Martin Luther—Samting Pipol Kasem From Datfala Man
“OLKETA sei masta bilong Martin Luther, Jesus Christ, nomoa hem winim hem long namba bilong history buk wea olketa raetem abaotem hem.” Diswan nao wanem Time magasin talem. Toktok bilong Luther and samting hem duim nao help for startim datfala Reformation—wanfala muvment bilong religion wea bringim “barava bigfala change long history bilong man.” From diswan, hem help for mekem samfala change saed long religion bilong Europe long datfala taem and for endim taem bilong Middle Ages long Europe. Luther startim tu faondeson long hao for raetem German languis. Staka pipol laekem Bible wea hem transleitim winim olketa nara Bible long German languis.
Wanem kaen man nao Martin Luther? Hao nao gogo hem savve mekem olketa bigfala change kamap long Europe?
Luther Kamap Wanfala Savveman
Martin Luther born long Eisleben, Germany, long November 1483. Nomata dadi bilong hem waka for digim copper, hem kasem inaf selen for provaedem gudfala education for Martin. Long 1501, Martin skul long University bilong Erfurt. Hem readim Bible for firstaem long library bilong datfala University. Hem sei: “Mi barava laekem tumas datfala buk and mi hope hao wanday mi bae kasem blessing for garem disfala buk.”
Taem hem 22 year, Luther go long Augustine monastery long Erfurt. Bihaen, hem go long University bilong Wittenberg wea hem kasem degree saed long religion. Luther ting God no fit for hapi long hem so samfala taem diswan mekem hem garem sorre feeling from guilty conscience. Bat thru long wei for studyim Bible, prea, and for ting raonem samting hem readim, diswan helpem hem for minim gud tingting bilong God abaotem olketa sinner. Luther luksavve hao iumi no kasem favor from God thru long hard waka bilong iumiseleva. Bat, iumi kasem diswan bikos long kaeness bilong God wea iumi no fit for kasem wea hem showim long olketa wea showimaot faith long Hem.—Romans 1:16; 3:23, 24, 28.
Hao nao Luther savve hao disfala niu wei wea hem minim samting hem stret? Kurt Aland, professor bilong early church history and New Testament textual research, raet olsem: “Hem ting raonem full Bible for savve sapos disfala niu savve hem join witim olketa nara Bible toktok, and hem faendem hao evriting hem readim agree witim datwan.” Disfala teaching bilong salvation wea kam from faith and no waka bilong man nao wanfala main teaching bilong Luther.
Kros Tumas Long Wei for Givim Selen for Finisim Panis
Wei wea Luther minim tingting bilong God abaotem olketa sinner mekem hem for no agree witim Roman Catholic Church. Long datfala taem planti pipol bilivim hao bihaen olketa sinner dae, olketa kasem panis for wanfala sekson bilong taem. Bat, olketa bilivim hao pope garem paoa for mekem disfala taem kamap short sapos olketa givim selen. Olketa man for kolektem selen for finisim panis olsem Johann Tetzel, wea waka for Archbishop Albert of Mainz, kasem staka selen from pipol. Planti tingim selen for finisim panis olsem wei for kavarem olketa sin wea olketa bae duim long future.
Luther kros tumas abaotem diswan. Hem savve hao olketa man kanduit peim selen long God. Long autumn bilong 1517, hem raetem 95 idea bilong hem, wea accusim church for spoelem pipol saed long selen, teaching, and religion. From hem laekem diswan for change, bat no for againstim church, Luther raetem daon tingting bilong hem and sendem copy go long Archbishop Albert of Mainz and samfala savveman. Planti man for raetem history point go long 1517 or klosap long datfala taem olsem start bilong Reformation.
No Luther seleva nomoa showimaot wei for no hapi long olketa nogud samting wea church duim. Wan handred year bifor, Jan Hus, man from Bohemia wea mekem change long religion tok strong tu againstim selen for finisim panis. Man wea garem tingting olsem firstaem long Hus hem John Wycliffe from England wea talemaot hao samfala kastom bilong Catholic church hem againstim Bible. Erasmus from Rotterdam and Tyndale from England wea stap long sem taem olsem Luther barava encouragem Church for mekem change kamap. Bat gudfala samting kamap taem Johannes Gutenberg from Germany wakem wanfala spesol printing machine. Diswan mekem planti pipol for herem olketa idea bilong Luther and olketa idea hia go kasem olketa ples wea farawe winim ples wea eni man bifor wea laek mekem change hem kasem.
