Friday, May 26, 2006
This Day in Renaissance History
On this day in 1521, the Edict of Worms bans the writings of Martin Luther (1483–1546) German leader of the Protestant Reformation. Didn't actually do a lot of good for the Catholic Church to ban his works. About the only good thing from the counter-reformation was the Society of Jesus.
Luther had appeared before the Diet of Worms the month before and had ended his defense very elegantly: Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.
Luther had appeared before the Diet of Worms the month before and had ended his defense very elegantly: Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 12:04 AM 
Comments:
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"About the only good thing from the counter-reformation was the Society of Jesus."
What's the price of an indulgence these days?
While there were some pretty horrific effects from the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, it seems clear to me that the Roman Catholic Church was less corrupt at the end than it was at the beginning. This says nothing about the net balance of benefit (nor does your statement), but I think your claim is at least over-broad.
(As to whether the formation of the SoJ was a net positive, well, opinion certainly varies. I think it probably was, though perhaps not for a couple of centuries.)
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What's the price of an indulgence these days?
While there were some pretty horrific effects from the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, it seems clear to me that the Roman Catholic Church was less corrupt at the end than it was at the beginning. This says nothing about the net balance of benefit (nor does your statement), but I think your claim is at least over-broad.
(As to whether the formation of the SoJ was a net positive, well, opinion certainly varies. I think it probably was, though perhaps not for a couple of centuries.)
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