The Church, in its various denominations, holds sacraments, according to Orthodox liturgy: "Sacred acts established by the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit, granting believers the grace of the Spirit with tangible signs to sanctify them and make them true children of God through unique worship." Orthodox and Catholic Churches recognize seven of these sacraments: Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist (Holy Communion), Repentance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Protestant Churches also acknowledge some, like Baptism and Holy Communion, but interpret and practice them differently, not considering them channels of God's grace but rather symbolic memorials of salvation history.
When considering disputes over these sacraments, one might not immediately think of "the sacrament of repentance," as repentance doesn't seem controversial or divisive in general. It's a deep-rooted concept in all divine messages, a grace and gift from God to humanity, allowing them to reflect on their sins, repent, and seek forgiveness, with God forgiving the repentant and even rejoicing in their return. However, disagreements over the "how" of repentance and forgiveness led to a major schism in the Church and the emergence of Protestantism, which, although stemming from Catholicism, competed with it for centuries, even engaging in bloody wars that claimed millions of lives in Europe.
The Establishment of the Sacrament of Repentance:
It's widely acknowledged that Jesus didn't leave written instructions on Christian religious practice, attributed to various reasons, perhaps simplest of which is that he lived and taught in a time when writing wasn't a common means of disseminating teachings. Even his life story wasn't recorded in the Four Gospels until the latter half of the first century AD. His disciples initially transmitted his teachings orally, and early Christians relied on the teachings of the disciples and subsequently the Church Fathers to understand Christianity, which made human errors possible, leading to different interpretations of the religion and the emergence of multiple denominations. This happened notably with Martin Luther and Catholic tradition.
According to Christian tradition, Jesus established the sacrament of repentance after his resurrection, appearing to his disciples and saying to them: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 21:20-23). From this, the early apostolic fathers emphasized repentance and humility, urging followers of the new faith to confess their sins, seek forgiveness for all wrongdoings and transgressions, and urging priests in emerging Christian communities to accept repentant sinners.
Therefore, the Church believes that Christ gave his apostles, and their successors, the authority, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to absolve and bind sins. The Church has never hesitated to exercise this authority.
Initially, there was no law regulating the sacrament of repentance; it was a personal and private spiritual practice. The sacrament was not "organized" until accumulations over centuries, becoming evident with the dominance of scholastic thought in the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. Scholasticism was a philosophical-theological movement that emerged in Europe during the Middle Ages and dominated ecclesiastical thought for a long time. This thought was characterized by blending Greek philosophy, particularly Aristotle's philosophy, with Christian doctrine. Its most famous proponents were Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, and William of Ockham. The scholars greatly contributed to crystallizing and organizing Christian doctrine to the extent that they were accused of neglecting the spiritual aspect of religion in favor of the logical and rational aspect. The scholars codified the sacrament of repentance, giving it a regulated legal character that equaled – if not surpassed – the spiritual therapeutic purifying nature of the sacrament. This even led to imposing financial penalties on penitents and confessors, which can be seen as evidence of the Church's spiritual decline during that period.
The Church played a crucial role – if not monopolized – in transmitting what was agreed to be the teachings of Christ through the generations. Therefore, Martin Luther's departure from its long-standing path was a significant event, despite his famous document's purpose being to call for discussion within the Church itself. It was a true revolution and a radical departure from doctrine.
According to Luther: the Bible is the sole and effective reference for Christian faith and practice, known as "sola scriptura," meaning "Scripture alone." All Christians must read the Bible and understand its content by themselves (hence his translation into German). No human authority, such as the Church or the Pope, should have authority over the Bible or its interpretations. Therefore, salvation and forgiveness of sins are through faith in God alone; God's grace saves humans, and God grants it to believers freely, not acquired or bought through indulgences or any other means. He expressed this by objecting in his 95 theses to the Catholic Church's sale of indulgences, as he believed the Church was replacing false hope (forgiveness could be acquired or bought) with true hope from the Gospel (forgiveness through the abundance of God's grace). Thus, Martin Luther's famous 95 theses focused on three main issues: repentance, salvation, and the authority of the Church.
Firstly, the principle of selling forgiveness (through indulgences) is rejected, as God does not forgive sins in exchange for money but through faith and grace.
Secondly, the alleged authority of the Pope over purgatory, enabling him to distribute forgiveness.
Thirdly, the harm caused by indulgences to the sinners themselves, as they give them a false sense of forgiveness and prevent them from genuine repentance.
To clarify Luther's ideas included in the theses, it's necessary to understand a set of Christian beliefs in general and Catholic ones in particular.
The Sacrament of Repentance and Catholic Confession:
In many foreign films, especially American and Latin ones, the protagonist often appears in a wooden room within a church, confessing their sins to a priest sitting on the other side of a lattice barrier. What the protagonist is doing is known as the sacrament of repentance and confession in Catholicism.
