Monday, August 18, 2008

The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages was a time of grand building and exsquisite artistry. But, very few writing took place during the years of the Middle Ages. Through these years, an event took place called the Reformation. This is by far my favorite time period of the Middle Ages. The Reformation was headlined by Martin Luther, a German monk and theologian, who challenged the church by posting a theses of 95 acts that he felt the church was committing that were sinful. This action by Luther led to the split of the church forming the Reformed Catholic church.
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. He was born to Hans and Margaretha Luther and was baptized the day after his birth. Hans Luther was a peasant man who wished only to see his son to go beyond the life of a peasant into civil service and becoming a educated man. Martin Luther obeyed his father's wishes and graduated with his master's degree in only 4 years of college. After recieving his degree, Luther began attending law school. One day, Luther was on his way home when a lightning bolt struck quite near to Him. In deep fright, he shouted, "St. Anne! Spare me and I will become a monk!" Later regretting his words, Luther kept his promise and went into the monestary.
The Catholic Church in the 16th century was much like some churches today. The priests and bishops lived in luxury and comfort while the lower church employees struggled financially. The aristocracy and poverty clashed within the church walls and arose tension in the early 1500's. Seeing this anger build, Martin Luther began to compile a list of sinful traditions the church leaders were now executing with the congregation. These rituals included indulgences. This is the practice of using monetary value to earn salvation during and after your life. Many other occurences of sinful deeds soon angered Luther causing him to post his list on the door of the Wittenburg church in Germany.
After the posting by Luther, many things changed in the Catholic Church. Several artworks and sculptures were destroyed by the Protestants along with parts of churches that signified the glory of man himself. Some of the gorgeous windows and crosses that represented were torn down as the Protestant Radicals did as they believed was right. Though we can no longer see this great history because of the acts of the Radicals, the point of Luther was firmly made clear to all that God is the ultimate power in thes world, not man.
MacCullough, Diarmaid. Reformation, The. Viking Publishing. 2004. New York
Bainton, Roland Herbert. The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century. Hodder and Stoughton. 1953. New York.