¤[music ends]¤¤
00:00:15.84\00:00:17.85
>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
00:00:19.58\00:00:21.22
I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
00:00:21.25\00:00:23.35
The Bible, the Word of
God, the Good Book, Scripture,
00:00:24.15\00:00:28.62
Holy Writ, it's the
bestselling book of all time.
00:00:28.66\00:00:32.29
It's said that about
100 million Bibles are sold
00:00:32.33\00:00:35.33
or given away every year.
00:00:35.36\00:00:37.77
It would be easy to
take the Bible for granted.
00:00:37.80\00:00:40.47
You can buy one
for next to nothing.
00:00:40.50\00:00:42.24
You can download
it to your device.
00:00:42.27\00:00:44.24
You can listen to the Bible.
00:00:44.27\00:00:45.47
In most countries the Bible
is ubiquitous; it's everywhere.
00:00:45.51\00:00:50.41
But not very long ago, really,
the Bible wasn't accessible.
00:00:50.45\00:00:54.92
In fact, you could
be, maybe would be,
00:00:54.95\00:00:57.99
put to death for possessing
even a fragment of Scripture.
00:00:58.02\00:01:02.59
So how did we get
from there to here?
00:01:02.62\00:01:06.70
We go back about half a
millennium to the year 1517,
00:01:06.73\00:01:10.73
a time when a young
priest, approaching his mid-30s,
00:01:10.77\00:01:13.13
felt that he had to
do something to moderate
00:01:13.17\00:01:16.34
the teachings of
the established church.
00:01:16.37\00:01:19.51
The issue Martin Luther
found especially galling
00:01:19.54\00:01:21.91
was indulgences, where
the church claimed that
00:01:21.94\00:01:25.01
for a sum of money or by
doing some noteworthy act,
00:01:25.05\00:01:28.92
a person could
obtain forgiveness of sin.
00:01:28.95\00:01:32.55
Of course, there's
nothing correct about that,
00:01:32.59\00:01:35.06
and Luther was witnessing
the great amount of damage that
00:01:35.09\00:01:37.99
this false teaching and others
connected to it were doing.
00:01:38.03\00:01:42.13
I met recently
with Dr. Michael Hasel.
00:01:43.13\00:01:45.80
He's an archaeologist,
a university professor,
00:01:45.83\00:01:48.54
a Bible historian, and the
curator of the Lynn H. Wood
00:01:48.57\00:01:51.94
Archaeological Museum just
outside Chattanooga, Tennessee.
00:01:51.97\00:01:56.28
Together we looked at a
collection of rare Bibles
00:01:56.31\00:01:58.75
and other Christian books,
which combine to tell the story
00:01:58.78\00:02:03.08
of the Reformation and
help us understand how the Bible
00:02:03.12\00:02:06.72
came to be
widely available today.
00:02:06.76\00:02:09.82
>>Dr. Michael Hasel: In
October 31, 1517, Martin Luther
00:02:09.86\00:02:13.93
walked up to the doors of
the Wittenberg Castle Church
00:02:13.96\00:02:17.30
and nailed the 95 Theses
on the doors of that church.
00:02:17.33\00:02:21.77
The 95 Theses were 95
statements that Luther made,
00:02:21.80\00:02:25.41
arguments that he
made concerning purgatory,
00:02:25.44\00:02:28.81
the sale of indulgences,
00:02:28.84\00:02:30.51
something that the
Catholic Church was promoting
00:02:30.55\00:02:32.91
at that time in their history,
particularly for the building
00:02:32.95\00:02:36.55
of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome
00:02:36.58\00:02:38.32
and for the advancement,
eventually, also of the Crusades
00:02:38.35\00:02:41.66
and the
financing of the Crusades.
00:02:41.69\00:02:43.29
>>John: Now, this one act of
Martin Luther is widely credited
00:02:43.32\00:02:46.29
with starting, initiating
the Protestant Reformation.
00:02:46.33\00:02:49.43
What was it about those
two subjects in particular
00:02:49.46\00:02:52.73
you mention that generated
so much heat, ultimately light?
00:02:52.77\00:02:57.61
>>Dr. Hasel: Well, I think,
first of all, maybe Luther
00:02:57.64\00:02:59.77
wasn't intending to
start something that big.
00:02:59.81\00:03:02.28
He placed these on the
doors because this was the place
00:03:02.31\00:03:05.58
where discussions got
started on university campuses.
00:03:05.61\00:03:08.22
But we also know that that
same day he sent a copy of that
00:03:08.25\00:03:12.39
to the archbishop
of Mainz in Germany,
00:03:12.42\00:03:14.79
who had sponsored a gentleman
by the name of Johann Tetzel,
00:03:14.82\00:03:17.53
sending him out to
all the various, uh,
00:03:17.56\00:03:19.93
countryside villages
selling these indulgences.
00:03:19.96\00:03:22.50
>>John: So Tetzel was
commissioned by the archbishop
00:03:22.53\00:03:25.20
of Mainz, who was
raising money for the building
00:03:25.23\00:03:28.37
of what's now St. Peter's.
00:03:28.40\00:03:30.47
Tetzel came to town and
was capitalizing on the naivety
00:03:30.51\00:03:34.44
and the ignorance of the poor
people, who would give money,
00:03:34.48\00:03:37.91
receive a piece of paper
saying that they had absolution
00:03:37.95\00:03:41.05
or something
very similar to that.
00:03:41.08\00:03:43.22
They'd go home with
their piece of paper thinking,
00:03:43.25\00:03:44.99
"We're good to
go." They weren't.
00:03:45.02\00:03:47.19
>>Dr. Hasel: That's right.
Tetzel had a very famous saying.
