Martin Luther and The German Peasant Revolt of 1525

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“Under the outward appearance of the gospel, they honor and serve the devil, thus deserving death in body and soul ten times over.” Luther’s brutal words against the rebelling peasants of Germany in 1525 reveal the complex reality of the Reformation. Suppression of the rebellion by the German aristocracy was swift and violent, leaving over 70,000 German peasants dead. The rebellion targeted the social and political oppression of the peasantry in the early 16th century. The peasants found new justification for revolt in the promising words of Martin Luther. Luther proclaimed a new kind of freedom for the Christian soul and the peasants applied his idea to their own circumstances. However a dichotomy emerged between spiritual freedom and worldly freedom. Luther argued that good Christians were spiritually free but still subject to temporal laws. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of man were separate spheres. Luther rejected attempts to integrate spiritual freedom into the temporal sphere [Luther turned against the peasants’ revolt of 1525 because the demands of the peasants went against his doctrine of Christian freedom, which stressed the spiritual freedom of Christians and concordant obedience to temporal authority. By using scripture as a justification for rebellion, the peasants not only blasphemed God’s name but also acted against the natural order mandated by God. First, before exploring Luther’s rejection of the peasant revolt, one must examine his explanation of Christian freedom. Written in 1520, The Freedom of a Christian proclaimed the new freedom to be found in salvation by faith alone. His doctrine liberated people from works but also from the laws of the Old Testament. Salvation was found in the promise of Go... ... middle of paper ... ...ian, in Hans Hillerbrand (ed.), The Protestant Reformation (1968), pp. 39 (Henceforth Luther, FC) Luther, FC, p. 43 Luther, FC, p. x43 Martin Luther, On Government Authority, in Hans Hillerbrand (ed.), The Protestant Reformation (1968), pp. 74 Ozment, p.273 Ozment, p. 277 The Twelve Articles of the Swabian Peasants, in Hans Hillerbrand (ed.), The Protestant Reformation (1968), pp. 95 (Henceforth Twelve Articles) Twelve Articles, p. 95 Twelve Articles, p. 95 Twelve Articles, p. 95-96 Twelve Articles, p. 97 Twelve Articles, p. 96-97 Twelve Articles, p. 97 Martin Luther, Friendly Admonition to Peace , in Hans Hillerbrand (ed.), The Protestant Reformation (1968), pp. 99 (Henceforth Luther FP) Luther , FP, p.101 Luther , FP, p.103 Luther , FP, p.105 Luther , FP, p.106 Luther , FP, p.109 Luther , FP, p.115

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