Martin Luther, Protestant Reform and Birth
Arguments
To understand what the medieval society was like in the times of the Protestant reform of the S. XVI, we can start asking us: how was society hierarchized?, What were its principles?, Were religion and society compatible?. In the first chapter of Mario Mieggge’s book, "he gives us the answers to these unknowns as we saw in lesson in the subject:" The state society ".
The power of the Church and religious faith were always linked to social and political order, therefore religious reform also became a crisis of the State and society, where crises and conflicts began to be frequent. A medieval society as we have studied, divided into three levels: the nobility, the clergy and the third state or plain people. The way of applying the law of the State was sometimes chaotic and justice was almost never secured. The huge inequalities led to popular revolts during the 17. The peasant was a subject of the feudal lord and survived thanks to belonging to a kinship or sworn association such as feudal vassalage.
The author refers in this chapter first to loyalty and faith. The Church was overwhelming against those who betray that sworn faith. I had the power to unlink all those who did not practice that fidelity. The Christ Cristina and the submission forced her, brought with him as we saw in the subject 6 of the subject "The breakdown of Christianity" serious religious, moral and political problems.
The clergy had the privilege of being protected by the nobility and possessed their own laws (the "canon law"), in addition the bishops had their courts, as shown in lesson 4, where we studied economic, political and judicial privileges;Without forgetting the tax advantages, the clergy evaded to pay almost all taxes. Non -judged crimes, search for religious reform, spiritual and moral corruption are generating the spark that will detonate the Protestant reform.
We analyzed in theme 6 "The breakdown of Christianity", on the lack of formation and culture of an important part of the clergy (regular and secular), interested in the material sphere about the spiritual. Mario Miegge, tells us about "the mundane power of the Church", marked by inconsistent and contradictory bases, such as the domain of violence to control social life, considering more as a virtue to govern social order and ""fidelity ”that as an evil. It is the Church that uses these codes to maintain order, although the Gospel is contradicted;Moral behavior cannot be authorized and condemned at the same time.
The end of chapter one is significant, where Mario Miegge cites the appearance of mobile types and printing;An instrument that served undoubtedly for the expansion of Martin Luther’s ideas. It has come to think by historians who without printing, Luther’s ideas would not have gone from country in country. However, their ideals covered all Germany, echoing them everyone Christian. As we saw in lesson 6, Martin Luther’s reformist movement, from 1520, ends with the union of the Church and begins to extend throughout Europe, this causes the appearance of new churches such as Lutheranism and Calvinism. That is why the printing press played an important role in the spread of Luther’s work. The invention of the printing press represents a whole cultural and social event.
Another argument treated in the book, of wide repercussion for the reform of Luther and one of the important causes of the theme "The rupture of Christianity" regarding the different stages of Lutheran thought, is the issue of indulgences. Between 1517-1520, Luther breaks with the church and affirms its ideals. As we study, Luther considers indulgences as a fraud and a fraudulent way of selling salvation. It is in Wittenberg Castle on October 31, 1517, when Luetero publishes its 95 “Thesis” regarding indulgences.
The sale of indulgences was a common practice used by the Church to finance, as well as tithes and other types of taxes imposed by the ecclesiastical institution. Pope Leo X needed money for the building of the Basilica of San Pedro in Rome;The Pontiff resorted to the indulgences, assigning the forgiveness of sinners, not only in exchange for prayers, but also with sums of money. Luther denounces these abuses committed by the Church as a suspicious discipline of penance.
Luther in his thesis makes it clear that penance must be an individual act of contrition, repentance, and it is not the Pope who can suppress any guilt, since he considers that he does not have divine authority. It also specifies in their thinking that clergymen are not the only ones who can interpret the Bible and that purgatory, even without denying it, makes it clear that penalties must be imposed only to the living. Baptism is the only sacrament that accepts, others are invented by the Church.
1521 is a decisive year, when the Protestant reform reaches the territories of Carlos V. From the Worms diet the religious unity of medieval Europe is broken, beginning the ideological crises and endless religious divisions of the modern era.
Discussion
The data that are treated in the book are closely related to the conflict that arose between religion and society during the 16th century. A society governed by a medieval order loaded with social injustices. To this was added the religious problem, where a monk named Luther calls into question ecclesiastical practices. The book highlights Luther’s theological approach, making special mention to the issue of indulgences. Important data such as the expansion of Luteranism and new churches thanks to the appearance of the printing press (the book revolution), are mentioned in the book. We will also highlight the references of other protagonists that appear within the framework of the Protestant reform, such as Martín Bucero, Juan Calvino and Ulrich Zwinglio, which indicates that Luther was not alone and that to achieve the utopian religious freedom in Europe, along and hard path. Finally, the author tells us about the generalized crisis, not only of the ecclesiastical field, but of a global crisis of the State and society, unleashing civil conflicts and "wars of religion".