00:03:47.22\00:03:49.69
It says, "When the
coin in the coffer rings,
00:03:49.72\00:03:52.03
the soul from
purgatory springs."
00:03:52.06\00:03:54.20
It's a great
translation of the German.
00:03:54.23\00:03:56.10
He talked about the fires of
hell and the burning of hell,
00:03:56.13\00:03:59.30
and he used that kind of
intimidation to really get
00:03:59.33\00:04:01.80
people to think
about buying an indulgence.
00:04:01.84\00:04:04.57
And Luther was incensed that
the church was teaching that
00:04:04.61\00:04:08.48
by the sale of an indulgence
you could buy your way
00:04:08.51\00:04:12.01
into heaven somehow.
00:04:12.05\00:04:13.48
>>John: The church
really pushed back.
00:04:13.52\00:04:15.25
How'd they push
back and, and why?
00:04:15.28\00:04:17.49
>>Dr. Hasel: One of the
reasons they had to push back
00:04:17.52\00:04:19.29
was the 95 Theses that
were nailed here were taken down
00:04:19.32\00:04:22.49
by some of the students,
00:04:22.52\00:04:24.03
and they were taken
to a printing press,
00:04:24.06\00:04:25.46
and they were printed.
00:04:25.49\00:04:26.59
What you see here is the
first edition of that printing
00:04:26.63\00:04:31.07
in Latin in 1517.
00:04:31.10\00:04:33.60
So this was sent like
a pamphlet, it's a small,
00:04:33.64\00:04:36.07
little booklet, and they
were sent all over Germany.
00:04:36.10\00:04:38.47
And this began the
wave, if you will, of concern
00:04:38.51\00:04:43.78
over the sale of indulgences
that caused that response
00:04:43.81\00:04:46.35
by the Catholic Church.
00:04:46.38\00:04:47.32
>>John: What were
some of these statements?
00:04:47.35\00:04:49.22
And I don't mean verbatim
necessarily, but what were
00:04:49.25\00:04:51.15
some of the types of things
Luther was saying in here?
00:04:51.19\00:04:54.32
>>Dr. Hasel: One of the
things he was, uh, criticizing,
00:04:54.36\00:04:57.49
I think, somewhat carefully
but also very straightforward,
00:04:57.53\00:05:01.16
was that the pope's
own reputation would be
00:05:01.20\00:05:03.26
at stake here, that
the pope needed to take
00:05:03.30\00:05:06.17
maybe a different position
than selling indulgences
00:05:06.20\00:05:09.57
and taking advantage of
the poor, who were giving money
00:05:09.60\00:05:12.44
for something that biblically
wasn't, uh, really feasible,
00:05:12.47\00:05:16.58
and that he could,
out of his own coffers,
00:05:16.61\00:05:19.51
pay for a big church
himself rather than on the backs
00:05:19.55\00:05:22.75
of the poor peasants
that Luther was ministering to
00:05:22.78\00:05:25.12
on a daily basis.
00:05:25.15\00:05:26.05
So that was one of
the issues there were.
00:05:26.09\00:05:28.06
But at the core of this was
also the issue of salvation.
00:05:28.09\00:05:31.99
How does one go
about getting salvation?
00:05:32.03\00:05:34.13
Is it through a piece
of paper that you buy?
00:05:34.20\00:05:36.56
Or is it through faith?
00:05:36.60\00:05:38.37
And he spoke on
going through tribulation
00:05:38.40\00:05:41.47
and that tribulation actually
was a better way to get,
00:05:41.50\00:05:46.61
through grace, to heaven
than buying a piece of paper
00:05:46.64\00:05:50.21
from the pope.
00:05:50.25\00:05:51.28
>>John: Okay. In response,
let's take a look here,
00:05:51.31\00:05:53.72
because the church was livid.
00:05:53.75\00:05:56.35
>>Dr. Hasel: They were livid.
00:05:56.38\00:05:57.35
Eventually what happened
was that Luther received
00:05:57.39\00:06:00.06
a document, probably a scroll,
with a huge stamp impressed
00:06:00.09\00:06:04.93
in red, uh, wax, and this
was in Latin, called a bulla,
00:06:04.96\00:06:10.60
and here you can
see bulla Leonis.
00:06:10.63\00:06:13.37
Leo X was the
reigning pope at that time,
00:06:13.40\00:06:16.84
and he issued this in Rome,
00:06:16.87\00:06:18.91
excommunicating
Luther from the church.
00:06:18.94\00:06:21.31
>>John: Okay. He
criticized the church.
00:06:21.34\00:06:22.78
He took a position against some
of the teachings and practices
00:06:22.81\00:06:24.88
of the church. He got the boot.
00:06:24.91\00:06:27.12
This is obviously
not the original thing,
00:06:27.15\00:06:28.72
but this is a, a, a
printed copy of what Leo wrote
00:06:28.75\00:06:31.99
telling Luther he was gone.
00:06:32.02\00:06:33.82
>>Dr. Hasel: That's right. We're
told--at least, Luther's account
00:06:33.86\00:06:36.69
is that he threw that
manuscript in the fire.
00:06:36.73\00:06:39.73
That's what he thought of it.
00:06:39.76\00:06:40.86
But the pope then printed these,
00:06:40.90\00:06:43.13
just as Luther's friends
had printed the 95 Theses,
00:06:43.16\00:06:46.87
and a war started going back
and forth in the printed press,
00:06:46.90\00:06:50.47
in the printed documents
and in the artwork as well.
00:06:50.51\00:06:53.98
>>John: Today, Luther
might have tweeted and some--
00:06:54.01\00:06:57.71
or posted
something on Instagram,
00:06:57.75\00:06:59.18
and then this back-and-forth
war would have begun.
