Martin Luther: How the Revolution Began | Part 2 | PODCAST

Martin Luther is one of the few people to have genuinely changed the world, igniting a religious revolution that tore Christendom in two, and undermined European tradition in ways that still reverberate today. But along with Luther’s uniquely tortured psyche, three events contributed to his extreme transformation from young lawyer to fervent monk: the loss of a dear friend, a near fatal accident, and a cataclysmic thunderstorm. It was at the University of Wittenberg that Luther’s truly revolutionary understanding of God, theology and scripture began to evolve. His scorn for the state of the Church bubbled underneath the surface, until one day, a friar called Johann Tetzel rolled into Saxony, claiming to sell awesome indulgences, which would allow sinful locals to shorten their stay in purgatory. Such staggering corruption drove Luther to take drastic action, and, marching to Wittenberg Castle’s Church, he legendarily nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door. Or did he?
Join Tom and Dominic as they describe Luther’s tormented journey to priesthood, the events that lead up to the apocryphal nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses, and the truly radical nature of his newfound relationship with God and Christianity.
Watch our other Episode's around Martin Luther here:
The Rest Is History LIVE in 2024
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Producer: Theo Young-Smith
Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett
Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

[@jasonthomasmt]

I love how you got the other Tom Holland in the chair at the start of the show 😂

[@warmcoffee226]

Hahahaha

[@tomfoulds2604]

Caught me off guard and nearly choked on my tea 😂

[@tropics8407]

Saw that 😅

[@cuttysark57]

@@tomfoulds2604 Getting us in the mood for a more superstitious time...

[@TheCharliehuddy]

Great they decided to do the YT channel! The addition of watching Tom and Dominic react to the stories adds the extra element of story telling that I absolutely love!

[@malicant123]

Great timing on the upload. This will be my leg-day listen for the gym!

[@zeroconnection]

This podcast can be quite funny. Good luck keeping a straight face on the treadmill.

[@aw6379]

Listening to this for leg day is the strangest gym listen I’ve ever heard

[@malicant123]

@@aw6379 it's not the strangest thing I've listened to in the gym:)

[@juicedgoose]

Words are better than music for working out for sure

[@miamithijs3579]

Love the channel. Rest is history on spotify asks what they can do better. 1. Be consistent in timing of uploads. KZbin is uploaded different day than spotify. 2. Number the episodes. 3. Episodes seem to be missing. 4. Do a livestream on youtube sometimes where people can ask questions. You can actually make money with that. 5. Engage with your audience. All this to better the channel. I sincerely love it and with a little more structure you guys will be very succesful growing the audience.

[@schmeed0000]

this might be the best series you've done recently, great stuff

[@NoFishCanSwim]

Thank you, I am absolutely loving this series.

[@meredithchildress8001]

This is fascinating material and I'm so glad I found this site. I've been watching Tom for a while talking with N.T.Wright and Briersly and several others, but this is pure gold! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful material!

[@fuferito]

St Anne being the patron saint of miners makes sense; Her virgin daughter Mary's predicament made her dig herself deeper and deeper.

[@normbale2757]

Thatherstory was believed could be used as proof of the devine!

[@william6223]

I listened to your elucidating video. Thank you. I will archive and share.

[@kenithandry5093]

Great discussion. Thanks!

[@DanSme1]

I've spent 55+ years, as a modern-day 'mountain monk' (yet like Luther, far from celibacy) studying theology, philosophy, and church history--an autodidact. Given the extraordinary significance of Martin Luther for having unshackled Christianity from the spiritual darkness of Roman Catholicism which led to worldwide social transformation, I urge Dominic Sandbrook and The Rest is History team to free this series from behind the paywall. PS. I hope they (and Tom Holland) were able to procure at copy of Packer and Johnston's Historical and Theological Introduction to Luther's BONDAGE OF THE WILL. This 1957 publication is the best explanation of the spark that ignited the Reformation.

[@HomeFromFarAway]

Anyone touting themselves as a "monk" but bragging about their lack of celibacy sound a bit too culty to be taken seriously. The sort of person who cannot be told "no" even by their own ideology

[@tropics8407]

A bombshell indeed 🤩 brilliantly done 👍

[@michaellear6904]

Bloody marvellous stuff.

[@grantsmall_Ngenious]

Thank you. Learnt a few new tricks here.

[@mikewifak]

Dimension of Sh!t is definitely the name of my next death metal band.

[@karlbaresic4091]

Was fully expecting Luther to be writing in German to use Shiße so many times

[@garrygraham]

I tend to think that Luther's experience in the storm was his conversion moment, rather than just a promise to become a monk out of fear. His life was never the same and he was empowered to do what no unregenerate soul could achieve. John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, had a similar experience in a storm at sea in 1748. Like Luther, his whole life was turned on its head and he eventually became an important figure in the abolitionist movement that brought an end to the Atlantic slave trade.

[@PeloquinDavid]

As a (lapsed) Catholic who nevertheless has some sympathy for its more community- and less individual-focused approach, I knew very little about Luther's personal background. I'm eager to learn more, but from what I've heard thus far, I feel rather sorry for him and his existential angst...

[@curtkoehn3906]

I think it makes sense that the people of that day believed that these relics were real. It's difficult if you don't realize the vast differences in experience we have today versus people of that time. Very few had any education. There was no internet or social media, let alone TV, radio or newspapers. Books were few, and it didn't really matter anyway since even fewer people could read. Most people lived in rural areas or small towns or cities that they never left. Given all this, few people had the knowledge or experience to even consider what is obvious to most people today. How could they?

