500 years ago…
Luther & his 95 Theses, Ferdinand Pauwels [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Who gave us the Reformation?
Jakob Fugger
Most people would probably name Martin Luther, but Professor Angus Cameron begs to differ. In a recent article, he argues that Jakob Fugger, a cloth merchant turned banker in Augsburg, fueled the Reformation by providing a loan that enabled Albrecht of Brandenburg to pay the Roman Church for his appointment as Elector of Mainz.
Just how would Albrecht repay Fugger’s bank?
Albrecht sent out his agent, Johann Tetzel, to sell indulgences (that he claimed would reduce the amount of time loved ones must spend in Purgatory). Part of the revenue would help Albrecht repay the Fuggers for his loan. When Martin Luther heard about the sale of indulgences in his locality, he reacted strongly and posted his 95 Theses.
And so began the Reformation!
What do you think? Were spiritual or material factors responsible for sparking the Reformation?
For more about Jakob Fugger, take a look at the article by Professor Cameron: http://theconversation.com/the-man-who-gave-us-the-reformation-and-it-wasnt-martin-luther-85196
BOOK LAUNCH: LUCIA’S RENAISSANCE
I’m delighted to announce that my debut novel, Lucia’s Renaissance, will launch tomorrow, October 24th, as an eBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076GKJY2V
The paperback version is also now available on Amazon.
What does this novel have to do with Martin Luther and the Reformation?
Without Luther, the Reformation wouldn’t have happened when and as it did.
Without Luther’s writings, Pope Paul III wouldn’t have set up the Roman Inquisition to rid his land of heresy and heretics.
Because these events happened, Lucia faced a dangerous dilemma when she discovered Luther’s book.
Welcome to Lucia’s Renaissance—I hope you enjoy it!
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 Reformation in the U.S. and even from the comfort of your screen.
Simplest, see the Luther sites virtually, via drone: http://www.dw.com/en/dailydrone-following-martin-luther/av-40137718
Today a Martin Luther hymn festival is taking place: https://wels.net/event/martin-luther-hymn-festival/
If you can’t make it there, this article explores Luther’s musical influence on the Reformation: https://www.luther2017.de/en/reformation/and-culture/music/martin-luther-father-of-songs/
For art lovers, exhibits have marked the advent of the Reformation. Some have concluded, but catalogues may still be available: Word and Image exhibit at New York’s Morgan Library http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/word-and-image
Minneapolis Institute of Art: “Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation”
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865666154/Reformation-exhibit-highlights-art-as-teaching-tool-and-propaganda.html?pg=all
Other exhibits are taking place currently, such as an unusual one in Wittenberg: http://www.dw.com/en/martin-luthers-influence-told-through-95-treasures-and-95-people/a-38843358 
Check your local media for closer exhibits.
Westminster Abbey in London will hold a service commemorating the Reformation’s 500th anniversary:
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/worship/reformation
Relive Luther’s path to the Reformation through recent documentaries:
PBS documentary: http://www.pbs.org/empires/martinluther/
Luther, the life and legacy of the German reformer: https://www.lutherdocumentary.com/
Rick Steves’ Luther and the Reformation: https://www.ricksteves.com/tv-programmers/specials/luther
A few days before the Reformation’s 500th anniversary, I’ll be launching my debut novel, Lucia’s Renaissance, in which one of Luther’s books plays a major role.
How will you celebrate this anniversary?
500 Years after Luther and the Reformation—was the struggle worthwhile?
Pope Francis
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 practices—a gap that became so wide that the Church likely would have executed Luther for heresy if he had lived in Italy. Wars were fought, countless people died, kingdoms were divided over differences between the two religious perspectives.
After 500 years, what’s the difference between Catholics and Protestants? A recent article* reports the results of a survey about religious beliefs, concluding that many, if not the majority, of Protestants agree with the Catholic position on some of the issues that were central to Luther’s protest. Like Catholics, more than 50% of Protestants today believe that good deeds as well as faith are required to get into heaven, and likewise that Christians need guidance from church teachings and traditions as well as the Bible. Would Luther roll over in his grave?
Luther’s protest may have pushed the Catholic church toward eventual reform, bringing it closer in some ways to Protestantism. A recent example: Pope Francis traveled to Sweden last October to commemorate the Reformation. He insists that in spite of the remaining theological differences, the two churches can work together on social issues like caring for the poor, migrants, and refugees, and combating persecution of Christians.
What do you think? Was the Reformation worth the pain it caused?
*See: http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/channel/utilities/print.html?type=article&id=139658
Pope Leo X, who fanned Martin Luther’s spark into flames
Leo X, by Raffael, Wikimedia
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 father, Florence’s Lorenzo the Magnificent, who appreciated and bankrolled art and culture. Giovanni’s family funneled him into the religious life at the age of eight, and he became a cardinal at the age of seventeen. In 1513, when Giovanni was only thirty-seven, the College of Cardinals elected this peace-loving cardinal as pope.
Now the new Pope Leo X could spend the Church’s resources, as well as his family’s, to finish renovating St. Peter’s basilica in Rome, as well as funding the expansion of the Vatican Library’s collections and the arts.
But Leo soon ran out of money for these projects. He encouraged the sale of indulgences, promoted to commoners as a way to speed the passage of dead souls to heaven.
When indulgence sellers came to German lands in 1517, Martin Luther protested this practice in his 95 Theses.
Pope Leo didn’t take Luther’s criticisms seriously, perhaps because he was so far removed from the common people. If he had embraced church reform (as many in the Roman Church had hoped), perhaps the Church wouldn’t have split, the Peasant Revolt wouldn’t have happend, the 30 Years’ War wouldn’t have killed six million people, and Leo X would be remembered as a reformer instead of a pleasure-loving spendthrift.
What do you think? Could Pope Leo X have prevented the Reformation?