europe notes

• Luther and the Reformation
• from criticism to rebellion
• socially: the Renaissance emphasis on the secular (worldly) and the individual challenged church authority
• the printing press helped spread these ideas
• politically: some rulers began to challenge the church's political power
• economically: northern merchants resented paying church taxes to rome
• religious reform, please
• corrupt leadership
• Renaissance - era popes spent extravagantly on personal pleasure
• pope alexander VI admitted that he fathered several children
• many priest and monks were poorly educated
• how can you teach if you can barely read
• some priest broke their vows, got married, and had children
• some priest drank to excess, and many gambled
• the selling of indulgence (pardons) "releases a sinner from performing the penalty a priest imposed for sins"
• Johann Tetzel was a monk who sold indulgences to help rebuild St. Peter's Cathedral
• a monk named Martin Luther objected to this practice
• Martin Luther was born in Germany in 1483
• he attended the University of Erfurt (party school)
• after getting his degree, he enrolls in law school (father's wishes)
• as people are dying of the plague, he drops out almost immediately
• Martin was on his way back to school after a visit home and was caught in a thunderstorm and lightning almost struck him
• he believed he was saved for a reason and decided to become a monk
• Martin drops out of law school
• 1504 - he joins the Augustinian monastery
• 1507 - ordained a priest
• 1508 - starts teaching theology at the University of Wittenberg
• 1508 - gets first bachelor degree
• 1509 - second bachelor degree
• 1512 - becomes a doctor of theology
• all before the age of 30
• Luther thought tetzel was a pardon - merchant (cheating people)
• came up with 95 objections the way the church was doing business
• disputations of Martin Luther on the power and efficacy of indulgence: 95 theses
• 95 theses turned to a document and were taken to a printer
• within two weeks it's all over Germany; two months all over Europe
• reformed = reformation
• luter believes
• people win salvation by faith in God's gift of forgiveness all church teachings should be clearly based on the words of the Bible
• all people with faith are equal people don't need a priest to interpret the bible for them