Olketa start iusim printing machine bilong Gutenberg long Mainz long 1455. Long start bilong mek-16 century, olketa printing machine stap long 60 taon long Germany and long nara 12-fala kantri bilong Europe. Hem firstaem nao long history for pipol savve kwiktaem herem information wea olketa need for savve abaotem. Maet Luther no agree, bat olketa printim 95 idea bilong hem and planti pipol readim. Disfala kwestin saed long wei for church change hem start for kamap moa big. Hem kasem evri ples, and kwiktaem nomoa staka pipol long Germany savve abaotem Martin Luther.
“Sun and Moon” Duim Samting
For planti handred year, Europe stap anda long rul bilong tufala organization wea garem bigfala paoa: Holy Roman Empire and Roman Catholic Church. President bifor bilong Lutheran World Federation, Hanns Lilje, explainim olsem: “Emperor and pope stap tugeta olsem sun and moon.” Bat, olketa no barava sure hu nao sun (garem moa paoa) and hu nao moon. Long early part bilong mek-16 century, tufala organization hia start for lusim finis paoa bilong olketa. Wanfala change hem klosap for happen.
Pope Leo X no laekem datfala 95 idea and sei hem bae aotem Luther from church sapos hem no talemaot hao hem rong. Luther nating laek for followim datwan and hem bonem datfala leta bilong pope long pablik and pablisim samfala raeting moa wea encouragem olketa bigman for mekem olketa change long church nomata sapos pope no agree long datwan. Long 1521, Pope Leo X aotem Luther from church. Taem Luther komplen hao olketa judgem hem long wei wea no stret, Holy Roman emperor Charles V orderim Luther for go long wanfala meeting long datfala taon wea olketa kolem Worms. Insaed 15 day wea hem travel from taon bilong Wittenberg go long Worms long April 1521, hem olsem march bilong wanfala man wea win. Pipol evriwea saportim olketa idea bilong hem and laek for lukim hem.
Long Worms, Luther standap front long emperor, olketa prince, and wanfala bigman bilong church. Olketa kotem Jan Hus long sem wei tu long taon bilong Constance long 1415 and bonem hem long post. Olketa bilong church and empire weit nao for herem hem, bat Luther sei only samting wea bae mekem hem talemaot hem rong, hem sapos olketa pruvim from Bible hao olketa idea bilong hem rong. Bat no eniwan savve rememberim olketa Scripture olsem hem. Disfala pepa Edict of Worms nao talemaot wanem olketa duim long Luther. Pepa hia sei Luther brekem law and tambuim olketa raeting bilong hem. From pope aotem hem from church and emperor sei hem man for brekem law, laef bilong hem barava stap long danger nao.
Then wanfala samting happen wea olketa barava no expectim. Taem hem gogo bak long Wittenberg, samfala kasholem and tekem Luther followim plan bilong wanfala kaenfala man Frederick of Saxony. Diswan mekem olketa enemy bilong Luther no savve tekem hem nao. Olketa haedem Luther long Wartburg castle. Taem hem stap long there beard bilong hem grow big, hem kamap wanfala knight, and changem nem for kamap Junker Jörg.
Laekem Tumas September Bible
For next tenfala month, Luther stap long Wartburg castle olsem wanfala man wea haed from emperor and pope. Datfala buk Welterbe Wartburg talem hao “taem wea hem stap long Wartburg nao hem duim moa samting winim eni nara taem long laef bilong hem.” Wanfala nambawan samting wea hem duim nao, hem finis for transleitim, long German languis, Greek Scriptures wea from text bilong Erasmus. Olketa kolem diswan September Bible from olketa pablisim long September 1522 bat olketa no sei Luther nao transleitim. Kost bilong hem 1 1/2 guilders—wea semsem witim total bilong evri pei wea wanfala haos girl kasem insaed wan year. Nomata olsem, staka pipol laekem tumas for kasem datfala September Bible. Insaed 12-fala month nomoa olketa printim 6,000 copy long 2-fala edition, and insaed next 12-fala year olketa printim 69 edition.
Long 1525, Martin Luther maritim Katharina von Bora, wea bifor hem wanfala nun. Katharina savve hao for kea for wanfala haos and famili and hao for deal witim wei wea hasband bilong hem kaen tumas. Long haos bilong Luther, hem no garem waef and sixfala pikinini nomoa, bat olketa fren, olketa savveman and olketa refugee. Taem hem olo, pipol barava tinghae long Luther olsem man for givim kaonsel, dastawe olketa savveman wea visitim hem long haos bilong hem evritaem garem pepa and pen for raetem samfala important samting wea hem talem. Olketa putim tugeta olketa note hia long wanfala buk wea garem title Luthers Tischreden (Luther’s Table Talk). For lelebet taem, Bible nomoa winim disfala buk saed long namba wea olketa printim long German languis.