00:06:59.21\00:07:01.58
>>Dr. Hasel: Mm-hmm.
00:07:01.62\00:07:02.38
>>John: Speaking
of back and forth,
00:07:02.42\00:07:03.28
this is a
fascinating document to me--
00:07:03.32\00:07:05.09
written by Johann von Eck.
00:07:05.12\00:07:07.36
Von Eck was a very
learned church man who--
00:07:07.39\00:07:10.86
I don't want to call him
an attack dog for the church,
00:07:10.89\00:07:13.40
but he kind of was.
00:07:13.43\00:07:14.73
It indicates this wasn't
small; it was really big.
00:07:14.76\00:07:16.80
People on both sides were
printing, publishing books
00:07:16.83\00:07:19.00
and getting them out there.
00:07:19.03\00:07:20.20
Speak about what
Eck was all about.
00:07:20.24\00:07:22.00
>>Dr. Hasel: Eck was one of
the main antagonists and one
00:07:22.04\00:07:24.24
of the major, uh, scholars
that the Catholic Church
00:07:24.27\00:07:27.91
used to debate with Luther.
00:07:27.94\00:07:30.81
And he was sent in 1519;
there was a famous debate
00:07:30.85\00:07:34.48
that took place between
Eck and Luther at Leipzig,
00:07:34.52\00:07:38.09
where they, uh, hashed
out some of these issues.
00:07:38.12\00:07:41.32
And subsequently Eck published
this book, the "Enchiridion."
00:07:41.36\00:07:45.73
And this went
through 91 printings.
00:07:45.76\00:07:48.80
It was probably the
most widely printed book
00:07:48.83\00:07:50.80
in the 16th century
during the time of Luther,
00:07:50.83\00:07:54.00
attacking his positions
on the Protestant Reformation
00:07:54.04\00:07:57.67
and his hopeful reforms
that the church would take.
00:07:57.71\00:08:00.98
>>John: We're not at the
printing of the Bible yet.
00:08:01.01\00:08:03.35
The Bible as a
book, as a document,
00:08:03.38\00:08:05.35
hasn't stepped
onto center stage,
00:08:05.38\00:08:07.45
but we're
getting close, aren't we?
00:08:07.48\00:08:08.78
>>Dr. Hasel:
We're getting close.
00:08:08.82\00:08:09.72
And this would
lead towards that event.
00:08:09.75\00:08:12.55
>>John: Soon, the Bible
would take center stage.
00:08:12.59\00:08:16.39
People would be able to access
Scripture for the first time
00:08:16.42\00:08:19.79
in hundreds of years.
00:08:19.83\00:08:21.66
And the world
would never be the same.
00:08:21.70\00:08:24.83
Back in a moment.
00:08:24.87\00:08:25.83
¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:08:25.87\00:08:32.87
>>Announcer: Call now
for today's free offer,
00:08:35.01\00:08:36.91
"From Script to Scripture."
00:08:36.95\00:08:38.78
Enjoy the rest
of the conversation
00:08:38.81\00:08:40.35
between John Bradshaw
and Dr. Michael Hasel,
00:08:40.38\00:08:43.18
including faith-building
stories we couldn't fit
00:08:43.22\00:08:45.35
into today's program.
00:08:45.39\00:08:47.06
A rare opportunity to
turn the pages of history,
00:08:47.09\00:08:50.03
see books that
changed the world,
00:08:50.06\00:08:51.99
and learn insights that
will grow your faith in God.
00:08:52.03\00:08:54.93
Call
800-253-3000 for the free DVD,
00:08:54.96\00:08:59.07
800-253-3000
00:08:59.10\00:09:01.64
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:09:01.67\00:09:04.17
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:09:05.94\00:09:08.54
At a time when the
Bible wasn't available
00:09:08.58\00:09:11.21
in any meaningful way, when
people couldn't read John 3:16,
00:09:11.25\00:09:16.58
when the stories
of David and Goliath,
00:09:16.62\00:09:18.62
and Daniel in the lions' den,
and the feeding of the 5,000
00:09:18.65\00:09:21.89
simply couldn't
be known and read,
00:09:21.92\00:09:25.13
a German priest
named Martin Luther,
00:09:25.16\00:09:27.56
frustrated by the inaccurate
teachings of the church
00:09:27.60\00:09:30.40
of which he was a part,
wrote out 95 points expressing
00:09:30.43\00:09:34.70
where he felt the
established church was wrong.
00:09:34.74\00:09:38.21
They became known
as Luther's 95 Theses.
00:09:38.24\00:09:41.88
The writing of
these statements sparked
00:09:41.91\00:09:43.91
the Protestant Reformation
and led directly to the printing
00:09:43.95\00:09:47.42
and the wide
distribution of the Bible.
00:09:47.45\00:09:51.02
Dr. Michael Hasel and I
looked together at a collection
00:09:51.05\00:09:53.56
of rare books that tell
the story of the genesis
00:09:53.59\00:09:57.39
of the
distribution of the Bible.
00:09:57.43\00:10:00.50
So just a few years after
Luther nails the 95 Theses
00:10:00.53\00:10:04.30
to the door of the Castle
Church, he's standing in front
00:10:04.33\00:10:07.70
of an, an august body, maybe
the most august body of people
00:10:07.74\00:10:11.74
ever assembled, and
he's defending his faith,
00:10:11.77\00:10:14.48
and this document tells us
about this, so explain this one.
00:10:14.51\00:10:18.48
>>Dr. Hasel: Well, this is
his account of what happened
00:10:18.51\00:10:20.42
at the Diet of Worms. Worms
is a city in southern Germany.
