Skip to main content

Why was it important for Martin Luther to reform the Catholic Church?

Martin Luther was a monk (as he referred to himself) who lived in Germany during the late fifteenth century and early sixteenth century. At this time in Western Europe, there was one Christian church, the "Catholic" church. "Catholic" is a word that refers to the concept of a universal Christian church, which at that time and place, it was. 


In the time between Jesus Christ's death and Martin Luther's birth, the Church had been through...

Martin Luther was a monk (as he referred to himself) who lived in Germany during the late fifteenth century and early sixteenth century. At this time in Western Europe, there was one Christian church, the "Catholic" church. "Catholic" is a word that refers to the concept of a universal Christian church, which at that time and place, it was. 


In the time between Jesus Christ's death and Martin Luther's birth, the Church had been through a number of stages that were shaped by certain kinds of realities. The fact was that most people were illiterate, which meant that their only access to the Bible (which was in either the original languages, Hebrew and Greek, or translated into Latin, which most people did not understand) was through priests. The very human priests, over time, succumbed to myriad political and financial pressures across the Medieval period and gradually offered interpretations of scripture that benefited the church at the expense of the parishioners and that could not be challenged by the laity because the laity had no access to the Bible. 


By the time Luther came along, the Church's construction of Christianity could not address the questions he had about the concept of salvation and he also became concerned with the fact that the Church was selling escape from Purgatory and entry into Heaven. Luther challenged this and other practices in his famous 99 Theses. He also was part of the movement to make the Bible available to ordinary people through translating it into his native German. 


Luther was profoundly anti-Semitic and it is hard to overestimate the damage his views on the matter did to the Jewish people of Europe for hundreds of ensuing years. His views on Jews, when compared with actual scripture, are just as absurd as the views of the Church he criticized. At the same time, he managed to challenge the Church and not be martyred. In so doing, the door was opened to the roots of the wide range of Protestant churches in existence today. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more