2.4.1 Martin Luther challenges the Church Religious beliefs heavily influenced Early Modern European thought, especially in northern Europe, where Humanist ideas prompted questioning of the Church’s authority. The Catholic Church lost influence in the sixteenth century, and the Reformation, intended to reform the Church, led to lasting divisions in Western Christianity. Martin Luther, a German Catholic monk and professor at Wittenberg University, believed some Church teachings were wrong. He felt the Church prioritised money over saving souls. He opposed the selling of indulgences (paying to help a soul enter heaven) (see SOURCE2 ) and the sale of Church positions. He also thought it impractical that priests were not allowed to marry, as he observed that many priests, who vowed to be chaste, lived with partners, thus breaking their vows of chastity . Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses included these ideas: 1. Popes, bishops and priests are not superior to other Christians. 2. The sale of indulgences is a corrupt practice; only God decides punishments for sins and who enters heaven. 3. Priests should be allowed to marry. 4. Salvation (ability to enter heaven) does not come from following Church practices.
5. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. 6. Christians do not need priests to connect with God.
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. What does Jorg Breu’s woodcut reveal about the Pope’s representatives’ interaction with Catholic townspeople during the sale of indulgences? 2. How might the image reflect Martin Luther’s criticisms of the Church’s sale of indulgences? 3. How can this historical
SOURCE2 A woodcut by Jorg Breu, c. 1530, showing the Pope’s representatives selling indulgences to Catholic townspeople
source help us understand the social and religious context of the sixteenth century?
28 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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