[@antun88]

People always believe thinks that authority tells them it's the truth. Even today. Ask yourself some common sense questions, like is DNA real, do we need oxygen to breathe, do electrons exist... Then ask yourself how much those things can you prove yourself. You would be surprised how much of what you believe it's true, you have been told by some authority. Despite the fact you have internet. One interesting rabbit whole is the conspiracy "dinosaurs are not real". I mean I do believe they are real XD. But it's a fun rabbit hole to go down with, I was suprised hom much we take for granted. I didn't know all those skeletons in museums are replicas. I didn't know how much speculation there is in this realm. I still think it's a wild conspiracy. But it did told me how medieval people believe in holy relics. Like dinosaur bondes are for us the holy relics of darwinism, since they prove our world view.

[@philipbrooks402]

At approximately 37:00 Tom and Dominic discuss Luther's attitude to Aristotle, subsequently bringing in St Augustine and the sinfulness of the human race. Is that in anyway in anticipation of Thomas Hobbes and his ideas?

[@BenB23.]

Dang that thumb nail definitely grabbed my attention

[@tonyscriven7771]

The relic-dealers of Europe must have seen the Elector Friedrich coming from a long way off 😅😂

[@Zach-mj8ir]

24:00 you're both right.

[@wildirisdiscovery1308]

Re Luther and Aristotle, at about 34:40, In a similar way Galileo's beef was never with the Church, it was always with Aristotle. The pattern repeats.

[@forthrightgambitia1032]

By Luther's time it wasn't just the printing press that was something that Europe had that the ancients didn't. There was also the compass, gunpowder and the discovery of the Americas.

[@Mute_Nostril_Agony]

I think if there had been more flogging, there would have been no need of Luther and his namby-pamby reformation

[@cb73]

I always find it amusing that religious people like Luther who despise human reason are not self-aware enough to notice that the only way they could arrive at such a conclusion is... um... through the use of reason

[@catgladwell5684]

I wish they'd cut it out with the ee by gum cod Yorkshire, or whichever accent they imagine they are doing.

[@DanSme1]

Luther DID NOT posit Sola Scriptura without adding God’s supernatural ‘elective’ (sovereign) work for understanding the Bible (the doctrine of Illumination). Further, he didn’t absolutely exclude tradition and philosophy (e.g., the works of Augustine), but they must take a secondary or tertiary role.

[@keithscott1255]

"Maimie, Martin Luther's out!"

[@dramaqueen124]

I think the ‘tower moment’ has to do with the iconology and meaning of the ‘Tower’ card in tarot rather than where he studied.

[@andrewmcdonald6059]

Oh those nasty gathering storm clouds in History ...

[@Rudolph_Fischer]

15:30 "Born again" was not St. Paul, just fyi, fwiw.

[@DanSme1]

With all due respect to Tom Holland (an excellent and absorbing historian), but having spent 55+ years of study and research in theology, philosophy, and church history (I’m a former Roman Catholic, now born-again Evangelical, similar to Luther), Tom misses the heart of Luther’s struggle. The absolute best read is THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL, translation by J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston, Revell, 1957. The initial 65 pages are the finest historical and theological Introduction from the Protestant perspective. DON’T MISS LUTHER’S OWN VOICE AND CONCLUSION TO THE MATTER!

[@mistymoor7114]

Just been listening to Lloyd De Jongh on his youtube channel, commenting on the Works of Martin Luther. It is a little confusing how he presents it but not a pretty picture. Have the presenters here come across Lloyd ? Waiting to see how these videos tie in, if at all, care to comment?

[@Rudolph_Fischer]

Luther suffered from scrupulosity, so his only relief was sole fide, faith alone.

[@baarbacoa]

Did Dominic curse himself purgatory by doubting the authenticity of these holy relics? 😂

[@Mute_Nostril_Agony]

I never knew that Stevie Wonder's song 'Happy Birthday' was written about Martin Luther

[@raymondduke8214]

king?

[@marywoolley-nb7ct]

😂

[@TonyCRosa]

Tom Holland Easter egg!

[@perhael]

What Luther struggled with at 18:00 is Scrupulosity.

[@joejohnson6327]

95? He couldn't come up with just 5 more?

[@Elitist20]

I'm waiting for the Diet of Worms (ewww).

[@antun88]

"Sola scriptura" sounds a lot like today's "independent thinking" on covid for examaple.

[@DanSme1]

In the Bible, a careful theological distinction is made between “evil” and “wicked.” For Augustine, Luther, and Evangelicals, this important distinction is upheld. “Wicked” is the most extreme form of “evil.” All sinners can be “evil,” but not all are “wicked.” Here is the definition for “wicked.” Genesis 6:5 “But the LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.”

[@droppeddogs]

That verse is saying they are wicked because they think evil

[@DanSme1]

@@droppeddogs …”ALL THE TIME.” Read and factor ALL the words of a verse.

[@droppeddogs]

@@DanSme1 so the difference is the wicked are evil all the time?

[@HomeFromFarAway]

Luther's father sounds pretty gaslighty. I know physical abuse was the norm but I have to wonder how much of history was violently rewrittten by the hand of CPTSD. Especially since we rarely hear much about the peaceful kings who didn't get beaten or watch their families die horribly

[@QuixEnd]

you realize how unacceptable it is to INVOKE a spirit?!?!😂 That's insanely anti-christian. Lol *you have God himself, the Christ... and you're asking a dead woman for help?! Next time just use a ouja board and call upon baal or rain man for guidance

[@juicedgoose]

Given the suffering he caused I can't help wonder if he prayed to satan by mistake

[@droppeddogs]

Dead woman alive in heaven. You are asking her through Christ to pray on your behalf to Christ

[@j.t.lennon177]

tom holland? lol

[@j.t.lennon177]

Thank you for this one too, I learned quite a bit.

[@Gargoiling]

How can any historical podcast mention Erfurt without at least a glancing reference to the Latrine Disaster? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt_latrine_disaster