C.L.R. Peterson Blog
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Celebrate the Reformation’s 500th anniversary!
Perhaps you’ve already made a pilgrimage to the Luther sites and wish to extend your celebration, or maybe a visit doesn’t fit into your schedule or budget. Either way, you’re in luck! Several other options allow you to commemorate the 500th anniversary year of the...
500 Years after Luther and the Reformation—was the struggle worthwhile?
Lucas Cranach the Elder's workshop - The Bridgeman Art Library, Object 329428, Public Domain. In 1517, a chasm developed between Martin Luther and the Roman Church on matters of theology and church...
Pope Leo X, who fanned Martin Luther’s spark into flames
In a 1520 letter to Pope Leo, Martin Luther said he was not so foolish as to attack Pope Leo X, whom everybody praises. How did this cultured Renaissance pope and patron of the arts become Luther’s archenemy? Giovanni de’ Medici (the future Leo X) took after his...
Reformation 500th Anniversary Sites
Which location has ties to the Reformation? Germany is the obvious answer, with many cities and towns where Luther lived and traveled (Eisleben, Erfurt, Wittenberg, Worms, and Coburg, to name a few). Although Germany celebrates and hosts the Reformation’s 500th...
Did Erasmus lay the egg that Luther hatched?
When Desiderius Erasmus, a Dutch scholar and former monk, wrote The Praise of Folly in 1509, he satirized his world and called on bishops and popes to follow the example of Christ. The young Martin Luther may have seen Erasmus as a kindred spirit in his call for...
Gutenberg’s Gift to Renaissance and Reformation
Johannes Gutenberg began his life in 1400 as a merchant's youngest son in Mainz, yet by the time he died in 1468, even the pope knew his reputation---all because this goldsmith found a way to print using movable type. His journey to fame came painstakingly slowly...
Get My New Short Story!
Verona, 1571.
When Caterina welcomes her husband’s brilliant student, Alessandro, into their home, she has no idea how he will heighten the danger her family faces as the Inquisition closes in.
Immerse yourself in rich historical detail and high emotional stakes in this dramatic story of danger and conscience!