Church History, Volume 2 (of 3)Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
History
Church History, Volume 2 (of 3)
Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
Church history
the way of true repentance and faith in the Saviour crucified
not for _painted_ sins. Following his advice, Luther diligently
studied the Bible, together with, of his own accord, Augustine’s
writings. In A.D. 1507 he was ordained priest, and in A.D. 1508
Staupitz promoted him to the University of Wittenberg, founded
in A.D. 1502, where he lectured on the “Dialectics” and “Physics”
of Aristotle; and in A.D. 1509 he was made _Baccalaureus
biblicus_. In the autumn of the same year he went again,
probably by Staupitz’ advice, to Erfurt, until, a year and a
half afterwards, he obtained a definite settlement at Wittenberg.
Highly important for his subsequent development was the journey
which, in A.D. 1511, he took to Rome in the interests of his
order. On the first view of the holy city, he sank upon his
knees, and with his hands raised to heaven cried out, “I greet
thee, holy Rome.” But he withdrew utterly disgusted with the
godless frivolity and immorality which he witnessed among the
clergy on every side, and dissatisfied with the externalism
of the penitential exercises which he had undertaken. During
his whole journey the Scripture sounded in his ear, “The just
shall live by his faith.” It was a voice of God in his soul,
which at last carried the blessed peace of God into his wounded
spirit. After his return, in A.D. 1512, Staupitz gave him
no rest until he took the degree of doctor of divinity; and
now he gave lectures in the university on Holy Scripture, and
afterwards preached in the city church of Wittenberg. He applied
himself more and more, by the help of Augustine, to the study
of Scripture and its fundamental doctrine of justification by
faith alone. About this time too he was powerfully influenced
by Tauler’s mysticism and the “Deutsche Theologie,” of which
he published an edition in A.D. 1516.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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