00:10:20.45\00:10:23.32
Luther was summoned there
by the emperor, Charles V,
00:10:23.35\00:10:26.99
and by the Roman prelates
that were there, and, uh,
00:10:27.02\00:10:31.06
he basically was called to
give account of his writings
00:10:31.09\00:10:36.60
and to denounce them, to
recant from what he had written.
00:10:36.63\00:10:41.17
And so all of Europe
was focused on this event.
00:10:41.20\00:10:44.71
People came from
the surrounding villages
00:10:44.74\00:10:46.84
as Luther was making
his way from Wittenberg
00:10:46.88\00:10:49.08
down to southern Germany.
00:10:49.11\00:10:50.15
They were
greeting him along the way.
00:10:50.18\00:10:52.11
He had become a sensation
already by that point in time.
00:10:52.15\00:10:54.48
This was four years later.
00:10:54.52\00:10:56.08
And he has been offered
free passage by the emperor.
00:10:56.12\00:11:00.82
In other words, no one was
going to try any foul play.
00:11:00.86\00:11:03.89
At least, that was
the emperor's promise.
00:11:03.93\00:11:06.56
And Luther arrives there,
and on the first day he stands
00:11:06.59\00:11:10.60
in front of
this august assembly,
00:11:10.63\00:11:13.13
and when he is asked to recant,
00:11:13.17\00:11:17.64
he loses his
determination in that moment.
00:11:17.67\00:11:21.58
And he asks for time.
And he is given a day.
00:11:21.61\00:11:26.31
And he goes back into his room,
and he pleads with the Lord,
00:11:26.35\00:11:30.22
and he is upset with himself,
and he is chastising the devil
00:11:30.25\00:11:33.92
for making him weak at
that moment and not allowing him
00:11:33.96\00:11:36.89
to say what he wants to
say and what he needs to say.
00:11:36.93\00:11:39.29
And the next day he comes out,
00:11:39.33\00:11:40.66
and he makes his declaration
before all of those individuals.
00:11:40.70\00:11:45.40
>>John: Ending, apparently,
with those famous words,
00:11:45.43\00:11:47.67
"Here I stand. I
can do no other."
00:11:47.70\00:11:49.64
>>Dr. Hasel: "So help me
God." >>John: "So help me God."
00:11:49.67\00:11:51.24
>>Dr. Hasel: That's right.
>>John: And that's, that's this.
00:11:51.27\00:11:54.64
You know, we shouldn't
rush past the fact that
00:11:54.68\00:11:58.95
a theological dispute between
the Roman Catholic Church,
00:11:58.98\00:12:03.99
the dominant ruling
church of Europe at that time,
00:12:04.02\00:12:08.66
and an upstart made the news.
00:12:08.69\00:12:11.53
It was the biggest thing
anybody was talking about.
00:12:11.56\00:12:13.40
What does that tell us about
the role of Rome back then?
00:12:13.43\00:12:16.23
Just how big and
influential was the church?
00:12:16.26\00:12:19.77
>>Dr. Hasel: The
church was very influential.
00:12:19.80\00:12:21.57
The church actually inaugurated
kings and, uh, crowned kings,
00:12:21.60\00:12:27.54
and so Charles V
wanted to remain in good stead
00:12:27.58\00:12:30.85
with the church.
00:12:30.88\00:12:32.25
Charles V was only 21 years
of age as he sat on the throne
00:12:32.28\00:12:35.92
there at the
church in Worms, Germany.
00:12:35.95\00:12:38.45
And Charles was very anxious
to resolve this, this problem.
00:12:38.49\00:12:42.96
Um, what is interesting, though,
00:12:42.99\00:12:45.33
is that when Luther
took that stand, and he says,
00:12:45.36\00:12:47.96
"Unless I am convicted
by reason and by Scripture,
00:12:48.00\00:12:54.14
I must stay true
to my conscience."
00:12:54.17\00:12:55.87
When, when
Luther said those words,
00:12:55.90\00:12:57.94
it, it shook
all of Christianity.
00:12:57.97\00:12:59.77
And it, it put a
line in the sand.
00:12:59.81\00:13:03.01
Luther, in that moment, became
the figurehead, if you will,
00:13:03.04\00:13:06.68
of the Protestant Reformation.
00:13:06.72\00:13:08.35
>>John: So, for
someone to stand up
00:13:08.38\00:13:09.62
in a picky
denomination today and say,
00:13:09.65\00:13:13.76
"Unless you can convince me
by reason and the Scriptures,"
00:13:13.79\00:13:17.13
well, we'd expect
nothing less than that
00:13:17.16\00:13:20.40
from 90 percent of,
of people who preach.
00:13:20.43\00:13:23.43
That was revolutionary then.
00:13:23.47\00:13:24.97
>>Dr. Hasel: It
was revolutionary.
00:13:25.00\00:13:25.93
>>John: Why? >>Dr.
Hasel: Because he was
00:13:25.97\00:13:26.87
going against the
tradition of the church.
00:13:26.90\00:13:29.00
He was going against dogmas
00:13:29.04\00:13:31.27
that had come in
for centuries already
00:13:31.31\00:13:33.54
and had become
entrenched in the church.
00:13:33.58\00:13:35.94
The whole concept of purgatory
and the sale of indulgences
00:13:35.98\00:13:39.55
was not only a doctrinal
issue; it was a financial issue.
00:13:39.58\00:13:43.22
It was a huge, huge
issue for the church.
00:13:43.25\00:13:45.75
What's interesting in
this document as well is that
00:13:45.79\00:13:48.39
if you look at the
inside cover, Luther is depicted
00:13:48.42\00:13:51.73
opposite of the
emperor Charles V.
00:13:51.76\00:13:54.10
They're both standing.
