aspects which need to be considered are how Catholicism influenced the daily lives of towns and cities and what difference the introduction of a new religion produced, how Martin Luther managed to openly speak out against the Vatican during a period when hundreds of others were killed as martyrs, and whetherRead MoreThe Catholic Church Essay1599 Words   |  7 PagesIn the beginning, the Catholic Church was all about interpreting the word of God. As a whole, none of the people that will be discussed set out to start another religion or movement. They had their own way of interpreting scripture, which sometimes went against the heads of the Catholic Church at the time. Each person would present a case for why their philosophy was correct and the others are wrong, but man has a history of fighting blind under emotions of themselves. Without really knowingRead MorePilgrim s Progress By John Bunyan1528 Words   |  7 Pagestotal depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of saints. Total depravity states that all mean are inherently sinners, unconditional election entails that certain people were predestined to receive God s grace no matter what beforehand, limited atonement means that Jesus only bore the sins of the elect, irresistible grace means that the elect cannot resist salvation, and perseverance of the saints implies that those that are elect cannot lose salvationRead MoreErasmus : A Pioneer For The Reformation1112 Words   |  5 PagesBased on the evidence of Erasmus and More, one can conclude that Martin Luther was not a pioneer for the Reformation. Some of the key differences about Erasmus and More’s calls for reformation compared to Luther’s reformation are to wake the church up, church go back to morality and Virtue. Erasmus wrote to awaken the church from only going through the motions. He says that the monks and Papacy at the time were conducting church services and practices as if they were conducting a mathematicalRead MoreChristianity, Islam, And Buddhism1508 Words   |  7 Pagesscholar in the prime of the renaissance era, mocks the Catholic Church and all its corruption. In the opening lines, Erasmus discusses how Catholic followers are fools, who believe in corruption such as worshiping various spirits, believe in the devil, and lie. These actions are acceptable to the Catholic followers because the instant they pray, they will be forgiven. Erasmus reveals that these â€Å"fools† of believers thought that if they prayed to a specific saint, the wrongdoings will be forgiven