On October 31st, 1517, Martin Luther tacked (did he? more on that later!) his 95 Theses to the door of the Church in Wittenberg, Germany transforming the face of Christianity forever.
This is arguably one of the most notable events in history, with the ripple effects still felt 500 years later. Akin to the decline of the Roman Empire, The Fall of Constantinople, or cheekily – the introduction of e-mail, The 95 Theses and the rapid growth of Lutheranism changed the political, social, and religious structures of western Europe. In this issue, we take a look at the man behind the movement, and the far reaching ramifications that the Reformation had across Europe.
Luther was fiery, charismatic, brilliant, and deeply flawed. While his views inspired Christians to fundamentally change their outlook on power structures within the Catholic Church, Luther was not a man of the common people. He inevitably sided with government officials, and disassociated himself with any upheaval done in his name. He was also virulently anti–Semitic. Luther's views were often hijacked by the Nazis to bolster their despicable campaign against the Jews. It is important to see these undesirable aspects of Luther when discussing his achievements. We must acknowledge all sides of the man who brought about one of the most radical transformations in European history, if we are going to discuss his contributions to it in a meaningful, and honest way.
The might of the pen and the brush...