00:13:54.13\00:13:55.10
Luther in his
simple monkish robes
00:13:55.13\00:13:58.40
with a dove on his shoulder,
opposite of him is the emperor.
00:13:58.43\00:14:02.27
And the emperor is
outfitted in medieval armor
00:14:02.30\00:14:05.14
from head to foot,
holding a sword in one hand
00:14:05.17\00:14:08.41
and the globe with
the cross on the other.
00:14:08.44\00:14:10.78
He is the one in
charge, and he's a warrior king.
00:14:10.81\00:14:13.45
So, even in Luther's account,
this standoff was not only
00:14:13.48\00:14:19.15
a religious standoff,
it was a civil standoff,
00:14:19.19\00:14:22.19
and it was a
standoff proclaiming
00:14:22.22\00:14:25.09
the conscientious right
of individuals to believe,
00:14:25.13\00:14:28.40
based on the Bible,
what they were convicted of
00:14:28.43\00:14:31.53
in their hearts.
00:14:31.57\00:14:32.50
>>John: We can't forget this.
00:14:32.53\00:14:34.50
Basically we accept
that today as a given.
00:14:34.54\00:14:38.07
But several hundred
years ago, it was not a given.
00:14:38.11\00:14:40.81
Luther was boldly going
where few had ever gone before
00:14:40.84\00:14:44.05
in defending
his right to believe
00:14:44.08\00:14:46.61
what he wanted to believe based
on how he read the Scriptures.
00:14:46.65\00:14:49.28
It was
revolutionary for that time.
00:14:49.32\00:14:51.05
>>Dr. Hasel: That's right.
00:14:51.09\00:14:52.22
Of course, Luther had been
whisked off on the way back
00:14:52.25\00:14:54.29
from that, that Diet of
Worms. He was whisked off
00:14:54.32\00:14:57.26
and thought at first probably
he was, he was kidnapped.
00:14:57.29\00:15:00.96
He was kidnapped by
Frederick the Elector,
00:15:01.00\00:15:03.70
his very good
friend and his benefactor,
00:15:03.73\00:15:06.27
who sponsored him to be a
professor at the University
00:15:06.30\00:15:09.04
of Wittenberg, and
he placed him in safety
00:15:09.07\00:15:11.54
in the Wartburg Castle.
00:15:11.57\00:15:12.77
So Luther arrives
in the Wartburg Castle,
00:15:12.81\00:15:15.08
kind of on house
arrest for his own protection.
00:15:15.11\00:15:17.81
Nobody knows where he is.
Many people think he's dead.
00:15:17.85\00:15:21.28
And Luther, for a
time there, is wrestling.
00:15:21.32\00:15:23.79
He has a respite from
all the crises around him.
00:15:23.82\00:15:27.29
And then he says,
"I must begin to write.
00:15:27.32\00:15:30.26
"I must begin to
write. I must do something.
00:15:30.29\00:15:33.19
Who will stand on the wall
to defend Christianity now?"
00:15:33.23\00:15:37.60
And God puts in his heart
that the most powerful thing
00:15:37.63\00:15:40.74
that he can do after writing
his, his, uh, account here
00:15:40.77\00:15:44.44
is to translate the Scriptures
into the German vernacular.
00:15:44.47\00:15:48.18
He based his work off
of Erasmus of Rotterdam,
00:15:48.21\00:15:51.51
who had just brought
together, some years earlier,
00:15:51.55\00:15:53.92
the Greek texts.
00:15:53.95\00:15:55.42
This is a very rare, uh,
book here because it's also
00:15:55.45\00:15:58.79
a third edition.
Luther used the second edition
00:15:58.82\00:16:01.39
for his translation
of the New Testament.
00:16:01.42\00:16:03.69
The third edition
was used by Tyndale,
00:16:03.73\00:16:06.56
by the translators of
the King James Version,
00:16:06.59\00:16:09.46
by the translators of all
the other Protestant versions,
00:16:09.50\00:16:11.93
including the French version.
00:16:11.97\00:16:13.17
But, uh, the earlier version
was used by Luther to translate
00:16:13.20\00:16:16.67
the September Testament, which
came out in September of 1522
00:16:16.71\00:16:21.61
and for the first time really,
um, put the best language skills
00:16:21.64\00:16:26.55
together in translating
from the original Greek
00:16:26.58\00:16:30.19
the German Bible.
00:16:30.22\00:16:31.55
And this is for Germans
today still the standard text.
00:16:31.59\00:16:35.62
The Luther Bible is
what the King James Bible
00:16:35.66\00:16:38.53
is often for the
English-speaking world.
00:16:38.56\00:16:41.53
>>John: So what did
Luther translating the Bible
00:16:41.56\00:16:44.63
do in the day?
What was the reaction?
00:16:44.67\00:16:47.64
How did that shift or alter
or challenge or change society?
00:16:47.67\00:16:51.21
What did it do for Christians?
00:16:51.24\00:16:52.51
>>Dr. Hasel: Well, in 1229,
00:16:52.54\00:16:54.38
there was the
Council of Toulouse that met.
00:16:54.41\00:16:56.95
Um, it wasn't a ecumenical,
full council of the church,
00:16:56.98\00:17:00.42
it was more of a local
council, but it had outlawed
00:17:00.45\00:17:02.85
the translation of the Bible
into the vernacular languages
00:17:02.88\00:17:06.45
of Europe.
>>John: It was illegal.
00:17:06.49\00:17:07.89
>>Dr. Hasel: It was illegal--
French, German, English.
00:17:07.92\00:17:10.89
The Bible was supposed to
stay in Latin as a vulgate, um,
00:17:10.93\00:17:15.30
and as Jerome had
translated it in 383.
