Mid-term history exam - Essay Example

He questioned Pope’s authority also, by saying that, “pope …cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons (Luther, 5). With these words and similar arguments in his theses, Luther was questioning the concept of merit “held by Catholic Church” and was protesting against “ those preachers of indulgences… who say that by the pope’s indulgences a man is free from every penalty, and saved” (Luther, 21). Though probably Martin Luther had no idea as to what he had started, his criticism and revolt against the indulgences were sharp and focused.

Historians have observed that though Martin Luther had expected “his theses to provoke scholarly debate, …(he) could not have anticipated the dramatic public response” (McNeese, 5). The Roman Catholic Church was in those days, literally “selling indulgences”, which were “traditionally granted to someone when he or she confessed a sin” (McNeese, 4). It was when the sinner was performing a penance “to receive forgiveness”, that the Church had to issue an indulgence (McNeese, 4).

This is explained as “an act of piety, to help provide complete forgiveness and to prove that the sinner was, indeed, sorry for having done wrong” (McNeese, 4). But “by the Middle Ages, the doctrine of indulgences allowed people to pay money (to the church) rather than a pious act” (McNeese, 4). Martin Luther was primarily revolting against this sale of indulgences. Secondly, by the 15th century, Pope Sixtus IV claimed to have the power to release the souls of the dead from the penance they were experiencing in Purgatory” (McNeese, 4).

This prompted people to “buy an indulgence to help expedite a deceased loved one’s release from Purgatory” (McNeese, 4). It was against this “profiteering” of the church from the indulgences that Martin Luther mainly published his 95 Theses. When it was published, the church wanted him to “confess his wrong” doing, he did not yield to that, and the pope excommunicated him (McNeese, 5). Soon after these developments, Luther developed his own theology and it stood for “salvation through faith in God rather than through ceremonies and good works” (McNeese, 6).

He negated priesthood also (McNeese, 6). Luther also criticized the Popes who were indulging in “extravagance and luxury” (McNeese, 4). Luther believed religion to be a personal thing for each and every individual when he said, “every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon” (Luther, 36). Gradually, the 95 theses of Martin Luther became the spark that initiated the fire of protestant reformation (McNeese, 6). At a culmination point of this religious movement, Lutheranism became the official religion for some German states and Sweden (McNeese, 7).

Calvin developed Luther’s ideas and spread them to Switzerland, France, Scotland and England (McNeese, 7). England, embraced Protestantism, wholeheartedly. Later in England, a counter-reformation was led by Catholic Church, which was only partially successful (McNeese, 9). But Luther regretted his preaching, when reformation turned into a peasants’ revolution in Germany (McNeese, 7). More bloodshed and hostilities followed throughout the reformation and the