A “bloody” Idea The pre-renaissance era of Western Europe is one with great turmoil. During this period, the nation is politically and secularly corrupt. The uneven balance of spiritual and temporal powers leads to conflicts such as simony –the buying of church positions. Images of a child handing bags of money to the pope is prevalent throughout the 16th century exposing the church’s corruptions. Absurdly enough, even a child could become a bishop in Catholic Church if his family is wealthy enough.
During this period, religion plays a vital role in shaping Europe. As the only source of salvation, the church is the most influential institution in Western Europe and as a result, many nobilities engage in simony to become a part of this powerful organization. The emperor, along with the nobles, establishes a close relationship with the pope because God himself blesses this order. For that reason, the pope and the emperor do not question each other’s authority. Therefore, secular and political powers are often connected with political decisions often made with the papal advisory. An attack against the pope would also be an attack against Charles V --the Holy Roman Emperor. Martin Luther’s concept of faith is so threatening because it not only affects the nation socially but also politically. Lutheranism gives light to authorial challenges against the social and political structure causing religious dissents, political instability and major social changes in Western Europe.
With the emergence of humanists scholars who are able to read and translate the original Hebrew Bible, Luther's concept of justification by faith slowly gains credibility. Luther, along with other scholars, goes to the original source --the Hebrew Bible for his reasoning. At the same time, scholars begin to debunk the faults of many Catholic documents especially the Donation of Constantine1. Constantly dealing with heresy, the pope’s sits uncomfortably on his jurisdiction. Well educated, Luther is able to translate the bible into vernacular Latin. With the advent of printing presses, Luther’s works are able to reach a wider audience, not just the nobility. Gradually, more and more commoners are able to understand the Bible’s original contents and realize the vast differences between the translations and the church’s teachings. The prevalence of Lutheranism induce people to start questioning the religious orders of Western Europe.
According to Luther, reasons could be only used to question men and institutions, not God. Furthering his doctrine, Luther believes a “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Luther 6).” Acknowledging and basing solely the Bible as the legitimate source of divinity, Luther challenges the authority of the pope. He strongly disputes the claim that indulgences2 could be purchased. In an open publication of The Ninety-Five Theses, Luther is invited to a Diet of Worms, a meeting to talk about his literatures. Cognitive that his followers will lose faith in Lutheranism if he does not stand for his own belief, Luther agrees to go. During the assembly, Luther is asked not once, but twice to recant his writing, in which he firmly refuses both times replying that unless he is convinced by the scriptures, he cannot and will not recant anything. The church officials give Luther a second chance because they realize that if Luther dies at Worms, his reformation will only gain momentum revealing that the Catholic Church is indeed threatened by this ‘heretical’ movement. Wary that these radical ideas can potentially overturn the church, Charles V drafts the verdicts of the meeting and outlaws Luther and his literatures.
Within only a short period of time, the whole nation is able to hear and read about Lutheranism. The concept of salvation by faith alone directly challenges the foundation of the Catholic Church that the church is the only source of salvation. At the rate with which
