Renaissance and Reformation

Renaissance and Reformation Topic 5: Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation Answer each of the following questions with answers of 200-300 words each. Use the textbook, class materials, and lecture notes to prepare your responses and include APA style citations. Include an APA style reference page at the end of this worksheet. 1. What was the condition of the Church in Rome on the eve of Luther’s reformation? What specific issues with doctrine, secular governance, and authority explain your assessment? Until the reformation, the Church and Holy Roman Emperor held almost complete power in Europe. The men who held positions in the church lived a high life and had significant power, Martin Luther was disappointed in the work that he had been involved in and felt like the church was corrupted, preventing the people from closeness with God, “Encouraged sinning and furthermore kept people from knowing God” (Estep, 1986). When Luther visited Rome and the holy sites, he really saw the corruption and how far the church and men had fallen from God, they focused more on wealth, social and monetary power, and their position than what was their duty to God and the people. The textbook states that Luther even said Rome had lost its halo, which is great imagery for the Holy empire losing its purpose. The pope and cardinals were so lost in their power that they did not live like holy men should, nor did they fulfill their duty, and this disgusted Luther and inspired his works. Luther specifically mentioned the corruption of indulgences, he said that you could not pay to repent for your sins or have them erased, but you had to be faithful and show you repented by your actions. 2. Why did the Church view Luther’s 95 Theses and subsequent writing subversive? How was Luther’s teachings received in Germany? Explain why some may have embraced Luther’s reforms as political opportunity. The Church viewed Luther’s 95 Theses and other writings as subversive because they challenged the Church itself. Luther grew to understand what the Church was and was not doing and began to point it out to others. He preached about his problems with the Pope, the Church, and other holy men that were not correctly doing their duties in Germany and was able to do that for a while. Luther also highlighted the corruption behind selling indulgences and how people could not pay to erase their sins, they could only do that through faith and their actions. When the Church realized what Luther was doing, they said that he appeared to be “writing against the abuses of the indulgence traffic, yet his charges constituted an assault upon the very foundation of the system itself” (Estep, 1986). Martin Luther was seen as attacking the Church and that was unacceptable, especially as a man of his position, so they sent word directly to the Pope about his actions. His views might have been seen as a political opportunity because he wanted people to see it differently, pulling power away from the Church that has had it for so long. The Church heavily taxed the people and indulgences were more money, people poured their entire ‘bank account’ into the church and got little-to-no return on investment, and many people wanted change and disagreed with it but needed the figurehead. 3. How were the German people influenced by Luther’s writings? Explain the impact of Luther’s teachings on both followers and those that opposed his break with the church. The German people were greatly influenced by Luther’s writings, they were powerful and many. Some of his most influential work was probably translating the Bible from Latin to German, because he did not think it imaginable that the German Church could function or prosper without the proper translation to German (Estep,1986). Anyone who has tried to read something in a different language has struggled and failed miserably, and just trusting that someone who could understand it was reading it correctly, and interpreting it properly was a big leap of faith. Being able to read the Bible in your native tongue is a huge blessing and likely provided significant change for the people. He opened the German and eventually more of Europe’s eyes to the corruption in the Church and inspired an entire reformation as just a man. The author of the textbook also credits Luther with fathering the modern German language. Martin Luther made oceanic sized waves in a kiddie pool for his time, he was an incredibly influential man who inspired many and still does, to this day, he put his life in danger to better the Church and help his people, he was deemed a heretic of the religion he had dedicated his whole life to learn and serve in.