On This Day In History: Martin Luther Was Excommunicated From The Catholic Church – On Jan 3, 1521

AncientPages.com - On January 3, 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

Using the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, Pope Leo X cast Luther out of the Catholic Church.

Luther at Erfurt, which depicts Martin Luther discovering the doctrine of sola fide (by faith alone). Painting by Joseph Noel Paton, 1861. Original hangs in the National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom - Public Domain

It initiated an important historical and religious event - the development of the Lutheran Church and the Protestant Reformation.

Since 1517, Martin Luther, a German theologian and professor of biblical interpretation at the University of Wittenberg in Germany, criticized the Roman Catholic Church for its corrupt practice of selling indulgences and the forgiveness of sins.

He expressed his opinions in his '95 Theses', which he sent to the Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg.

The ex-communication of Luther from the Church meant that Luther's Theses, especially 41 sentences in Luther's 95 Theses, were heresy. The Pope gave Luther 60 days to recant these words and another 60 to inform the papacy of his cooperation. If not, the bull said, Luther would be excommunicated.

Luther at first thought the bull might be a trick created by enemies. Once convinced the document was from the Pope, he attacked it.

In November, he published a treatise titled Assertion of All the Articles Wrongly Condemned in the Papal Bull, in which he defended his views—and called the Pope the Antichrist.

In the meantime, Luther's own works were burned by supporters of the Pope.

As Luther refused to recall his writings, he was declared a heretic and an outlaw. However, he was still very well protected by powerful German princes, and by his death in 1546, the situation in Europe began to change dramatically - the development of the Lutheran Church and the Protestant Reformation began to stabilize and strengthen.

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