Joshua Parks
Mrs. Timmins
Composition and Rhetoric II
3 May 2005
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was the leading man in the reformation of the Roman Catholic Church. He began his study on law but then decided to become an Augustinian monk. He excelled at theology and Biblical scholarship. As his seriousness of studying the Bible increased, he found things in the Bible that didn’t agree with what the church was doing. His findings that being a Christian did not mean faith based on fear, but rather faith based on love. These ideas created a lot of anger in the Roman Catholic Church, and he was banished for not retracting his 95 theses. While he was hiding at the castle of Wartburg, he translated he New Testament into German. It was in this time that he wrote various pieces of writing on his ideas about what the Bible meant, and various other topics of the problems of the Roman Catholic Church. In these writings Martin Luther used various rhetorical choices and techniques in order to make his writings be more persuasive towards its readers.
Martin Luther makes effective use of historic allusions in a few of his works. Throughout his writings on religion, he makes many references to Biblical selections and references to different figures in the Bible. This is not an allusion, but rather examples provided to prove his point. In the midst of these references are a few historical references to people, which are effective uses of allusions. In “An Open Letter on Translating,” he tears down his enemies by saying, “Plus I know that not one of them understands Aristotle.” His reference to the famous philosopher makes him seem far more wise than his enemies in the church that try to copy his writings on religious issues because he knows more than Biblical figures. In “The Lords Supper,” he quotes from Augustine when he says, “The Word comes to the element, and it becomes a sacrament.” By making reference Augustine, the Christian theologian and writer, he again goes out of the original use of quoting the Bible to make his points more valid.
Works Consulted
Luther, Martin. “Preface To The Epistle Of St. Paul To The Romans.” Martin Luther:
Selections From His Writings. New York: Anchor Books, 1962. 19-22.
- - -. “The Freedom Of A Christian.” Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings.
New York: Anchor Books, 1962. 52-55.
- - -. “Preface to the Psalms.” Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings.
New York: Anchor Books, 1962. 37-41.
- - -. “Letter of Dedication to Mayor Muhlphordt.” Martin Luther: Selections From His
Writings. New York: Anchor Books, 1962. 42-43.
- - -. “The Lord’s Supper.” Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings.
New York: Anchor Books, 1962. 234-238.
- - -. “Two Kinds of Righteousness.” Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings.
New York: Anchor Books, 1962. 93-95.
- - -. “An Open Letter On Translating.” CD-ROM. Classic Literature 3.0, Bedford:
Kurzweil Educational Systems, 1998.
