Martin_Luther_vs._Henry_Viii

Martin Luther vs. Henry VIII Martin Luther and England’s King Henry VIII lived at the same time, yet lived very different lives and had very different goals. In many ways, their lives show some interesting parallels and had everything to do with their motives in changing the church. Luther’s motivation appears to be the need for acceptance by God and his urge to see things made right. Henry’s motives seem to be driven by his very real need for an heir. Luther didn’t want a fight with the church; he was in a battle for the church. His original approach was one of academia; he didn’t start out wanting to be a revolutionary. It is reasonable to assume that Luther didn't want to overthrow the Church, but to introduce reasoned debate or reformation of the Roman Catholic Church when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the University of Wittenberg in 1517. Meanwhile, Henry had married his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. Catherine, bearing only one surviving child Mary, was no longer able to conceive. At that time, Henry fell in love with Anne Boleyn, the sister of one of his mistresses. Henry didn’t need just any child, he needed a son and so he didn’t count Mary, his only daughter by Catherine, as a child. With this mindset, he petitioned the pope for an annulment. By contrast, things of this earth did not concern Luther as much as things eternal did. He had entered the monastery searching for peace, but didn’t find it. Fear of a righteous and holy God, impossible to please, led him to works: fasts, constant confessions, prayers and pilgrimages. The more he tried to please God with his works, the more impossible it seemed. In 1508, Luther began teaching at the University of Wittenberg and in 1512 he achieved a Doctorate of Theology. Luther's new duties served to drive him deeper into Scripture. Before long, Luther became convinced that the Roman Catholic Church had fallen away from several key truths of the Bible and had perverted others. Johann Tetzel at the time toured Germany selling indulgences. Luther could foresee the effect this abuse could have on his congregation – dependence on the purchase of forgiveness, rather than sincere confession and good works – and it was the last straw. He preached three sermons condemning indulgences and on October 31, 1517 he nailed his famous Ninety-five Theses to the Wittenberg door. In a nutshell, the Roman Catholic Church had problems, and Luther wanted to see them fixed. Henry, on the other hand, had problems and he wanted to see the church fix them. These two men had very different motives, yet each of them started a movement that would change the church forever. Henry, torn between a kingdom with no heir and a pregnant woman he loved, ousted the pope’s man, Cardinal Wolsey and appointed laymen to important church offices. Henry's marriage to Catherine was officially voided by these people and his marriage to Anne declared valid. In 1934, the “Act of Supremacy” was passed, making the king of England the “supreme head of the Church of England”. With this act, the king, in order to solve his personal problem, had parliament make him the functional pope of a new church, the “Church of England”. The Church of England closely mirrored the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, except that this would be a church sponsored and ruled by the state. There would be no pope and king keeping each other balanced. Martin Luther, on the other hand, had no desire to leave the Roman Catholic Church. His deepest desire was to see the church return to the early teachings and to leave behind the abuses that had developed. While the Ninety-Five Theses directly questioned papal authority, they were put forward as debate topics, not as open rebellion. From 1517 until he was excommunicated in 1522, Luther defended himself and his beliefs within the Roman Catholic Church, before Roman Catholic authorities. Again and again he said that he would recant (say that he was wrong) if only the church could show him in the Bible where the Roman doctrines were right. In 1521, Luther was summoned to appear before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V (nephew of King Henry VIII) at the Diet of Worms. Charles was a devout Roman Catholic, yet recognized that he own kingdom would be stronger if the pope was weakened. He vehemently opposed Luther’s views, and issued the “Edict of Worms”, stating that Luther was a heretic and an outlaw, yet promised, "The word which I pledged him and the promised safe-conduct he will receive. Be assured, he will return unmolested whence he came." However, it was understood that once, home, he was fair game. In route, Luther was “kidnapped” by friends and went into hiding for nearly a year. During this period Luther wrote a series of pamphlets attacking Roman Catholic doctrine and began to translate the Bible into the vernacular, German. Luther later died on February 8, 1546 knowing that, although the Roman Catholic Church had not changed, many people had followed him out of that church to follow what he believed was the right path. Henry died without a male heir on January 28, 1547 knowing that he had left what he believed was the right path in order to pursue his own earthly goals. Henry VIII and Martin Luther lived at the same time, but had very different challenges and they handled those challenges in very different ways. Both men were driven from the Roman Catholic Church - Henry for earthly reasons, Luther for eternal reasons. Both men laid the foundation for entirely new denominations - Henry did so willingly, because the church refused to solve his problem, Luther did so reluctantly, because the church refused to solve its own problem. The denominations of these two men – the Church of England and the Lutheran Church both survive today. The Church of England remains largely as it was then, and the Lutheran Church largely holds to Luther’s teachings, although variations in doctrine have splintered the denomination. In the end, Henry’s goal for the Roman Catholic Church (to divide it) succeeded, but his goal for his personal life (an heir) did not. Conversely, Luther’s goal for the Roman Catholic Church (reform from the abuses) failed, but his personal goal (to see the common people released from the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church) did succeed. Both men worked toward a goal, neither one achieved it. In the end, the actions of both men worked to break the stranglehold the Roman Catholic Church had on Europe, bringing about a greater freedom of religion that Europe had not seen in many, many years.