Protesting the Old Way
"We are living in a world where the old rules no longer apply." Such was the case during the early modern period in Europe. Prior to this sudden change in the "rules" Europe went through an extensive period of illiteracy and lack of enlightenment. The centuries following the downfall of the Roman Empire would be the years defined as the middle ages. During this phase, the Catholic Church dominated the beliefs of the people and its power was very rarely threatened by outside forces. The Pope, or head of the Catholic Church, spent a majority of his time collecting church taxes, or tithes, selling indulgences, and acting as God's representative on Earth. For a long time no one questioned his authority, or the Church's legitimacy. Ultimately, the belief system of humanism would lead to the collapse of the Church's influence, and the reformation itself. What transpired was not a direct war between humanism and the Church, in fact some humanistic qualities agreed with Church doctrine, but some of these beliefs would in due course lead to the reformation. Humanism was a very extensive philosophy that began to spread during the early renaissance period. Its main ideas were the devotion to ancient and
The Church at this point was fed up with Luther's antics. Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. "Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most rare. They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon." These two statements are the 31st and 32nd theses respectively. They reinforce Luther's hatred for indulgences and the corrupt Church who sells them. Following the nailing to the door, the theses spread quickly throughout the country. Johann Gutenberg's printing press made it that much easier for the theses to be published and sent out into the public. The Catholic Church, especially Tetzel, was extremely outraged at Luther. Tetzel declared him a heretic and a follower of John Huss, who had died by being burned at the stake. Normally this would have been the case for Luther, but instead the Church chose to have a debate and promised Luther no harm if he would come. This was a serious mistake. At the ensuing Diet of Worms in 1521, the debate would unfold. Luther was instructed to recant his teachings and explain himself. Luther refused to recant saying, "Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen." Luther was allowed to leave and was hidden by Friedrich the Wise. The Church's vital error had come in an attempt to use logic with Luther in the form of a debate. This humanistic idea had strengthened Luther's position and added fuel to the fire that was the reformation. By his sayings, it is obvious that Luther too would not change his mind unless logically convinced, which he never was. The Church unknowingly had helped itself lose power. However other humanistic beliefs went along more with what the Church assumed was proper. For example, unlike common heretics, such as the Cathars, humanists did not directly challenge the Pope's genuineness. Humanists still went to Church, prayed, and accepted Jesus Christ as the messiah and savior. The vast majority of artwork created during the renaissance d
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1623
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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