Transleita wea Savve Tumas and Raetem Planti Samting
Long 1534, Luther finis for transleitim olketa Hebrew Scripture. Hem savve raet long wei wea showimaot stael, rhythm, and iusim olketa word, long wei wea balance. From diswan hem transleitim wanfala Bible wea pipol savve minim gud. Taem hem storyim wei wea hem duim transleison Luther raet olsem: “Iumi shud story witim mami wea stap long haos, olketa pikinini long street, and man long market ples, and lisin gud long hao olketa story and then transleit followim datwan.” Bible bilong Luther help for mekem wanfala standard for languis long Germany wea gogo evriwan acceptim.
Savve bilong Luther olsem wanfala transleita hem join witim wei wea hem garem savve for raet. Evri tufala week insaed laef bilong hem olketa sei hem raet abaotem wanfala subject. Samfala raeting hia, olsem man wea raetem, savve mekem raoa kamap. Nomata taem hem olo, raeting bilong hem savve tok strong and no hol bak. Olketa raeting bilong hem go ahed for tok moa strong. Olsem Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche talem, olketa raeting bilong Luther showimaot hao “kros bilong hem savve ova tumas” and hem “no hambol or garem love,” and tu hem garem “strongfala tingting for duim wanem hem duim.”
Taem Peasants War start and planti pipol dae long datfala ples, olketa askem tingting bilong Luther abaotem datfala war. Waswe, olketa poor farmer hia garem reason for komplen againstim olketa long gavman? Luther no trae for kasem saport bilong pipol long wei for givim ansa wea planti pipol bae hapi long hem. Hem bilivim hao olketa servant bilong God shud obeyim olketa wea garem paoa. (Romans 13:1) Taem hem tok aot abaotem diswan, Luther sei gavman shud strong for stopem olketa farmer hia. Hem sei “Letem man wea savve duim for busarem, hitim, and killim dae.” Hanns Lilje sei diswan kosim “wei for pipol no tinghae long hem.” And tu, olketa raeting bilong Luther wea story abaotem olketa Jew wea no willing for change go long Christian Wei, especially datfala raeting On the Jews and Their Lies, mekem planti pipol for sei hem againstim olketa Jew.
Wei wea Luther Affectim Samting wea Kamap Bihaen
Datfala Reformation, wea olketa man olsem Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli bihaenem, lead go long niu wei bilong religion wea olketa kolem Protestant. Main samting wea Protestant religion kasem from Luther hem disfala teaching bilong salvation thru long faith. Long olketa difren ples long Germany, olketa prince saportim Protestant or Catholic religion. Protestant religion hem spread and garem saport long olketa kantri olsem Scandinavia, Switzerland, England, and Netherlands. Distaem hem garem planti handred million member.
Planti tinghae long Luther nomata olketa no agree long olketa biliv bilong hem. Long 1983, datfala German Democratic Republic bifor, wea Eisleben, Erfurt, Wittenberg, and Wartburg insaed border bilong hem, celebratem mek-500 anniversary bilong taem wea hem born. Disfala Socialist State luksavve long Luther olsem wanfala nambawan man long history bilong Germany. And tu, wanfala Catholic savveman bilong religion long olketa year bilong 1980 story abaotem hao Luther affectim pipol and hem sei: “No eniwan wea kam bihaen Luther bae semsem witim hem.” Professor Aland raet olsem: “Evri year olketa pablisim, insaed olketa main languis bilong world, samting olsem 500 niu buk abaotem Martin Luther and datfala Reformation.”
Martin Luther garem bigfala savve, gudfala memory, savve long staka word, and man for waka hard. Bat tu, hem no savve patient and hem garem wei for tok daonem samting, and hem strong for againstim hypocrite fasin. Taem hem klosap for dae long Eisleben long February 1546, olketa fren askem hem sapos hem go ahed strong for keepim biliv bilong hem wea hem teachim nara pipol. Hem ansa “Yes.” Luther dae finis bat planti still hol strong long olketa biliv hia.
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Luther againstim wei for givim selen for finisim panis
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Mit freundlicher Genehmigung: Wartburg-Stiftung
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Luther sei only samting wea bae mekem hem talemaot hem rong, hem sapos olketa pruvim from Bible hao olketa idea bilong hem rong
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From the book The Story of Liberty, 1878
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Rum bilong Luther long Wartburg Castle wea hem transleitim Bible
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Both images: Mit freundlicher Genehmigung: Wartburg-Stiftung
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From the book Martin Luther The Reformer, 3rd Edition, published by Toronto Willard Tract Depository, Toronto, Ontario
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From the book The History of Protestantism (Vol. I)