While repentance is not necessarily linked to confession (to a priest) in some Orthodox churches, they are intertwined in Catholicism, with each being a condition for the other. The conditions for the sacrament of repentance in this church include: intention, examination of conscience, acknowledgment of sins, listening to guidance from the priest, and finally, making reparation through prayers or acts of charity as compensation for the damages caused by sin... As for Protestants, repentance is not originally a sacrament, it is a matter between the penitent and their Lord, where they acknowledge their sin and seek forgiveness from God alone, as according to the teachings of the Bible, God alone is the forgiver of sins.
This view is evident in Martin Luther's perspective, as he begins his 95 theses with it, explaining in its first four points his concept of repentance and how it differs from the "sacrament of confession and repentance" practiced by the church for centuries. In the first point, he says: "Since our Lord and Teacher Jesus Christ says, "Repent" (Matthew 4:17), he intended the entire life of believers to be a life of repentance." And he continues in the second point: "No one should understand this word as meaning the sacrament of repentance, which is administered by the clergy, that is, confession of sin and satisfaction for it." According to Luther, true repentance is an internal struggle and self-blame for oneself's actions, continuing throughout one's life until death and entering the kingdom of heaven, as stated in the following points, 3 and 4.
The theses then state from 5 to 7 that the Pope, whom Luther calls "the Vicar of Christ on Earth," cannot liberate people except from the penalties he imposed himself or those approved by ecclesiastical law. Even in this argument, Luther tries to be moderate and not attack the Church and its bishops. He says: "If anyone regards the power of the Pope with contempt when it pardons sin, he will surely share the guilt of that person and will remain bound by it." And he adds in the seventh thesis that God "does not forgive anyone's sins unless at the same time he submits humbly to the priest and fully obeys him, because the priest acts as God's deputy, standing in his place."
Death and the punishment that follows:
Catholic theology distinguishes between two types of punishment: eternal punishment and temporal punishment. The first is punishment for serious sins that permanently separate humans from God, represented by eternal hell, from which humans can only be saved through God's mercy and forgiveness. The second is a punishment that befalls sinners who commit sins that harm the Church or others, which is represented in "purgatory," where believers are purified from venial sins and the consequences of mortal sins that have been forgiven. There is still a theological dispute within the Catholic Church itself about whether this "purgatory" is an actual place or merely a temporary state. Elias El Jameel, in his book Theoretical Theology, says: "It is often agreed that some people die burdened with venial sins, and that some righteous people die before they can complete the atonement for the temporal punishment imposed on mortal sin. So what is the ruling on such people? Do they perish, but this is inconsistent with justice? Or do they win heavenly happiness while stained with impurity, which is also far from reasonable? Or are they cleansed of all sin immediately after death, and there is no evidence for this? Therefore, it is agreed that there is a state after death in which souls are purified from all impurity before entering the paradise of the righteous, and this state is purgatory."
Luther objects in the theses from 8-13 to the idea of the Church's authority over the dead, as once dead, no authority returns to the church fathers over humans, and he also objects to not granting ecclesiastical forgiveness to those supervising death "and postponing it to purgatory," seeing in this behavior ignorance and evil at the same time.
Continuing Luther's challenge to common beliefs about purgatory, he questioned its existence altogether, relying on the Bible which does not explicitly mention such a place. However, in theses 17-24, he emphasized that nothing definitive and final can be said about the spiritual state of individuals in purgatory. He also denied any authority of the Pope over individuals in purgatory in the theses 25 and 26.
The saying "As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs!" was the subject of all the theses, but Luther focused on it in theses 27-29, where he attacked the idea that anyone could release the souls of their loved ones from purgatory by paying money to the church, stating that what happens when the coins ring in the coffer is nothing but an increase in "greed and avarice."
From theses 30 to 34, Luther strongly criticized the false certainty preached to Christians who purchased indulgences. In his view, no one can be certain if another person is truly repentant, and thus, the assurance of forgiveness by these preachers is dangerous.
Luther continued his attack in theses 35 and 36, considering the idea of forgiveness that makes repentance unnecessary as "un-Christian". Genuine repentance, according to him, is a fundamental condition for benefiting from any leniency or forgiveness. The true penitent naturally receives the only benefit offered by indulgences, which is forgiveness of punishment and the guilt of sin.
The theses from 37 assert that the blessings of Christ and the Church are free, while thesis 38 strangely reaffirms the "power of the Pope's forgiveness and blessing," only to then state in the following theses 39 and 40 that indulgences hinder genuine repentance. While the penitent desires God's punishment for their sins, indulgences teach people to avoid punishment, thus robbing repentance of its true meaning.
