Catholicism was originally the spiritual pillar of medieval Europeans, but during the Renaissance, due to the gradual recognition of the absurdity and greed of Catholics, the call for opposition to Catholic clergy in society grew. Coupled with the conflict between the Catholic pope and the secular king over control of the people, the king, the people, and the Renaissance intellectuals gradually banded together against Catholicism.
Gorgeous Catholic church
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the storm caused by indulgences</h1>
Christianity believes that we are born with original sin, so in order to get rid of these sins, we must buy a certificate of redemption issued by the church. If Christians are unwilling to buy indulgences, they will go to purgatory and hell after death and be tortured in every way.
On the surface, the indulgence is to relieve ordinary people of their original sins, but in reality, the indulgence is nothing more than a means used by the pope and some clergy to amass wealth. The prime example is Pope Leo X, who was elected Pope of Rome in 1513. After his election, he found the church's treasury empty, so he decided to issue indulgences to satisfy his greed.
Sale of the Atonement Roll
Ordinary people believe that as long as they buy indulgences, they can be exempted from all original sins, and they do not have to go to hell to suffer after death. Guided by this idea, ordinary people frantically buy indulgences.
Of course, there are also some people of insight who see through Leo X's tricks and stand up against the foolish actions of the church. And Martin Luther is the best of them.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > ii. Martin Luther's Journey to Enlightenment</h1>
Born in 1438, Martin Luther was both a monk in the Augustinian church and a theological teacher at the University of Wittenberg. It was on the basis of these two identities that Martin Luther once believed incomparably in the sanctity of the Church and the sublimeness of the Pope.
Martin Luther
But in 1511, when Martin Luther made a so-called pilgrimage in Rome, he completely changed his previous view of the Pope and the Church. In Rome, Martin Luther saw the extravagance of the popes and clergy, but did not see a trace of their pity for the people. After what he saw and heard, Martin Luther resolutely embarked on the path of the Reformation.
Of course, martin luther at this time did not lose faith in Christianity, he was only dissatisfied with the actions of Christian priests and popes, so his reformation was mainly to restrain and limit the behavior of priests and popes.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > iii. Progression of the Reformation</h1>
Just a few years after Martin Luther saw the ugly face of the church in Rome, Martin Luther's Wittenberg University began shamelessly selling indulgences issued by the Pope. Upon learning of this situation, Martin Luther immediately drafted the Ninety-Five Theses to refute the indulgences.
As soon as the Ninety-Five Theses were published, they were immediately echoed by all strata of society. At that time, everyone from the princes and nobles to the common people, as long as they were literate, read his works with hunger and thirst. And as the Ninety-Five Theses grew more and more influential, the so-called religious theologians, in order to save their jobs, all stood up to debate with Martin Luther, and finally alarmed the Pope. At first Pope Leo X thought it was just an ordinary incident of disagreement among the clergy, but as Martin Luther's opposition to indulgence intensified, Pope Leo X had to shamelessly declare that Martin Luther was forbidden to speak on any occasion.
The Pope issued a ban on Martin Luther
When Martin Luther learned that the Pope was about to issue a ban on him, he took the lead in making a declaration. In the manifesto, he said that the Pope did not deserve secular power, and not only should the indulgence be abolished, but even the secular power of the Pope should be abolished. Shortly after the proclamation, Martin Luther received an edict from the Pope. The edict forbade everyone to read Martin Luther's writings again, and if Martin Luther did not repent within 2 months, he would be sentenced to capital punishment for heresy. But in the face of the Pope's obscenity, Martin Luther was not only fearless, but also burned the Pope's edict in full view of everyone.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > iv, Martin Luther's victory</h1>
Of course, Martin Luther's hardness was not without reason, because in Germany at that time, the action against the pope and the church had formed a trend. The people who had been oppressed by the Pope and the Church for a long time gathered in protest, and at this time not only did the Papal edicts no longer work, but even the authority of the Church began to disintegrate in people's minds.
In this case, the Pope had no choice but to put pressure on the German Emperor Charles V to send Martin Luther to Rome for trial. Charles V, however, refused the Pope's request and instead invited Martin Luther to the Womus Assembly (a meeting of the national princes and nobles and German priests to discuss state affairs). At the congress, Martin Luther made it clear that he was reluctant to withdraw all his writings, for that would only give the Roman tyrant what he wanted. I may have acted against the will of the church, but I have never blasphemed God, but God is with me.
Charles V
The German Emperor Charles V was also touched by the generous statement of Martin Luther, who not only did not heed the opinions of some Catholics and burned Martin Luther at the stake, but instead gave Martin Luther protection and issued him a passing order in Germany.
After receiving the protection of the Kaiser, Martin Luther did something that still makes Germans proud. That is, he translated the Bible into German, which marked that from now on, ordinary German intellectuals could also read the Bible. And those priests with ulterior motives could no longer interpret the Bible and fool the Germans.
Later, martin luther and his successors opposed the pope and priesthood, which was later called the "Reformation", and Christians who supported martin Luther's faction were also called "Protestants".
Protestant
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Wen Shijun said</h1>
Christianity, which had split from Catholicism to Protestantism, seemed to be the credit of Martin Luther alone. But in fact, this was the inevitable result of a series of combined factors such as the awakening of the Renaissance people and the increase in the secular power of the king. Otherwise, martin luther alone could not have suddenly come to his senses, and the king would not have dared to disobey the pope's orders. But in any case, Martin Luther's rebellion against the Pope was the trigger for the Reformation, igniting the dissatisfaction of the entire secular society with the Pope and the Church.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > resources</h1>
Miles: Modern World History, Tiandi Press, 2018.
He Bingsong: A Complete History of Europe, Taiwan Straits Publishing House, 2019.
(Author: Haoran Wenshi Kan Xiang)
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