00:17:15.33\00:17:19.03
And so, for Luther to
do what he did was illegal.
00:17:19.07\00:17:22.24
Uh, it was, uh, daring.
It was incredibly, uh, bold.
00:17:22.27\00:17:27.78
But he believed that it was
the Bible that would transform
00:17:27.81\00:17:31.71
the hearts of people,
00:17:31.75\00:17:33.18
and that without it, uh,
Europe would stay in darkness,
00:17:33.21\00:17:36.48
just as he as a monk had
been in darkness before he began
00:17:36.52\00:17:40.42
to read and
understand Scripture.
00:17:40.46\00:17:41.99
>>John: On his way to the diet
or before he got to the diet,
00:17:42.02\00:17:44.19
he was promised safe
passage by the church.
00:17:44.23\00:17:48.63
Let's, let's be really
frank about what that means.
00:17:48.66\00:17:50.87
The church said,
"We won't kill you."
00:17:50.90\00:17:53.20
>>Dr. Hasel: Correct.
00:17:53.23\00:17:54.17
>>John: Which tells us
something about the day
00:17:54.20\00:17:55.64
in which Luther lived.
00:17:55.67\00:17:56.64
This was a time when
the church was very powerful
00:17:56.67\00:17:58.17
and where the church
routinely did kill people
00:17:58.21\00:18:01.24
to defend itself and to defend
its belief system and so forth.
00:18:01.28\00:18:04.58
>>Dr. Hasel: They
would go to war, you know,
00:18:04.61\00:18:06.25
against various, uh, entities.
00:18:06.28\00:18:07.88
So Luther was in a
very, very serious situation.
00:18:07.92\00:18:11.35
This simple monk in
Germany began to turn things
00:18:11.39\00:18:14.79
upside down.
00:18:14.82\00:18:15.72
>>John: Turn
things upside down he did.
00:18:15.76\00:18:19.79
What he started then
reaches down to our day today.
00:18:19.83\00:18:24.10
It's why you can freely
hold a Bible in your hand.
00:18:24.13\00:18:27.57
But Luther wasn't done.
In fact, he was going to get
00:18:27.60\00:18:30.57
even more pointed
in what he was saying.
00:18:30.61\00:18:33.11
I'll be back with
that in just a moment.
00:18:33.14\00:18:35.21
¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:18:35.24\00:18:42.25
>>Announcer: Call now
for today's free offer,
00:18:44.32\00:18:46.39
"From Script to Scripture."
00:18:46.42\00:18:48.06
Enjoy the rest
of the conversation
00:18:48.09\00:18:49.82
between John Bradshaw
and Dr. Michael Hasel,
00:18:49.86\00:18:52.56
including faith-building
stories we couldn't fit
00:18:52.59\00:18:54.83
into today's program.
00:18:54.83\00:18:56.50
A rare opportunity to
turn the pages of history,
00:18:56.53\00:18:59.17
see books that
changed the world,
00:18:59.20\00:19:01.07
and learn insights that
will grow your faith in God.
00:19:01.10\00:19:04.51
Call
800-253-3000 for the free DVD,
00:19:04.54\00:19:08.21
800-253-3000
00:19:08.24\00:19:10.95
or visit iiwoffer.com.
00:19:10.98\00:19:13.45
>>John Bradshaw: The prophet
Daniel writes authoritatively
00:19:15.12\00:19:17.85
about the rise and fall of
kingdoms, the fate of nations,
00:19:17.89\00:19:21.79
and the soon return of Jesus.
00:19:21.82\00:19:24.56
Join me for "Kingdom Come."
00:19:24.59\00:19:27.30
We'll witness the rise
and fall of global powers.
00:19:27.36\00:19:30.73
We'll understand symbols found
in the writings of the prophets.
00:19:30.77\00:19:34.90
And we'll learn how
Bible prophecy applies
00:19:34.94\00:19:37.51
to our current reality.
00:19:37.54\00:19:40.04
Waiting for the world
to get better seems futile.
00:19:40.08\00:19:43.38
We exist in the
midst of global confusion,
00:19:43.41\00:19:46.58
in a world wrestling
with the devastating effects
00:19:46.61\00:19:49.22
of sickness, war, and death.
00:19:49.25\00:19:52.39
Yet God encourages
us: The dream is certain.
00:19:52.42\00:19:57.16
The
interpretation can be trusted.
00:19:57.19\00:20:00.20
Jesus is coming back soon.
00:20:00.23\00:20:02.60
The best is yet to come.
00:20:02.63\00:20:05.87
Don't miss "Kingdom Come" as
we explore the book of Daniel.
00:20:05.90\00:20:10.01
"Kingdom Come"
00:20:10.04\00:20:10.97
on It Is Written TV.
00:20:11.01\00:20:13.01
>>John Bradshaw:
It's easy to forget today
00:20:15.91\00:20:17.78
that several hundred years ago
00:20:17.81\00:20:19.35
people were not
able to access the Bible.
00:20:19.38\00:20:23.02
But that changed, thanks
to the work of Martin Luther
00:20:23.05\00:20:25.59
and others like him
who risked their lives,
00:20:25.62\00:20:28.12
and often gave their
lives, to put the Word of God
00:20:28.16\00:20:31.16
into the hands of people.
00:20:31.19\00:20:32.76
I joined Dr. Michael Hasel
recently at the Lynn H. Wood
00:20:32.79\00:20:36.06
Archaeological Museum just
outside Chattanooga, Tennessee,
00:20:36.10\00:20:40.24
where an exhibit of some
very rare books told the story
00:20:40.27\00:20:43.57
of the Reformation, of Luther's
fierce battle with his church,
00:20:43.61\00:20:47.91
and how that led to the
advancement of the Word of God.