In the theses 41-47, amid his dispute over indulgences, Luther strongly criticized their negative impact on practicing acts of mercy. He believed that purchasing these indulgences dampens the zeal of believers to help the poor and needy and redirects their focus away from the essence of faith. Thesis 42 begins the emphasis on the importance of learning, repeating his famous phrase "Christians must be taught..." that giving to the poor is much more important than purchasing indulgences, neglecting to help the needy in favor of purchasing indulgences angers God, and that righteous deeds are those that improve the individual's soul and bring them closer to God, while purchasing indulgences offers no spiritual benefit.
Luther defended the Pope in the theses 48-52, affirming that if he knew of the wrong practices done in his name, he would have preferred burning St. Peter's Cathedral instead of building it with the money of the poor. Then in theses 53-55, he criticized those who preach in churches about indulgences, often exceeding the time allocated for preaching the Holy Gospel, emphasizing the importance of spreading correct religious awareness among people.
The Treasury of Merit or Church Treasury!
The term "merit" is used to express the spiritual value of good deeds and the ability to bring grace and salvation. The treasury of merit is a Catholic theological concept referring to a collection of spiritual merits derived from the works of Christ, including his righteous deeds and "sacrifice on the cross" which are considered of unlimited value; then from the merits of believers and saints, which include their righteous deeds, prayers, and sacrifices. In 1343, Pope Clement VI issued a decree stating that all these righteous deeds were in the treasury of merit, which the Pope controlled.
This treasury benefits the community of Christians through the "Communion of Saints," which signifies the unity and solidarity of believers, both living and dead. The Church can distribute the rewards of merits from the treasury to believers suffering in purgatory or to the living who are in need of spiritual assistance.
This concept has sparked a great deal of controversy throughout history, as some theologians saw this concept as encouraging spiritual commerce and diminishing the importance of faith and grace. However, it still remains part of Catholic Church doctrine, and you can still read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church the following:
1478- Forgiveness is obtained through the Church, which, by the authority of binding and loosing granted to it by Jesus Christ, intervenes on behalf of individual Christians and opens to them the treasury of merits of Christ and the saints for them to obtain. Therefore, the Church does not only want to help these Christians, but also wants to encourage them to acts of piety, repentance, and love.
1479- Since the believers who have now died and been purified are also members of the Communion of Saints, one of the ways we can help them is by obtaining indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins are forgiven.
The concept of merit is no longer used in the way it was used in the past, perhaps due to the criticism it received from Martin Luther, who dedicated theses 56-66 to it, in which he says that this doctrine is complex and obscure, and ordinary Christians do not understand it, making them susceptible to deception and exploitation by the Church. He emphasizes that the true treasure of the Church is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not the treasury of merit. The Gospel offers free salvation to all, while indulgences are sold for money. Luther uses strong language and inventive metaph
Revolution Against Greed
In the theses from 67 to 80, Luther ignites a war against religious exploitation, defending a pure faith that is not traded for money. He highlights the despicable practices of corrupt preachers who promote the forgiveness of sins as the greatest gift from the church, while hiding their greedy desires behind it. Luther strongly criticizes the mistaken belief spread by preachers that indulgences can even forgive those who "violate the sanctity" of the Virgin Mary, emphasizing that these indulgences do not even erase the simplest sins. He also describes many statements of indulgence preachers as blasphemous, such as their claim that Saint Peter did not offer a greater forgiveness than the forgiveness currently offered, and that the forgiveness cross adorned with the emblems of papal nobility, lifted by indulgence preachers, equals the cross of Christ in its value.
In the theses 81-91, Luther presents through his parishioners bewildering questions that strike at the heart of the matter: If the Pope is indeed able to release souls from purgatory, why doesn't he do so out of love? How does the mind accept that souls in purgatory, even those less righteous, are saved with money? Luther adds another question through the voice of the poor: Why does the Pope, being wealthy, ask for their money to build a huge cathedral? He believes that ignoring these questions will expose the Pope to ridicule and criticism and will not help in spreading the teachings of the Church.
Finally, in the last four theses, Luther addresses Christians urging them to follow Christ by walking his path, even if it requires pain and suffering. For enduring suffering and striving to enter heaven is better than the false security offered by indulgences.
Conclusion
Luther's revolution against the church and the key doctrinal ideas he presented, which were supposed to be the main points of contention between his followers and the followers of papacy, seem to have disappeared in the many wars that engulfed the European continent for over a hundred years after the Protestant Reformation. Politics, interests, ambitions, and the pursuit of power became the focus of these wars, and although some tried to give them a religious character, they appeared to be nothing but wars of power!
Reviewing these wars, and investigating their peripheries, causes, and battlefields.
No comments:
Post a Comment