The author has used speeches as a resource, taking appointments from authors from the 16th and 17th centuries. Published the book in 1983 and has undergone certain changes with the objective of better interpreting the works referring to the 16th century reform.
Comparing the approaches of Mario Mieggge’s book with an article published in the Latin American Journal of Theology by Leonardo Boff (Boff, Leonardo, “Luther between reform and liberation”, Latin American Journal of Theology, No. January 1, 1984, pp. 83-101), on Protestant reform as a global crisis, not just religious;Leonardo Boff states that the 16th -century reform had a double character of social revolution and religious revolution. In short, the less wealthy classes not only rebelled against ecclesiastical corruption, but also against social injustice in general. Not only are they looking for the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace, but the true equality of all men.
The author and his perspectives
Mario Mieggge (1932-2014) was a professor of theoretical philosophy and philosophy of religion at the University of Ferrara. He has published several books such as Protestant in History (1970) or Capitalism and Modernity. A Protestant Reading (2005). In addition to collaborations in magazines, historical publications and essays. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther, he writes the volume “Martin Luther. Protestant reform and the birth of modern societies ”. Reissued book, where the author has made several important changes during a stage of 30 years in order to deepen the complex interpretations of the characters of the 16th century reform.
The author uses the scheme as a methodology because the theme is quite broad and endowed with great complexity. It is based on four chapters, the epilogue and two appendices. Recounts the facts that cover the religious reform of Martin Luther and its corresponding theological approaches. The prologue is carried out by Dr. Alicia Mayer, specialist in Reform and the Counter -Reformation, director of the UNAM Mexican Studies Center in Madrid.
There are two fundamental theoretical perspectives, based on the questions: is Martin Luther the precursor of the current Western civilizations?, Was it really a social revolution rather than religious reform?. Mario Miegge gives title to his book as "Protestant reform and the birth of modern societies". The author Danilo Castilano in his book “Martin Luther. The singing of the rooster of modernity ”confirms in the preface that Martin Luther is the precursor of the current Western civilization. Like Mieggge’s book, this book by Danilo Castellano emerged on the occasion of the fifth centenary of the Protestant reform. Both authors denounce the evidence in ecclesiastical corruption, considering the ethical aspects that disseminated the doctrine of Martin Luther, as well as the consequences that these facts had for contemporary civilization.
conclusion
At the end of this work, we are aware of the change that produces certain personalities and certain key events such as the protest reform of the sixteenth century in society. The value and defense of ideals, taken to the last consequences of our character in question, Martin Luther;An Augustine monk who was able to discuss the practices of one of the most powerful institutions of the Middle Ages: the Church. Luther helped by other reactionaries such as Calvin, he is able to leave the ecclesiastical unit and question his doctrines. Special attention deserves its reaction to the indulgences, calling them to inventions and lies of the Church.
It deserves to highlight in this conclusion the appearance of the printing press in all that maelstrom of the reform. Thanks to which Luther’s ideals spread like gunpowder, not only in Germany, but in almost all of Europe. We can imagine how the ninety -five thesis, which as the story tells us were nailed by Luther himself at the gates of Wittenberg Castle, with all the complaints and reforming proposals, were printed as a pamphlets and distributed throughout Europe.
In particular, the absolute ignorance of 16th -century believers towards the issue of indulgences;Although it is understood that it was a common practice at the time and an extremely profitable product for the Church that, among other projects, addressed the construction of the Basilica of San Pedro.
In conclusion, it is evident that there are moments in history, where the person and the event that makes common sense, in the face of injustice and corruption, in this case of the Church must appear. Luther is the one who offers Luz, and returns to the origin or root of Catholicism, alleging correctly in my opinion, the non -interpretation at will of everything that was not written in the Holy Scriptures, since the Bible is inspired by God, which, whichIt is then the only source of authority.
Bibliography used
- Castellano, Danilo, Martin Luther: The song of the Gallo de la Modernidad, Editorial Marcial Pons Legal and Social Editions, S.A., 2016.
- Boff, Leonardo, Luther between reform and liberation, in Latin American Journal of Theology, no. January 1, 1984.
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