00:20:47.94\00:20:51.71
So tell me about
this document here,
00:20:51.75\00:20:53.31
Luther's attack on purgatory.
00:20:53.35\00:20:55.22
>>Dr. Hasel: Yes. So
this is published in 1530.
00:20:55.25\00:20:58.05
This is now quite some time
after his 95 Theses in 1517.
00:20:58.09\00:21:02.82
And Luther in this small,
uh, booklet, pamphlet again,
00:21:02.86\00:21:06.96
does not mince any words.
00:21:07.00\00:21:08.16
He becomes even more direct
than he was in the 95 Theses.
00:21:08.20\00:21:11.83
This is now published in German.
00:21:11.87\00:21:13.30
By this time Luther
is publishing in German.
00:21:13.34\00:21:15.27
He's no longer
publishing in Latin
00:21:15.30\00:21:17.44
and addressing his
concerns to the church.
00:21:17.47\00:21:19.87
He's moved beyond that;
he's now addressing the people.
00:21:19.91\00:21:22.58
And in this particular
book he is going through,
00:21:22.61\00:21:24.95
point by point,
exposing the false claims
00:21:24.98\00:21:29.05
of the church as regards
to the doctrine of purgatory,
00:21:29.08\00:21:31.45
this in-between state
between heaven and hell,
00:21:31.49\00:21:33.96
which is not really
supported in Scripture.
00:21:33.99\00:21:36.42
And he is, uh,
beginning--this says,
00:21:36.46\00:21:39.49
[speaks in German]
"the first chapter,"
00:21:39.53\00:21:42.20
and then each section
that comes after that is,
00:21:42.23\00:21:45.27
[speaks in German] "the
second lie," "the third lie,"
00:21:45.30\00:21:49.60
"the fourth lie." I mean,
00:21:49.64\00:21:51.04
he is not using
politically correct language.
00:21:51.07\00:21:53.14
He is basically saying,
these are lies that have been
00:21:53.17\00:21:55.54
perpetuated for centuries
by the church, and the Bible,
00:21:55.58\00:22:00.12
in the book of Galatians,
teaches a whole 'nother way
00:22:00.15\00:22:02.58
of salvation, which
is through Jesus Christ.
00:22:02.62\00:22:04.92
>>John: What did this do
to the average believers?
00:22:04.95\00:22:08.26
I mean, so, so Germany, the
German states were Catholic.
00:22:08.29\00:22:11.59
What happened as a
result of, of this ministry?
00:22:11.63\00:22:14.23
>>Dr. Hasel: The
princes began to take a stand,
00:22:14.30\00:22:16.90
and the princes
actually at one point came
00:22:16.93\00:22:20.10
at the Diet of Speyer,
they came to the emperor,
00:22:20.14\00:22:23.47
and there they were told to sign
a document to basically go back
00:22:23.51\00:22:28.34
to Catholicism, and
they stood one by one
00:22:28.38\00:22:32.15
in that particular
location, and they said,
00:22:32.18\00:22:34.25
"We want to read to you the
document that we have written
00:22:34.28\00:22:37.09
that expresses our
beliefs based on Scripture."
00:22:37.12\00:22:40.46
And in the most
forthright and daring way,
00:22:40.49\00:22:43.39
they stood up before
the emperor and said,
00:22:43.43\00:22:46.29
"We, we will, we
will not go back.
00:22:46.33\00:22:49.26
This is what we believe,
and this is why we believe it."
00:22:49.30\00:22:51.43
And the emperor had no choice;
00:22:51.47\00:22:53.13
because it was all of
them together, the emperor
00:22:53.17\00:22:56.10
had no choice but to
accept their declaration,
00:22:56.14\00:22:58.77
um, or lose his, his kingdom
because these were the leaders
00:22:58.81\00:23:03.48
of his kingdom.
00:23:03.51\00:23:04.55
>>John: So this was not
a battle of personalities,
00:23:04.58\00:23:06.78
even though there were some
large personalities involved.
00:23:06.82\00:23:09.22
This was a
matter of people saying,
00:23:09.25\00:23:11.89
"We want to believe
what the Bible says."
00:23:11.92\00:23:14.49
This wasn't anti-Catholicism
or hatred of the pope
00:23:14.52\00:23:17.89
or anything like that.
00:23:17.93\00:23:19.63
This was a matter of people
saying this is God's truth,
00:23:19.66\00:23:24.43
and we want to
advance with the Bible.
00:23:24.47\00:23:26.10
Is, is that accurate?
00:23:26.13\00:23:27.14
>>Dr. Hasel: That's
how it began. It began
00:23:27.17\00:23:28.50
with Luther reading
Scripture and realizing,
00:23:28.54\00:23:30.84
hey, there is, there
are things here in Scripture
00:23:30.87\00:23:33.81
that don't correspond to what
I've been taught as a theologian
00:23:33.84\00:23:38.28
and as a monk and as a
learned person in the church.
00:23:38.31\00:23:42.25
This is teaching me
something different.
00:23:42.28\00:23:43.92
What do I do with this?
00:23:43.95\00:23:45.29
As a result of that, with
time, Luther, however, became
00:23:45.32\00:23:49.59
more and more convicted that
the pope was the antichrist,
00:23:49.62\00:23:53.66
and he came out boldly, even
more boldly as time went on,
00:23:53.70\00:23:57.77
on that particular element.
00:23:57.80\00:23:59.73
That is one element that
really galvanized Protestantism
00:23:59.77\00:24:02.64
as well. Um, we look
back at it today and say,
00:24:02.67\00:24:05.44
"Well now, those were
daring words to speak."
