By Nikolaus Satelmajer, DMin, STM
It was cold, windy, and rainy, yet I had gone out of my way to visit this city. Others were also walking in the city center—individuals and groups stopping at various sites and taking pictures. When the rain came, we sought shelter in the church—the church where Martin Luther had often preached. We were in Wittenberg, Germany.
This year is the 500th anniversary of Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses at the castle church (located about 500 yards from the city church) on October 31, 1517. No one, including Luther, imagined the outcome of his act in Wittenberg, a city of some 2,000 inhabitants in 1517. Luther, a monk and a professor of the newly-founded (1502) university in Witten- berg, was asking for a debate by the theologians. The original notice was in Latin, but soon German translations were circulating. He was inviting a few to debate the issues, but to his surprise it seemed as if the whole world soon engaged in the debate.
The 95 Theses addressed several issues, but most inflammatory were Luther’s challenges to the sale of indulgences and to the power of the papacy. In fact, more than half of the theses dealt either with indulgences, the papacy, or a combination of both. The Roman Catholic Church promoted indulgences as a spiritual act, but the reality was different. Johannes Tetzel, a Dominican monk and indulgence seller, was not allowed to enter Wittenberg and sell them, but residents crossed the Elbe River to purchase them. Proceeds from the sales were divided between the papacy (for the building of St. Peter’s Basilica) and the Bishop of Mainz, who needed funds to pay for his position. (Mainz was also the city where Johannes Gutenberg, some 170 years earlier, developed the printing press and printed the Bible.)
Luther became an outlaw, and the papacy and the Roman Catholic Church were challenged as never before. The Holy Roman Empire, facing internal challenges, had to defend itself from the invading Ottomans. Hurled into a cauldron of European troubles, Luther’s very survival was at stake. That was then, but what about today? Does it really matter what happened 500 years ago? Those are some of the questions a group of writers are exploring in a book which Michael Campbell and I are writing and editing with some 25 individuals (scheduled to be released by Pacific Press Publishing in September 2017; Andrews University Semi- nary will hold a symposium October 12–14, 2017). Over the years Luther has received a lot of attention from Adventist writers. Ellen G. White, for example, devotes four chapters— about 12 percent—of The Great Controversy to Luther.
Luther addressed indulgences and the papacy in his document, but I want to focus on a theme that was important to him and that is important to Seventh-day Adventists. In Theses 54 and 55, Luther recognizes the importance of the Word of God and the Gospel. That was a revolutionary idea and Luther, in the coming years, became even more revolutionary by providing the Bible for the common people.
In 1521, Luther appeared before Emperor Charles V in Worms. Because Luther’s supporters were appropriately concerned for his safety, he was secretly taken to the Wart- burg castle. The time he spent there was difficult because he was removed from his friends and could not give guidance to the reforms taking place. In spite of the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges during his stay at the castle, he translated the New Testament into German. He completed this task within three months—an unbelievable accomplishment.
Why is Luther’s New Testament, first published in September of 1522, important? After all, nearly twenty German translations already existed. There are at least two features that set it apart from the existing translations. He used the Greek text as a basis for his translation. In other words, he used the original language and not Latin which was used by other translators. This was only possible because in 1516, Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus published a Greek New Testament based on the best ancient manuscripts available, and revised it in 1519. Prior to that historic event, translations were from the Latin Bible (Vulgate) that was more than one thousand years old. Language changes over years, but the Vulgate translation had not kept up with the changes and was not easily understood.
The other feature setting Luther’s translation apart was the language he used. He translated into the language used by the people—just as New Testament Greek was the daily language used in Jesus’ time. People understood the message in his translation. In fact, Luther’s translation standardized the language and is a basis for modern High German. Even though the translation is almost 500 years old, I read the facsimile I own with relative ease. (How I wish I had an original copy!)
The translation was a best seller. Some 3,000-5,000 copies were printed and sold out within a few months. In the next twelve years, almost ninety editions were printed. The print run was about 200,000 copies. (If we use the current population of Germany as a reference, it means that 1.6 million copies would have been sold today. Or, if we adjust for the United States population, that would be equivalent to about 6.5 million copies.) People were hungry for the Word of God and Luther fulfilled their need.
Luther made history and others followed him. Soon other translations appeared and the Reformation, started by Luther on October 31, 1517, spread. One translation was prepared for Muslims in the Ottoman Empire, though its distribution was limited. During the 1500s, the Ottoman Empire launched numerous attacks on Europe and its armies made it as far as Vienna, Austria. The Holy Roman Empire had great difficulty repulsing the invaders. Some Europeans, including Luther, in light of the limited military victories, thought it best to try to convert the invaders. These efforts had limited success.
Seventh-day Adventism started with intense Bible study. The Bible was central to Luther and it is central to our faith. If we ignore it, we lose our reason for existence. Without the Bible, there is no Seventh-day Adventist Church.
If Luther were alive today, what would he say to us?
Luther was a man of many words, but I will share a few that I believe reflect his views.
Use a good Bible translation: Choose a good translation, not a paraphrase. A paraphrase is similar to a commentary and can be used as such, but do not assume it is a translation. I wrote an article in the Journal of Adventist Education called “The Joys and Challenges of Choosing a Bible Translation.” You can find a pdf online.
If you are a preacher, preach from the Bible: All too often we search for support in the Bible for our ideas. Preaching is the presentation of the Biblical message.
Make Bible reading a significant part of worship:
I have preached in many churches around the world. I am surprised and disappointed that some churches do not have Scripture reading as part of their worship. Or some read only a verse or two. I follow the practice of having a significant number of verses read—usually a selection from the Old and the New Testaments. People need the Word of God, and for some, the Scripture they hear read in church may be the only Scripture they hear.
If you teach a Sabbath School class, focus on the Bible: I recall a class during which the teacher for the entire time kept repeating, “In my opinion . . .” He clearly valued his opinions, but the class heard very little from the Word of God. The Bible must be central in our teaching.
Choose reading material carefully: When we read material dealing with spiritual themes, we need to ask if the Word of God supports the opinions. The Internet, for example, has an avalanche of opinions, but the Bible does not support many of them. In spiritual matters, the Bible must be central.
If Luther were alive . . . He is not, but the Reformation he started is. And most importantly, the God of the Reformation and God’s Word are alive.
–Nikolaus Satelmajer, DMin, STM, is former associate ministerial secretary and editor of Ministry at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Email him at: [email protected]