00:24:05.47\00:24:07.91
And yet, um, this was
the conviction that was held
00:24:07.94\00:24:12.28
because of the differences
between the teachings, uh,
00:24:12.31\00:24:16.32
regarding salvation
that the church was teaching
00:24:16.35\00:24:19.09
and the teachings
that Scripture held.
00:24:19.12\00:24:21.16
>>John: Speaking about the
teachings of salvation here,
00:24:21.19\00:24:24.79
Luther's
"Commentary on Galatians,"
00:24:24.83\00:24:28.50
how did this come about,
and, and what was the motivation
00:24:28.53\00:24:30.83
for, for Luther
writing about Galatians?
00:24:30.87\00:24:33.30
>>Dr. Hasel:
Galatians was one of the books
00:24:33.34\00:24:35.00
that really sparked Luther's
interest in the whole concept
00:24:35.04\00:24:38.81
of righteousness by faith.
00:24:38.84\00:24:40.84
And he began to
lecture on Galatians
00:24:40.88\00:24:43.24
at the University of
Wittenberg to his students.
00:24:43.28\00:24:45.45
His students took copious
notes of what he had been saying
00:24:45.48\00:24:49.18
and what he was saying in
class, and later on they took
00:24:49.22\00:24:52.29
those notes, and they asked
Luther permission to print those
00:24:52.32\00:24:55.89
as a commentary, which they
did with Luther's supervision.
00:24:55.92\00:25:00.06
And what we see here
is the English translation
00:25:00.10\00:25:02.40
of that commentary of Galatians.
00:25:02.43\00:25:04.43
This edition that we
have here was printed in 1774,
00:25:04.47\00:25:08.67
two years before the
Declaration of Independence
00:25:08.70\00:25:10.84
here in the United States.
00:25:10.87\00:25:12.14
But the original
was published in 1575.
00:25:12.17\00:25:15.88
And what is interesting here is
that Luther had a very high view
00:25:15.91\00:25:20.82
of this work in particular.
00:25:20.85\00:25:22.42
He says, "If I had my way
about it, they would republish
00:25:22.45\00:25:26.86
"only those of my
books which have doctrine,
00:25:26.89\00:25:29.82
my Galatians, for instance."
00:25:29.86\00:25:31.49
So he really saw this as
one of the important works
00:25:31.53\00:25:35.16
that he had
produced in his lifetime.
00:25:35.20\00:25:37.83
>>John: Can you
imagine living in a world
00:25:37.87\00:25:39.57
where you could
not possess a Bible?
00:25:39.60\00:25:42.67
Where the Word of God
wasn't taught and wasn't heard
00:25:42.70\00:25:45.77
by the people?
00:25:45.81\00:25:47.14
Well, that was this world,
until Martin Luther came along.
00:25:47.18\00:25:51.11
And it's the world
today for a lot of people.
00:25:51.15\00:25:53.88
Even though it's
widely available,
00:25:53.92\00:25:55.28
many people don't have
the Bible in their possession.
00:25:55.32\00:25:58.42
And, unfortunately,
there are people with the Bible
00:25:58.45\00:26:02.12
who are not reading the Bible.
00:26:02.16\00:26:03.93
They're not
accessing the promises of God.
00:26:03.96\00:26:06.23
They're not reading the
great stories or the accounts
00:26:06.26\00:26:08.96
of the life of Jesus.
00:26:09.00\00:26:11.23
I want to encourage you.
Take this book, delivered to us
00:26:11.27\00:26:14.87
at great cost by the shedding
of blood, by the loss of life,
00:26:14.90\00:26:19.54
take this book
and read what it says.
00:26:19.57\00:26:23.18
Discover the God of its pages.
00:26:23.21\00:26:25.71
Yield your heart to the
Savior to whom it points.
00:26:25.75\00:26:30.15
This is the Word of God.
00:26:30.19\00:26:32.79
Make the decision today
to bring it into your life
00:26:32.82\00:26:35.42
more and more, and let
it guide you from this world
00:26:35.46\00:26:40.60
to the world to come.
00:26:40.63\00:26:42.23
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:43.23\00:26:45.17
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:45.20\00:26:48.60
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:48.64\00:26:51.87
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:51.91\00:26:56.04
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:56.08\00:26:57.58
to the address on your screen,
00:26:57.61\00:26:59.05
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:59.08\00:27:02.95
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:27:02.98\00:27:05.72
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:27:05.75\00:27:09.89
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:27:09.92\00:27:12.93
Let's pray together now.
00:27:14.00\00:27:15.66
Our Father in heaven, today
we thank You for the Bible.
00:27:15.70\00:27:18.67
We thank You
for the Word of God,
00:27:18.70\00:27:20.14
and we thank You for Jesus,
to whom sacred Scripture points.
00:27:20.17\00:27:25.47
Lord, would you give us grace
to hide Your Word in our heart,
00:27:25.51\00:27:28.81
to live by its precepts, and to
be guided by Your Holy Spirit,
00:27:28.84\00:27:33.48
of whom Scripture speaks?
00:27:33.52\00:27:35.42
We thank You for this Word.
00:27:35.45\00:27:37.55
Let it be the foundation
and fabric of our lives,
00:27:37.59\00:27:40.12
I pray and ask
You, in Jesus' name.
00:27:40.16\00:27:44.03
Amen.
00:27:44.06\00:27:45.29
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:27:45.33\00:27:46.59
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:46.63\00:27:48.86
Until then, remember:
00:27:48.90\00:27:50.43
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:50.47\00:27:54.40
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:54.44\00:27:59.11
¤[dramatic theme music]¤
00:27:59.14\00:28:04.15
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:28:22.83\00:28:24.83